World Champions Wayne Gardner and ‘Fast’ Freddie Spencer have been added to the star studded line-up to contest the Celebrity Challenge Trophy showdown at the Silverstone Classic, which takes place on the 28th-30th July.
The Bike Legends squad features the two former 500cc World Champions, plus Steve Parrish and legendary ‘Lady of the Roads’ Maria Costello MBE.
‘Fast Freddie’ is one of the most iconic motorcycle racers, with two 500cc World Championships under his belt and one 250cc championship to his name. He won one of each championship in one year (1985) with the Rothmans Honda team, racing the NSR250 and the NSR500 on the world stage each weekend, an accolade which is greatly respected in the motorcycle community.
Gardner achieved success in the same decade. He won the 500cc title in 1987 with the Rothmans Honda team with his worst place finish being 4th.
Parrish is best known for his television commentary of live motorcycle events such as the TT and the Northwest 200. But ten years earlier, he was racing in the 500cc championship where he finished 5th to his team mate Barry Sheene. He has also won many British titles and truck championships.
Costello has a strong social media presence, with her work promoting females in motorcycle racing attracting a lot of attention worldwide. She competes in the sidecar races with the British Superbike championship, but more notably races solo at the Isle of Man TT. She is the first female to stand on the TT podium, and between 2004-2009, she held the record for fastest woman to lap the circuit. In 2009, Costello added an MBE to her list of impressive achievements.
They will be welcoming four wheels at the Silverstone Classic, as they all have recently passed their ARDS tests to secure a competition license to race on four wheels. They’ll be racing Austin A30 and A35 saloons from the late fifties, which are well-known in classic racing circles.
The four of them are all looking forward to taking part in this prestigious event.
“It will be great fun as I could be finally racing a car that’s older than me,” joked Parrish.
“I’ve raced on both two and three wheels but I never imagined being on four wheels on track could put such a big smile on my face.” Said Costello.
Gardner has experience in car racing, as he contested touring car championships in Australia and Japan upon his retirement from motorcycle racing. “I’ve got ten years of car racing up my sleeve, so hopefully that will help,” said Gardner. “I went to last year’s Classic and was blown away by the number of people and all the incredible cars. Now it’s going to be very special to be part of the circuit racing show next month.”
“Whether I’m riding or driving in anything I always enjoy it – this is going to be a lot of fun,” added Spencer. “I can’t wait to get out there!”
The Bike Legends team will be competing against mainly racing rookies, but are still out to win, especially with a £10,000 prize at stake which will go to the event’s official charity partner Prostate Cancer UK.
But they won’t be forgetting their beloved two wheels, as they’ll also be performing at Saturday’s World GP Bike Legends demonstration display. Yamaha will be generously supplying some gorgeous two-strokes, as well as modern sports bikes.
Tickets for the Silverstone Classic weekend start at £43 with camping available at an extra cost. Head over to Silverstone’s website to find out more information, and to purchase your tickets for this truly exciting event.
