Silverstone Circuit partners with Virgin Trains to offer ‘F1 Express’ train direct to the British Grand Prix

The press release below was issued by Silverstone on 20 June 2013. It is reproduced here with permission.

- Limited tickets available for chartered train from London Euston and Watford on race day

- Tickets include transfers direct to and from Silverstone

Silverstone Circuit has teamed up with Virgin Trains to run a direct ‘F1 Express’ public transport package from central London to Silverstone on the Sunday of the 2013 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX (30 June). The special package is available to anyone purchasing a Sunday Grandstand Ticket for the UK’s premier motor sport event, providing fans with a reserved grandstand seat on race day plus return travel to and from the Northamptonshire Circuit.

With only a limited number of places still available on the ‘F1 Express’, Silverstone is urging fans to take advantage of the offer before these places go off sale at 09:00hrs on Monday 24 June.

The specially chartered Virgin ‘F1 Express’ train will transfer passengers from London to the Northamptonshire circuit in just 90 minutes, ensuring fans don’t miss any of the on track action. Departing from London Euston at 07:30hrs, the train will briefly stop at Watford before continuing its journey to Milton Keynes. Passengers will then be transferred by coach directly to the main entrance at Silverstone, arriving at 09:00hrs in plenty of time to see the excitement unfold. Also included in the price is a return ticket to London, departing Silverstone at 16:15hrs and arriving at London Euston at 18:00hrs.

This year’s British Grand Prix will be extra special for the Williams F1 team, who kindly supported Silverstone and the new-for-2013 ‘F1 Express’ train by making its F1 showcar available for a promotional photo shoot. The Oxfordshire-based team will be celebrating 600 races at Silverstone and are planning a number of driver appearances and celebrations to commemorate the historic milestone at this year’s event.

The 2013 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX is one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the UK sporting calendar, with thousands of fans heading to Silverstone to experience the fantastic atmosphere and exhilarating on track action. Eight out of the eleven Formula 1™ teams are based in the UK and for the first time in five years there will be four British drivers lining up on the grid.

Silverstone’s tie-up with Virgin Trains is the first step in a long-term partnership to further improve access to the British Grand Prix for travellers from the South East. With 80% of tickets on the ‘F1 Express’ already sold, plans are now being made to expand the service in 2014 to include direct trains from Birmingham and Manchester.

Richard Phillips, Managing Director, Silverstone Circuits Ltd, commented: “We are delighted to have teamed up with Virgin Trains to offer British Grand Prix fans the ‘F1 Express’ train service direct to Silverstone. We decided to trial this new public transport option from London this year and it’s proved to be very popular. So much so that we’ll be looking to expand the operation further for 2014, offering a similar service to and from other major cities around the country.

“The partnership with Virgin is just one element of a range of increased public transport options that we have put in place for this year’s event, including additional Park & Ride options, Megabus shuttles from a number of train stations and 39 coach services from a large number of UK cities. We have made a significant investment to further improve the British Grand Prix experience for fans and are looking forward to welcoming them all to Silverstone.”

Adrienne Nankivell, Sales Manager for Virgin Trains, said: “Our partnership with Silverstone Circuit is a fantastic first step in what we hope will be a successful relationship to facilitate easy and direct access to the British Grand Prix for fans. After seeing how popular the Virgin Trains travel options have been this year, we are pleased to confirm that the service will be expanded to cover the event next year and that Virgin will provide services from the major UK transport hubs of Birmingham, Manchester and London. Our specially chartered trains provide a fast, reliable travel solution to and from Silverstone and will provide even more fans with the opportunity to enjoy this fantastic motor sport event.”

Return ‘F1 Express’ tickets to the 2013 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX are available to purchase until 09:00hrs on Monday 24 June. Visit silverstone.co.uk or call 0844 3728 300 for further information or to book tickets. Fans that have already purchased tickets for the British Grand Prix can add the Virgin train option by calling the Silverstone ticket hotline on the number above.

Notes to Editors

Silverstone

Silverstone Holdings Limited is the commercial arm of the BRDC Group of Companies.

Silverstone Circuits Limited is the operator and promoter of Silverstone Circuit and a member of the BRDC Group of Companies.

Silverstone is recognised as the Home of British Motor Racing.

Silverstone is one of the world’s most recognisable racing venues.

Promoted Events

Silverstone is the host of the 2013 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX. The circuit hosted its first Formula One™ Grand Prix in 1948, and was the venue for the first ever round of the Formula One™ World Championship in 1950. Silverstone has been the only circuit to stage the FORMULA 1™ BRITISH GRAND PRIX since 1986.

Silverstone is the host of the 2013 British Grand Prix. Silverstone Circuits Limited has signed a five year agreement with Dorna Sports (the promoter and rights holder for MotoGP™) to host the British Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP™) from 2010.

Silverstone stages some of the largest international and domestic motor sport series in the world, including rounds of the Superbike World Championship, World Series by Renault, British Touring Car Championship, Le Mans Series and British Superbike Championship.

The Silverstone Wing

The Silverstone Wing was officially opened on 17 May 2011 by His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent.

Event spaces include;

·  Halls One, Two & Three : All 1,000m² (exhibition space) facilities for 1000 delegates in each and can be combined for larger events, plus a 400m2 mezzanine

·  Hall Four: 400m² floor space, with a 800m² mezzanine joined by a central staircase

·  Hall Five: L shaped 1000m² space with a 250m² mezzanine

·  The International Media Centre: At 693m² this room can be set up with round tables only or can be partitioned to allow for conferences, 3 breakout rooms, lunch and entertainment areas

·  Auditorium: 141m² stepped theatre style with integrated seating up to 118. State of the art AV system and sound proofing to 50db

·  Pit garages: 5768m² of event space on the ground floor. HGV access from the rear roller shutter doors and 3 phase power in each block, providing space for large-scale exhibitions

·  Breakout Rooms: Various sized rooms for smaller meetings

·  Outdoor event space: Considerable outdoor areas ranging from hard standing car parks and paddocks to the race circuits and grassed in-field areas

Silverstone offers a variety of event and corporate facilities, including driving experiences, track days, hospitality opportunities and the Silverstone Motorsport Academy – the UK’s leading race tuition and driver coaching centre.