Editing Silverstone Circuit (section)

===1980s===
[[File:McLaren MP4 at Silverstone Classic 2011.jpg|thumb|right| [[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson's]] 1981 British Grand Prix race winning McLaren, during the 2011 Silverstone Classic meeting]]

In May 1980, sports cars returned in the form of the Silverstone Six-Hours, which was won by [[Alain de Cadenet]] driving a car bearing his own name, partnered by [[Desiré Wilson]]; the 235 laps (687 miles) being completed at {{cvt|114.602|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. The only other to complete the full race distance was the [[Siegfried Brunn]]/[[Jürgen Barth]] (Porsche 908/3), with a Porsche 935K Turbo driven by [[John Paul Sr. (racing driver)|John Paul]] and [[Brian Redman]] third, a lap down.<ref name=Swinger/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Silverstone-1980-05-11.html |title=Silverstone 6 Hours 1980 – Race Results |publisher=Racing Sports Cars |access-date=8 July 2013}}</ref>

1981 saw the arrival of the one-one-one grid, staggered in two rows. The turbocharged era saw Renault occupying the front row of the grid, and turbo-engined Ferraris fourth and eighth. The Renaults dominated the race, but total reliability was still lacking and the victory went to [[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]] in a [[McLaren MP4/1]]. Second place went to [[Carlos Reutemann]] in the [[Williams FW07]]C from the Talbot-Ligier JS17 of [[Jacques Laffite]], a lap down; the race speed was down a little at {{cvt|137.64|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Swinger/>

For 1982, endurance sport car racing entered a rejuvenated phrase with the coming of [[Group C]]; the BRDC and l'Automobile Club de l'Ouest instituted a joint Silverstone/Le Mans Challenge Trophy. The trophy eventually went to Jacky Ickx and [[Derek Bell (racing driver)|Derek Bell]] in a [[Porsche 956]], but at Silverstone they could not make maximum use of the fuel allowance and victory went to the [[Lancia LC1]] of [[Riccardo Patrese]] and [[Michele Alboreto]]. The winning car completed the 240 laps at a speed of {{cvt|128.5|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, with the second-place car three laps adrift, that of Ickx/Bell. The final podium place went to the [[Joest Racing]] Porsche 936C Turbo of Bob Wollek/[[Jean-Michel Martin]]/[[Philippe Martin (racing driver)|Philippe Martin]].<ref name=Swinger/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Silverstone-1982-05-16.html |title=Silverstone 6 Hours 1982 – Race Results |publisher=Racing Sports Cars |access-date=8 July 2013}}</ref>

May 1983 saw the running of the Silverstone 1000 kilometres, which was a round of the newly instigated World Endurance Championship. Porsche dominated the event, taking the first five places, with Derek Bell and [[Stefan Bellof]] bringing their 956 home ahead of Wollek and [[Stefan Johansson]] in an identical car.<ref name=Swinger/>

In the [[1983 British Grand Prix]], the first Cosworth-powered car was in 13th place on the grid, all the cars ahead of it being powered by turbocharged engines. Fuel consumption of the turbos was heavy and refuelling mid-race had become necessary. With the ever-increasing power, speeds were continually on the up and in practice René Arnoux became the first person to lap the circuit in under 1:10.000 with a time of 1:09.462 in his [[Ferrari 126C|Ferrari 126C3]], a lap at over {{cvt|150|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. In the race, the lap record was raised to over {{cvt|140|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} by Frenchman [[Alain Prost]], who won the race in the [[Renault RE40]] at an average speed of {{cvt|139.218|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, from [[Nelson Piquet]] in the [[Brabham BT52|Brabham-BMW BT52B]] and [[Patrick Tambay]] in a Ferrari. Finishing fourth, also using Renault power, was the [[Lotus 94T]] of [[Nigel Mansell]].<ref name=Swinger/><ref name="silverstone3">{{cite web|url=http://www.silverstone.co.uk/about/history/1980s/ |title=The History of British Motorsport and Motor Racing at Silverstone – The 1980s |website=Silverstone.co.uk |date=5 September 2009 |access-date=24 May 2013}}</ref>

The 1985 International Trophy, run on 24 March, was the inaugural event under the regulations for the new [[Formula 3000|International Formula 3000]]. New Zealand driver [[Mike Thackwell]] won the International Trophy for the third time, and the first F3000 race in the process, driving a [[Ralt|Ralt RT20]] from [[John Nielsen (racing driver)|John Nielsen]] in a similar car. Third place went a March 85B driven by [[Michel Ferté]].<ref name=Swinger/>

Six weeks later, sports cars returned for the Silverstone 1000&nbsp;km.  Porsche cars took five of the top six placings in the shape of four 962Cs and a 956. The winners were the works pairing of Ickx/Mass from their teammates Bell and [[Hans-Joachim Stuck]]; third was the Lancia-Martini of Patrese and [[Alessandro Nannini]].

[[File:Keke Rosberg Williams FW10 1985 German GP.jpg|thumb|right|[[Keke Rosberg]] driving the [[Williams FW10]] at the [[1985 German Grand Prix]]. Rosberg lapped Silverstone at over {{cvt|160|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, during qualifying for the [[1985 British Grand Prix]]]]

The 1985 British Grand Prix saw Keke Rosberg in his {{Convert|1150|bhp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}} [[Williams FW10]]-[[Honda F1|Honda]] set a qualifying lap at over {{cvt|160|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. Three others clocked an average lap speed of over {{cvt|159|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. Rosberg set his time despite a deflating rear tyre and the track still being slightly damp from earlier rain. The turbo era had reached its zenith, and while Prost put the lap record up to {{cvt|150.035|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, like most races of the era it was something of an economy run as the [[FIA]] had limited fuel capacities (220 litres per car per race). Prost went on the win in the race, in the [[McLaren MP4/2B]], at an average of {{cvt|146.246|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} from the [[Ferrari 156/85]] of Alboreto and the [[Ligier JS25]] of Laffite.<ref name=Swinger/><ref name="silverstone3"/>

The International season opened on 13 April with the first round of the Intercontinental F3000 Championship.  The first home was [[Pascal Fabré]] with a Lola T86/50 from [[Emanuele Pirro]] (March) and Nielsen (Ralt).<ref name=Swinger/>

In 1986, the Silverstone 1000&nbsp;km run on 5 May was a round of the World Endurance Championship, which Silk Cut Jaguar ([[Tom Walkinshaw Racing]]) won. The [[Derek Warwick]]/[[Eddie Cheever]] XJR9 was the only car to complete the distance of 212 laps, at a speed of {{cvt|129.05|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. The Stuck/Bell Porsche 962C was two laps down in second place, with a 962C a further three laps adrift in the hands of [[Jo Gartner]] and [[Tiff Needell]].<ref name=Swinger/>

Due to safety concerns over high speeds, by the time the Grand Prix returned in Silverstone in 1987, a new corner had been inserted before Woodcote. The first International meeting in 1987 was the initial round of the Intercontinental F3000 Championship on 12 April. The race was run at {{cvt|103.96|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, the winner being [[Maurício Gugelmin]] in a Ralt from [[Michel Trollé]] in a Lola and [[Roberto Moreno]] aboard another Ralt.<ref name=Swinger/>

In 1987, Jaguar won the Silverstone 1000&nbsp;km, their fourth successive win in the World Sports Car Championship. The XJR8s took a one-two finish, with the car of Cheever and [[Raul Boesel]] winning ahead of [[Jan Lammers]] and Watson, with the [[Porsche 962|Porsche 962C]] of Stuck and Bell third; these three crews covered the whole lap distance of 210 laps of the full GP circuit, the winning Jaguar averaging {{cvt|123.42|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Swinger/>

From the 1987 British Grand Prix onwards, the event was firmly established at Silverstone. The first two placings in 1987 were a repeat of the 1986 race at Brands Hatch, Mansell winning from his Williams-Honda teammate Piquet at {{cvt|146.208|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} and [[Ayrton Senna]] in the Lotus-Honda. Following a mid-race pit stop in a bid to cure a vibration in the car, Mansell found himself 29 seconds behind Piquet with 28 laps to go. He quickly cut Piquet's lead by more than a second per lap, until with five laps to go the gap was only 1.6 seconds. With two laps to go, Mansell slipstreamed Piquet down the Hangar Straight, jinked left and then dived right to pass Piquet into Stowe. To a tumultuous reception, Mansell went on to win the race.<ref name=Swinger/><ref name="silverstone3"/>

1987 saw the inaugural World Touring Car Championship arrive at Silverstone. [[Luis Pérez-Sala]] led the race until the penultimate lap, with a lead of nearly one minute, but then his Bigazzi-entered BMW M3 retired. He had not been sure that the car would start the race after [[Olivier Grouillard]] rolled it in practice. However, the Munich marque still took victory when the CiBiEmme Sport's M3 finished first, in the hands of [[Enzo Calderari]] and Fabio Mancini. The Schnitzer M3 of [[Roberto Ravaglia]], [[Roland Ratzenberger]] and Pirro managed to finished second, ahead of the Alfa Romeo 75 Turbo of [[Giorgio Francia]] and [[Nicola Larini]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.touringcarracing.net/Races/1987%20Silverstone.html |title=1987 WTC – round 7 |website=Touringcarracing.net |access-date=24 May 2013}}</ref>

The 1988 race was won at {{cvt|124.142|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, the dramatic reduction in race speed being due to heavy rain. Senna took victory in his McLaren from Mansell (Williams) and Nannini (Benetton).<ref name=Swinger/><ref name="silverstone3"/>

The 1988 Silverstone 1000&nbsp;km saw Cheever take a hat-trick of victories for Jaguar, this time partnered by [[Martin Brundle]]. The XJR9 won at {{cvt|128.02|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} from the Sauber-Mercedes C9 driven by [[Jean-Louis Schlesser]] and Mass. The second Sauber driven by [[Mauro Baldi]] and [[James Weaver (racing driver)|James Weaver]], was third, two laps down, while third on the road was the Porsche 962C of Bell and Needell which was disqualified for an oversize fuel tank.<ref name=Swinger/>

April 1989 saw the first round of the 1989 International F3000 Championship. [[Thomas Danielsson]] won at the wheel of a [[Reynard 89D]], at a speed of {{cvt|131.56|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. Second by 0.5secs was [[Philippe Favre]] in a [[Lola T89/50]] from [[Mark Blundell]] and [[Jean Alesi]] in Reynards.<ref name=Swinger/>

Mid-July is the traditional time for the British Grand Prix and on the 16th, over 90,000 spectators converged upon the circuit to see Prost score his 38th GP win in the [[McLaren MP4/5|McLaren-Honda MP4/5]], at {{cvt|143.694|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. Mansell brought the [[Ferrari 640]] into second place from Nannini's Benetton.