Silverstone: The Home of British Motor Racing

The former wartime airfield at Silverstone is Britain’s most important motor racing circuit, best known as the home of the British Grand Prix and where the first Formula 1 World Championship race was staged in 1950. This magnificent book, originally published in 2013 and now comprehensively updated in this second edition with 64 extra pages, tells Silverstone’s entire history, covering the great races, influential characters and unforgettable events, as well as the evolution of the circuit itself. The book is profusely illustrated, including plenty of great photographs that have rarely been published.Early days: a wartime airfield, the Royal Automobile Club’s search for a motorsport venue, the first RAC Grand Prix of 1948.Subsequent Silverstone history told decade-by-decade: track changes, commercial developments, politics.Year-by-year highlights and landmarks: club events as well as the big races; memorable moments, highs and lows.The people: drivers, personalities, commentators.Packed with first-hand interview content from significant people in Silverstone’s history.Contains a wealth of historic photographs, many in colour.Updated material includes an account of the protracted negotiations with Liberty Media over the contract to stage the British Grand Prix, management changes at the circuit and the selling of land to repay loans.The story is brought right up to date with the signing of a new ten-year Grand Prix contract in 2024, and the development of the Silverstone Museum along with other major new projects.Produced with the full assistance of the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) and Silverstone Circuits Ltd, this is the last word on the history of the much-loved home of British motor racing, from its beginnings in the aftermath of the Second World War to its status now as a world-class motorsport venue.

Chas Parker swapped a career in astronomy, during which time he was press officer for the Royal Greenwich Observatory, to begin writing about his other great interest, motorsport. He worked for a number of years as a freelance sub-editor and occasional contributor for Motorsport News, often reporting on such events as the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Goodwood Revival and Silverstone Classic. He has written 14 books, including a history of Brands Hatch, together with manuals about the Jaguar D-type, Bugatti Type 35, Lola T70 and Ford Model T. He was the principal author of Jaguar C-type: The Autobiography of XKC 051, which was short-listed for the 2017 RAC Motoring Book of the Year Award.