Next July\u2019s Silverstone Classic has announced plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary Can-Am Series with a pair of special commemoration races at its annual summer event, set for July 29-31. The two races will be the culmination of a three-round Can-Am 50 Interserie Challenge being organized by Masters Historic Racing, the first two rounds of which will take place at Brands Hatch and Donington Park, providing owners of these extraordinary machines the chance to take part in what promises to be an astonishing experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been an incredible buzz since we announced our intention to include Can-Am races in 2016,\u201d reported Nick Wigley, CEO of Goose Live Events, the company responsible for the Silverstone Classic. \u201cNow the addition of these two extra races will just fuel those fires and ensure the 50-year milestone is marked in memorable style with some truly fantastic races next summer.\u201d<\/p>\n
To ensure full grids, the Can-Am 50 Interserie Challenge will include classes for 1960s and 1970s cars, along with a category for the later, smaller-engined sports-prototypes that ran in the Masters Interserie Revival series a few seasons ago.<\/p>\n
Launched in 1966, the legendary North American series spawned some of the world\u2019s most outrageous sports racers, often boasting well over 1,000 horsepower. Moreover, with very few technical restrictions, these amazing, cutting-edge Can-Am powerhouses were among the first racecars to sport wings, ground-effect aerodynamics and aerospace materials.<\/p>\n
McLaren, Chaparral, Lola, BRM March, Shadow and Porsche were among the notable constructors, while the driving heroes included the likes of Denis Hulme, Bruce McLaren, John Surtees, Jackie Stewart, Phil Hill, George Follmer, Peter Revson, Jackie Oliver, Mark Donohue and Dan Gurney.<\/p>\n