Rev up your downtime at the new £20m Silverstone Experience, where you can try F1 brake pedals, commentate on a race and marvel at motor sport cars old and new
- The Silverstone Experience is located on the same site as the Silverstone race circuit itself
- Highlights include a Tech Lab, special-effects cinema, and hundreds of pieces of memorabilia
- Visitors can have a go at commentating on a grand prix and meet a hologram of Sir Jackie Stewart
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You’re meant to take your foot off the throttle in your downtime, but a new visitor attraction opening in Northamptonshire today would prefer you to step on it.
Seven years in the making, The Silverstone Experience is located inside a restored World War Two hangar, on the same site as the Silverstone race circuit itself.
It aims to immerse visitors in the world of motor racing – from the past to the present.
There are 177 objects on display at The Silverstone Experience, from race cars and bikes to trophies and helmets
In the interactive Tech Lab visitors can get hands-on to learn about suspension, aerodynamics and engines
A trip to the attraction starts with a pre-show called The Grid, which offers an insight into 70 years of motor racing. Then there are multiple interactive sections to explore.
Highlights include the Tech Lab, where a series of hands-on exhibits teach visitors about suspension, aerodynamics and engines.
Visitors will be able to adjust the settings on a scale wind tunnel to understand aerodynamics, try out pedals to compare the force required to slow down an F1 car compared to a family car, turn a wheel to find out about gear ratios, squeeze a motorcycle brake to see how temperature goes up as speed goes down and turn a tyre to learn about F1 tyre compounds.
One of the race cars on display at the attraction and, right, a game where players race each other around the grand prix track
Visitors to The Silverstone Experience can learn about the science and design behind motor racing
Then there’s the special effects cinema, which will show a film called The Ultimate Lap of Silverstone, which splices together 16 of the most iconic Silverstone moments into a single lap.
Other big draws include a replica race car that visitors can sit in and an interactive area where they can learn about all the things that go on during a race weekend, have a go at commentating on a grand prix, and meet a hologram of motor sport legend Sir Jackie Stewart.
One of the most unusual interactive exhibits at the attraction will be a crawl space that visitors can squeeze through. Here they’ll find out about the legend of the escape tunnel that was rumoured to run underneath the Silverstone site before it became a race track.
Vehicles from the beginnings of motor racing are on display at The Silverstone Experience alongside more modern vehicles like Nigel Mansell’s 1992 Williams FW14B
A Lewis Hamilton race suit and helmet is displayed at the attraction. Hamilton is considered to be one of the best drivers of his generation
A Suzuki bike is just one of the vehicles that visitors to The Silverstone Experience will be able to see up close
The write stuff: Signatures of famous drivers is on display at the attraction, which is open daily from 10am to 6pm
A huge collection of racing memorabilia will also be on display at the attraction. Racing fans will be able to see cars like Nigel Mansell’s 1992 Williams FW14B, helmets worn by race greats like Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill, and a range of trophies, race programmes and hundreds of photographs.
Visitors will also be able to head outside to a Heritage Track Trail where they’ll get to stand on the start line of the first-ever British Grand Prix.
The Silverstone Experience will be open daily from 10am to 6pm. Advance tickets cost £10 for children, £20 for adults and £16 for concessions.
Barry Sheene’s racing helmet with its Donald Duck logo is one of the exhibits
A re-created village pub tells the social history of local Silverstone residents. Visitors can play a Silverstone game at the pub table, too
An information point about race marshals. Every aspect of racing is explained at The Silverstone Experience