The victors of the upcoming Silverstone round of the FIA World Endurance Championship will be awarded the Royal Automobile Club’s prestigious Tourist Trophy, a prize that stands among the oldest trophies in global motorsport.
During an ACO briefing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans earlier this month, it was announced that Silverstone will rejoin the WEC calendar next year for the first time since 2019, with the race scheduled for April 23-25.
It has since been revealed that the Tourist Trophy, first presented in 1905 for a road race on the Isle of Man, will be handed to the winners of the Silverstone event.
A stellar lineup of motorsport greats has previously tasted victory with the trophy, including Stirling Moss, Graham Hill and Mike Hawthorn, while sports car racing legends Derek Bell and Tom Kristensen have also been recipients.
The trophy has adorned the podium on seven of the last eight WEC visits to Silverstone, but in recent years has instead been awarded to a historic race staged at the Silverstone Festival’s retro event.
“We are thrilled that the winners of next season’s 6 Hours of Silverstone will be presented with the Tourist Trophy,” stated WEC chief executive Frederic Lequien.
“We extend our sincere gratitude to the Royal Automobile Club for its generosity in presenting such a prestigious prize, which has previously gone to some of the sport’s most elite performers.
“The qualities traditionally needed to win the Tourist Trophy are the very same traits that define success at the highest echelons of endurance racing, so we have every confidence that whoever steps onto the Silverstone podium next spring will be thoroughly deserving of it.”
RAC chairman Duncan Wiltshire added: “We are delighted that the Trophy will be awarded at Silverstone as the FIA World Endurance Championship makes a very welcome return to the United Kingdom.”
“With the championship experiencing unprecedented global growth and drawing the participation of leading manufacturers from around the world, there could be no more fitting stage to preserve the Tourist Trophy’s remarkable legacy.”
