Silverstone Classic’s recently announced plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary Can-Am Championship have been expanded into a three-round championship for 2016. In addition to the Silverstone Classic event, two additional rounds – at Brands Hatch and Donington Park – will form the ‘Can-Am 50 Interserie Challenge,’ which is being organised by Masters Historic Racing.
To ensure capacity grids, the 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.
Launched in 1966, the now legendary North American-based Can-Am Championship spawned some of the world’s most iconic and outrageous sports racers, regularly boasting well over 1,000hp. In addition to very few technical restrictions, the cutting-edge Can-Am powerhouses were among the first race cars to sport wings, ground-effect aerodynamics and use aerospace materials.
“There’s been an incredible buzz since we announced our intention to include Can-Am races in 2016,” reported Nick Wigley, CEO of Goose Live Events, the company responsible for the Silverstone Classic. “Now 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. Rather like Group B in rallying, these fearsome Can-Am creations have rightly reached legendary status and to have so many of them back racing is really going to catch everyone’s imagination.”
“Can-Am cars always stop people in their tracks,” agreed Rachel Bailey, Masters Historic Racing event manager. “They look exciting, sound superb and we are very pleased to be organising this celebration series in tandem with the Silverstone Classic where the cars will take centre stage. We are sure that many cars from across Europe will seize the opportunity to take part in this series and it will be wonderful to see them return to the circuits again. We are keen to attract a wide range of cars into action and offer fans a snapshot of the history of Can-Am racing.”
