Wednesday 26th August 2009

BTCC And Aerial Antics At Silverstone

Something for the weekend? See Johnny Herbert's BTCC debut, Aerobatics and our last flying Vulcan

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See BTCC action this weekend at Silverstone

The sky over Silverstone will resound to the thunderous roar of our last flying Vulcan bomber on Saturday, as the next BTCC round coincides with the climax of the World Aerobatic Championships.

Having seen the Vulcan flying at Shoreham airshow a couple of weekends back, I can say for certain it's a sight worth seeing - and with the final rounds of the WAC interspersed with Touring Car practice and qualifying action on the Saturday, Silverstone is looking like a good couple of days out.

Herbert makes his debut... oh, never mind!

The flying is all over by Sunday when the BTCC races take place, so instead you can concentrate on watching Johnny Herbert's debut performance in the BTCC.

The 1995 British Grand Prix winner recently signed to race in the UK's premier motor racing series with former title-winning squad Team Dynamics.

"I'm going to be going three or four abreast into corners for the first time since my Formula Ford and Formula 3 days in the mid-Eighties. I'll be up against some of the best touring car names in the world with the likes of Matt Neal, Jason Plato and Fabrizio Giovanardi and I've seen what these boys get up to along the way....scraping panels and having a wing mirror or bumper taken off is part of the game and it's something I'm going to have to adapt to quickly," he says.

Sounds a bit like a PistonHeads track day when Garlick and RacingPete get the old red mist...

You can get tickets at the circuit website or by calling 08704 588 260

The video clips below show the Vulcan's last flight in the early 1990s before it was rescued, and some of the BTCC stars getting their first taste of aerobatics!

 

Last flight of the Vulcan

[Ralf Rockefeller]

Good luck- hope he adjusts to BTCC ok.

[Norbury90]

I'm going on the sunday, so will miss the Vulcan

[emailiscrap]

It's worth going for the Vulcan alone. Magnificent piece of engineering.

[J16GY]

Been going to this weekend for the last 7 years (apart from when BTCC fell out with Silverstone a couple of years back!).

Anyone else camping at Whittlebury? Look out for us in the superhero outfits on the Friday at Whittlebury Country Club and on the Sunday race day!

Plato to take podium in all 3 I reckon, with the Chevy straight line speed hes gonna be tough to catch!

[mclaren-rule]

im going to this sunday. its my birthday present from my dad im 16 finally lol only 1 yr i can drive.

[B10BRW]

I was lucky enough to be at Cranfield in '92, the Vulcan put on an amazing display.
The sound on low speed turns was incredible.
On it's last pass the bomb doors opened and written on them was "farewell", brought a tear to the eye

[sperminator]

I'm up there on Saturday for the WAC. I'm doing a Porsche hospitality thing at the driving experience out by the hangar straight.

[bigrj141]

I was going to go, had 2 tickets for both days. But duty call (The Misses) and i'm heading to scotland instead

[Dancin]

"Aerial Antics At Silverstone"

When I first saw the title I was expecting some comment about Reid sending Neal into orbit!

[angus54]

Is old Johnny down to his last few sheckles OR is it a desire to race again?

Good PR for BTCC I'm sure.

[Yellow Fever]

Ah, I see the wee fellow had to stand on a very thick white line there alongside the ladies Brings to mind the Jodie Kidd episode where even with JH standing on an F1 rear wheel Jodie was still taller than him http://www.carpages.co.uk/maserati/maserati-trofeo...

Seriously, what's wrong with you guys? Over on the BTCC.net forum they're figuring 3/1 on a win for Anthony Reid and rightly so! He has previously beaten everyone in the field - including Giovanardi by the way. And would have been in F1 if some pesky German kid called Schumacher hadn't nicked his drive at Jordan.

Don't get me wrong, Johnny Herbert is a great guy, has the courage of a lion and is a GP winner. Can't take any of that way from him - and wouldn't want to as nobody desreves it more. However, he's not in his element here and will find it hard going. By contrast, Reid is absolutely coming home - he is BTCC Champion of Champions, after all.

[sstw]

Johnny looks like a cardboard cut out in that pic.

The hands give him away though!

[sperminator]

sstw said:

Johnny looks like a cardboard cut out in that pic.

The hands give him away though!

That's what being sandwiched between Paige Robbins and Tilly Thompson does for you. It'd be enough to make any bloke rigid

[philis]

B10BRW said:

I was lucky enough to be at Cranfield in '92, the Vulcan put on an amazing display.
The sound on low speed turns was incredible.
On it's last pass the bomb doors opened and written on them was "farewell", brought a tear to the eye

I remember seeing it at finningley, i think thats where they were based, incredible is an understatement.

I little treat the other sunday, i was out enduro biking on the top of carlton moore in north yorkshire and one flew right over our heads. Amaizing.

[James_N]

Will be there sunday too In my still sticked up for le mans volvo 740 lol!