On Friday we had the pleasure of visiting Silverstone race track for a special event celebrating 40 years of racing by the Williams F1 team. My Dad has worked for Williams since I was a toddler. Formula 1 racing has always been a large part of my life. This event was free of charge for fans to attend. It was a lovely family friendly day with various different Williams cars out on the track as well as lots of fun activities to take part in. Some of these included bouncy castles, fair rides, zorbing, mini monster trucks, etc. For me it was fantastic to be able to introduce the kids to formula 1 racing and show them the family team. It was even better to have my parents join us as well as other Williams families that we know.
Like many Williams fans (judging by the cheer from the crowd!) my favourite car is the FW14B ‘Red 5’ which was last driven in 1992 by Nigel Mansell. We were so excited to be able to see it back on the track after all these years. Nothing beats the roar of this car as it races down the track.
Another car I particularly like is the Williams BMW V12 LMR motorsport car which won its 1999 Le Mans race. I remember it winning and getting to see it at Silverstone a short while later.
As well as watching the cars we also really enjoyed meeting the police officers who were there. We looked inside the various police vehicles on display. This particular police officer overheard me say to Lilian that I would send her Mum a pic of her in the police car and say she’s been arrested (it’s a joke – don’t shoot me!). He offered to put her in cuffs to make it look really authentic! (don’t worry – her Mum laughed just as much as we did).
They were all so friendly and it was lovely to meet them and for the kids to feel comfortable around them, which is so important. Another activity they had was to see how fast you can run against the speedometer. The kids LOVED this and had so many goes at trying to beat their fastest speed.
Despite a few heavy rain showers it was a brilliant day full of fun. It was enjoyed by all the family, young and old. A huge thank you to Williams and Silverstone for making this a free event so it was accessible for everyone. I really hope there are more events like this in the future to spark a love of Formula 1 in our kids and generations to come.
