From July 29-31, 2016, the Silverstone Classic celebrates a British racing driver who made many headlines during his short life. It is now exactly 40 years since James Hunt won the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in a dramatic race in 1976 - a spectacular achievement that was recently celebrated in Ron Howard's award-winning film Rush.
Greatest successes
In fact, there would be no better place than Silverstone to honor the British racing driver, as it was there that he celebrated his greatest Formula 1 successes. In April 1974, he won the BRDC International Trophy for the Hesketh team.
Two years later, Hunt achieved his second victory in the International Trophy, this time with the McLaren team. And it was at Silverstone where he won his only British Grand Prix in 1977 after an epic battle with John Watson.
The legend lives on
Hunt died of a heart attack in 1993 at the age of 45, but the legend lived on. Reason enough for the biggest historic motorsport festival to celebrate 40 years after his greatest victory, together with his two sons Freddie and Tom. To mark the occasion, a number of Hunt's most notable road and race cars will be on display, along with many trophies and memorabilia from the 1976 title-winning era.
Among them is the McLaren M23 in which he won his F1 World Championship title and its successor, the M26, in which Hunt won the 1977 Grand Prix. Both cars will be in action at the Silverstone Classics.
All fans who want to be part of this special celebration can secure their tickets now. Day tickets are available for £42 per adult on the website.
