6 Hours of Silverstone

Silverstone first hosted a major endurance sportscar round in 1976 as a replacement for the 1000 km Brands Hatch, which had gone on hiatus while track upgrades were completed. The inaugural event was a six-hour race running under the Group 5 World Championship regulations. Silverstone Circuit itself had recently undergone upgrades, making it a suitable alternative venue for the British round of the world sportscar calendar.

The race has been run under several championship banners over the decades: the World Championship of Makes and World Sportscar Championship in its early years, the Le Mans Endurance Series and Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in the 2000s and 2010, and then the FIA World Endurance Championship from 2012 onward. A 2020 cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic ended the WEC's continuous use of Silverstone, and the race did not return the following year either. In June 2026 it was announced that the FIA World Endurance Championship would bring a 6-hour race back to Silverstone after an eight-year gap.

The first running in 1976 attracted a modest field, with some championship regulars choosing not to compete. British drivers John Fitzpatrick and Tom Walkinshaw took the inaugural victory in a BMW, upsetting the factory teams. In 1977 and 1978 the Porsche factory team, running under the Martini Racing banner, dominated with drivers Jochen Mass and Jacky Ickx claiming back-to-back victories. A privateer Gelo Racing Porsche stepped in to win in 1979 after the factory lead car crashed.

The early 1980s brought a shift in machinery. In 1980 Alain de Cadenet won as driver, team owner, and constructor — he and Desiré Wilson crossed the line just 18 seconds ahead of the field in a car of de Cadenet's own design, marking the first sports-prototype victory at the event. A Group 5 car earned its final win in 1981 before that class was phased out.

The Group C era that began in 1982 brought Porsche back to dominance. Although a Group 6 Lancia won the first Group C-era race, Porsche reasserted control from 1983 through 1985, including with Jochen Mass and Jacky Ickx again sharing victories in 1984 and 1985. This gave the pairing a record four wins at the event — 1977, 1978, 1984, and 1985. British manufacturer Jaguar then broke Porsche's dominance in 1986 and went on to win each of the next two years as well, with American driver Eddie Cheever co-driving in all three victories. No race was held in 1989 when Donington replaced Silverstone on the schedule.

Sportscars returned in 1990 for a shorter 480 km format, and Jaguar immediately continued their winning run, adding a fifth successive win in 1991. Only after Jaguar officially withdrew from the World Championship did Peugeot claim victory at Silverstone. A shortage of entries then led to the cancellation of the World Championship, temporarily ending endurance racing at the circuit until a one-off return in 2000 as part of the American Le Mans Series — a race that served as a precursor to the European Le Mans Series launched in 2001.

In 2004 the new Le Mans Endurance Series resurrected the 1000 km Silverstone as part of an effort to revive long-distance racing at classic European venues. Allan McNish and the British Audi squad won the opening edition, and McNish repeated the feat in 2005, this time with the French Oreca team despite heavy rain. Silverstone took another brief absence in 2006 when Donington again stepped in, before the race returned in 2007 with a Peugeot diesel-powered Le Mans prototype taking victory.

A landmark moment came in 2010 when Silverstone hosted the inaugural round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, coinciding with the first use of the new 5.901 km Arena configuration. The circuit's expansion gave the race a modern layout suited to prototype competition. From 2012 the event became a fixture on the FIA World Endurance Championship calendar, typically serving as the season-opening round, until its last edition in 2019.

The 6 Hours of Silverstone carries one of the longest and most varied records in British motor racing. Its winners list spans decades of sportscar regulation changes — from Group 5 through Group C, from 1000 km distance races to timed endurance formats — and includes manufacturers such as BMW, Porsche, Jaguar, Peugeot, and Audi. The record for most wins at the event belongs to Jochen Mass and Jacky Ickx with four victories each. The awarding of the RAC Tourist Trophy to Silverstone's winners connects the modern endurance race to one of motorsport's oldest trophies, reinforcing the event's place in British and international racing heritage.