2019 SpeedMachine festival: a paradise for petrol-heads

SpeedMachine FIA World Rallycross of Great Britain

• What: motor sport and music festival
• When: 25-26 May 2019
• Where: Silverstone, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN
• Website and tickets: speedmachine.com

If you’re in need of a high-octane weekend of motor sport, music and entertainment then you should definitely head to Silverstone this week for SpeedMachine 2019.

The two-day festival features the British round of the FIA World Rallycross (World RX) Championship as well as the FIA European Rallycross Championship for Supercars and the popular Monster Energy Drift.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

It’s not just the action on the track that fans will enjoy, but also live concerts, driving experiences, gaming, a family fun fair, camping and a wide range of street food vendors.

Here we look at what’s on at SpeedMachine 2019...

When is SpeedMachine?

This is the second year of the SpeedMachine festival and takes place at Silverstone from 25-26 May. Festival timings are from 8.30am to 11pm on Saturday and 8.30am to 9.30pm on Sunday. The highlight of the weekend is the Dayinsure World Rallycross of Great Britain - the fourth round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

What is rallycross?

Rallycross is a combination of rallying and circuit racing. It is head-to-head racing on mixed surfaces (dirt and asphalt) contained within amphitheatre venues. The RX Supercars have more than 600bhp and the ability to accelerate from 0-60mph in less than two seconds - this is faster than a Formula 1 car. There are four qualifying heats (Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4) with the top 12 drivers progressing through to the knock-out semi-finals and then the final.

Who are the drivers to watch?

Swedish brothers Kevin Hansen and Timmy Hansen are currently leading the 2019 World RX driver standings with 69 and 58 points respectively after the opening three races of the season. Britain’s Liam Doran is seventh in the championship with 43 points. Doran, Oliver Bennett and Mark Higgins are the home drivers to watch at Silverstone.

On-track action and displays

As well as World RX, the SpeedMachine weekend at Silverstone will also host the FIA European Rallycross Championship for Supercars. On-track displays will be given by Retro Rallycross, Group A & B, Monster Energy Drift, Liberty Walk, Top Methanol Dragsters, British Racing Trucks and Ultra 4.

What music acts are playing live?

The 2019 main stage line-up for SpeedMachine features a range of artists. On Saturday Sean Paul is the headline act and is supported by Faithless (DJ Set), Oxide & Neutrino, DUKE and DJ BBQ.

On Sunday Jax Jones takes top billing and is supported by Reef, MistaJam, Artful Dodger and DJ BBQ.

What else is going on?

There’s not just motor sport and music to enjoy at Silverstone. The Dayinsure family fun fair will have live screens to watch the on-track action and the kids (and big kids) can enjoy the helter skelter, carousel and big wheel.

Driving experiences include Formula G, HPI RC Racing, Prodrift and AutoSolo while gamers will be able to tackle the Silverstone circuit on the DiRT Rally 2.0 eSports simulators.

Formula 1 team ROKiT Williams Racing will give an off-track display of its FW14B and FW42 cars. Fans can also enjoy a ROKiT Williams Pit Garage Experience.

Food glorious food

From coffee, cake and sweet treats to Italian, Spanish and Japanese cuisine the SpeedMachine street food and drink area has something to cater for every taste.

How much are tickets?

General admission tickets for Saturday or Sunday are £50 for adults with kids going free. Daily VIP tickets cost £100 and hospitality packages are £160. A weekend ticket including a grandstand seat starts at £95 for adults.

The ticket includes: entry to the Dayinsure FIA World Rallycross of GB; live concerts; passenger laps on the Silverstone circuit; access to World RX, RX2 and European paddock; ROKiT Williams Pit Garage Experience; on-track displays; driving experiences; Dayinsure family zone with free fun fair.

Kids under 16s go free plus parking at Silverstone is also free.

Pitch your tent

Make a weekend of it and camp at Silverstone for the weekend. Camping tickets start at £30 for under-16s and £135 for adults. Camping package includes the weekend admission (grandstand seat and camping); a plot to pitch a tent; hot showers and toilet facilities.