All corners of the British national motorsport scene convened at Silverstone last weekend for the third edition of MotorsportDays LIVE, Europe’s only on-track motorsport exhibition. With more than 1300 licence holders in attendance, the show covered a greater range of the motorsport industry than ever before.
Held on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 November at the home of the British Grand Prix, the event featured exhibitors in the Silverstone Wing and 40 garages of the pitlane below. The event’s unique format, which combines exhibition with track day, is designed to give license holders the opportunity to network and talk to exhibitors in the Silverstone Wing before testing cars on track, all on the same day.
More than 100 brands were on display at Silverstone, including championship promoters, race clubs, constructors, manufacturers, suppliers and more. Britain is home to the world’s most diverse racing scene, and all aspects of it were covered at MotorsportDays LIVE, from Le Mans-style prototypes to historics to drifting, and everything in between. Top national series like Britcar’s British Endurance Championship and the fan-favourite MINI Challenge were joined by clubs such as 750 Motor Club, BARC, CSCC and BRSCC.
Key suppliers like Liqui Moly, Avon and Eibach took part in various activities, while the likes of Draper Tools, Premier Power Engines and RaceSense all brought new products to launch at the show. The growing world of esports was in full force, with the Virtual Reality Racing Club and AE Racing amongst the companies giving fans the chance to try the latest in virtual racing.
With almost 14 hours of track time throughout the event, there was a packed schedule of track day sessions using Silverstone’s International circuit. Different sessions for single seaters and open-wheel cars, drifting, tin tops and saloons, prototypes, GT cars and touring cars ensured there was always something eye-catching on track, with an impressive variety of cars taking part.
Virtual Reality Racing Club’s Rich Hayden explains the reason why his brand was amongst the dozens that chose MotorsportDays LIVE to kick start their 2022 season: “It’s the place to be with regards to having the whole of the motorsport industry; drivers, teams, people who want to get into motorsport. It’s a fantastic opportunity to get out on track… it’s a no-brainer for us to come here and speak to everybody we need to in one place.”
Praga Cars UK’s Managing Director, Mark Harrison, explains the success his brand has had at MotorsportDays LIVE not just this year, but in previous editions of the event: “The exciting thing for us next year is the one-make race series we’re launching with the British Endurance Championship. That success started a couple of years ago at MotorsportDays LIVE for VR Motorsport, who came down with the three cars they ran in Britcar. For us, MotorsportDays LIVE has been a real trigger for where we’ve got to today, a real fundamental part of the journey. It’s happening again today, we’ve got four cars and they’re full for the two days, so it’s a fantastic platform for us.”
Ben Whibley, Director of Events, Motorsport Network, and founder of MotorsportDays LIVE: “Thank you to everyone who came to MotorsportDays LIVE and made the event a success. Since launching in 2018, the event has grown and become a destination for license holders and members of the national motorsport industry to come and network and decide their plans for next season. After so long away from events like this in the last 18 months, we were delighted to welcome the motorsport family back to Silverstone, and it was great to have a record of more than 3000 pre-registrations for tickets to give us our best ever attendance. Now with the support of Motorsport Network, we’re growing and more ambitious than ever, so we’re looking forward to building on this success and going even further next year.”
