Editing Silverstone Circuit (section)

===1940s===

With the termination of [[Second World War|hostilities]] in Europe in 1945, the first motorsport event in the British Isles was held at [[Gransden Lodge Airfield|Gransden Lodge]] in 1946 and the next on the [[Isle of Man]], but there was nowhere permanent on the mainland which was suitable.<ref name=Swinger>Peter Swinger, ''Motor Racing Circuits in England : Then & Now'' (Ian Allan Publishing, {{ISBN|0 7110 3104 5}}, 2008)</ref>

In 1948, [[Royal Automobile Club]] (RAC), under the chairmanship of [[Wilfred Andrews]], set its mind upon running a Grand Prix and started to cast around public roads on the mainland. There was no possibility of closing the public highway as could happen on the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands; it was a time of austerity and there was no question of building a new circuit from scratch, so some viable alternative had to be found.<ref name=Swinger/>

A considerable number of ex-RAF airfields existed, and it was to these the RAC turned their attention to with particular interest being paid to two near the centre of England – [[Snitterfield]] near [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] and one behind the village of [[Silverstone]].  The latter was still under the control of the Air Ministry, but a lease was arranged in August 1948 and plans put into place to run the first British Grand Prix since the RAC last ran one at [[Brooklands]] in 1927 (those held at [[Donington Park]] in the late 1930s had the title of 'Donington Grand Prix').<ref name=Swinger/>

In August 1948, Andrews employed James Brown on a three-month contract to create the Grand Prix circuit in less than two months.<ref name="Jones">{{cite web|url=http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/The-history-of-Silverstone-circuit-2014-07-02|title=The history of Silverstone circuit|last=Jones|first=Matt|date=2 July 2014|access-date=29 July 2014|archive-date=29 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729184839/http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/The-history-of-Silverstone-circuit-2014-07-02|url-status=dead}}</ref> Nearly 40 years later, Brown died while still employed by the circuit.<ref name=Swinger/>

Despite possible concerns about the weather, the [[1948 British Grand Prix]] began at Silverstone on Thursday 30 September 1948. The race took place on 2 October.<ref name=Swinger/> The new circuit was marked out with oil drums and straw bales and consisted of the perimeter road and the runways running into the centre of the airfield from two directions. Spectators were contained behind rope barriers and the officials were housed in tents. An estimated 100,000 spectators watched the race.<ref name=Swinger/>

There were no factory entries but [[Scuderia Ambrosiana]] sent two [[Maserati 4CL and 4CLT|Maserati 4CLT/48s]] for [[Luigi Villoresi]] and [[Alberto Ascari]] who finished in that order (notwithstanding having started from the back of the grid of 25 cars) ahead of [[Bob Gerard]] in his [[English Racing Automobiles|ERA R14B/C]]. The race was {{convert|239|mi|km|abbr=out}} long and was run at an average speed of {{cvt|72.28|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. Fourth place went to [[Louis Rosier]]'s [[Talbot-Lago]] T26, followed home by [[Birabongse Bhanudej|'Bira']] in another Maserati 4CLT/48.<ref name=Swinger/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statsf1.com/en/1948-hc/grand-prix-40.aspx |title=British Grand Prix • STATS F1 |website=Statsf1.com |date=2 October 1948 |access-date=24 May 2013}}</ref>

The [[1949 British Grand Prix|second Grand Prix]] at Silverstone was scheduled for May 1949 and was officially designated the British Grand Prix. It was to use the full perimeter track with a chicane inserted at Club Corner. The length of the second circuit was exactly three miles and the race run over 100 laps, making it the longest post-war Grand Prix held in England. There were again 25 starters and victory went to a [[Maserati 4CL and 4CLT|'San Remo' Maserati 4CLT/48]], this time in the hands of [[Toulo de Graffenried]], from Bob Gerard in his familiar ERA and Louis Rosier in a 4½-litre Talbot-Lago. The race average speed had risen to {{cvt|77.31|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. The attendance was estimated at anything up to 120,000.<ref name=Swinger/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statsf1.com/en/1949-hc/grand-prix-51.aspx |title=II British Grand Prix • STATS F1 |website=Statsf1.com |date=14 May 1949 |access-date=24 May 2013}}</ref>

Also in 1949, the first running took place of what was to become an institution at Silverstone, the [[BRDC International Trophy|International Trophy]] sponsored by the Daily Express and which become virtually a second Grand Prix. The [[1949 BRDC International Trophy|first International Trophy]] was run on 20 August in two heats and a final. Victory in heat one went to Prince Birabongse ('Bira') and the second to [[Giuseppe Farina]] – both driving Maserati 4CLT/48s, but the final went to a [[Ferrari 125 F1|Ferrari Tipo 125]] driven by Alberto Ascari from Farina, with Luigi Villoresi third in another Ferrari. For this meeting, the chicane at Club Corner was dispensed with and the circuit took up a shape that was to last for 25 years.<ref name=Swinger/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.silverstone.co.uk/about/history/overview/ |title=The History of British Motorsport and Motor Racing at Silverstone |website=Silverstone.co.uk |date=2 October 1948 |access-date=8 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004014701/http://www.silverstone.co.uk/about/history/overview/ |archive-date=4 October 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statsf1.com/en/1949-hc/grand-prix-61.aspx |title=BRDC International Trophy • STATS F1 |website=Statsf1.com |date=20 August 1949 |access-date=24 May 2013}}</ref>