The UK’s largest annual motor race returns on 25th October 2025, and entries are now open. Offering six hours of eclectic racing on the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit in a relay format, the Birkett usually sees capacity grids of 70 teams and nearly 300 cars and drivers.

The last bastion of British motorsport and the traditional close to the club racing season, this unique event has a concept and a tradition all of its own. ‘The Birkett’ represents iconic end of season fun to many, but also a challenge to the competitive instincts of many drivers and the strategic wiles of team managers.

History

Dating back to 1951, the race was the brainchild of one of the 750 Motor Club’s founder members – Holland ‘Holly’ Birkett – and following his death the event was subsequently renamed. The 2025 event will represent the 74th anniversary of the six-hour race event and, just to confuse things, the 75th Birkett event – the 50th anniversary was celebrated with an extra one–off 12-Hour Birkett race.

Read more about the race origins and Holly Birkett, in Doug Bukin’s article on the history of the event.

Alumni

One of the many unique aspects to the Birkett is that it is an iconic motorsport event steeped in history, but one in which any (non-novice) club racer can participate. A huge amount of well-known names – from musicians to F1 drivers – have raced in the Birkett both in the early years and modern era, with some even taking overall honours. You can find an exhaustive list of winning teams on the Roll Of Honour, which includes within it names such as Graham Hill to and Gerry Marshall, and for a complete rundown of recognisable former competitors – from Steve McQueen to Chris Harris – see the Notable Drivers.

Top Scorers

RAF Motorsport top the team table for victories, taking six with changing lineups: (Handicap 2007, 2008, 2011, 2017, 2021, & 2023), followed by Goldarts with five (Scratch 1998, 2005, 2006, 2007, Handicap 2004), then Hart Attacks on four (Scratch 1999, 2001, 2008, Handicap 1996).

Doug Newman remained omnipresent throughout the changing Goldarts lineups to lift a Birkett trophy five times, and that tally is shared with Alan Eisner who secured four Scratch and one Handicap wins across two different Chevron teams in the early ’80s.

The most decorated Birkett driver of all time however is John MacLeod, who in 2024 claimed an un-matched sixth Scratch Victory; having formed part of a winning team of Radical drivers in 2014, 2017 and 2020, plus a hat-trick across 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Birkett Tales

As you might expect, 75 years of the UK’s biggest motor race has produced some stories to tell. One snippet from the fascinating history is detailed in Speedwell By Nature; the story of how a future F1 World Champion came to find himself in a winning Birkett Relay Team.

Or La Sarthe To Le Relais; the year when one car on the Birkett grid had been competing at LeMans just three months earlier.

There has been plenty of other unique machinery in Birkett Relay competition over the decades, but few more so than Arthur Baker’s Series 1 Land Rover – read the full story in Off The Beaten Track.

In The Press

Read what Octane Magazine had to say about the event in 2014
Motorsport News rates the Birkett in its top 50 defining moments of 2013
Read a race report from Motorsport Magazine covering the 1983 race

A trio of BBC Top Gear presenters comprising Chris Harris, Rory Reid and Matt LeBlanc contested the Birkett Relay in 2017 in a variety of slightly inappropriate race cars. Aired on BBC2, you can watch the show on BBC iPlayer, as well as the side program ‘Extra Gear‘.

Format

The race is held today on the full Silverstone Grand Prix circuit layout and as a result can accommodate up to 70 teams of between three and six drivers and between three and six cars competing in a unique relay race format – there are usually around 300 taking part in one race. Each team has to lap the circuit as many times as they can within the six hours, with only one of their team cars running at any one time. As one car comes into the pit lane, the next can be dispatched out onto the circuit.

Entry is restricted to any closed wheel car (exc. historics) subject to usual Motorsport UK safety modifications. This means an eclectic mix of competition vehicles can be on track; typically everything from MG Midgets to BMW M3s, Smart cars, TCR cars, Austin A30s, various Caterham derivatives and modern sports racing cars such as Radicals and Spires.

The event is really two events in one. Whist some of the teams comprising faster machinery will be vying for outright ‘Scratch Victory’ by recording the highest number of laps, the bulk of entries are aiming for the hotly-contested ‘Handicap ‘Victory’, which in theory could be won by any of the teams.

Each team is credited with a certain number of credit laps (calculated from the car and driver details specified when entering), presumed to have been run before the race started. The results are then calculated from the credit laps and the actual laps covered by each team in the six hours to see who has beaten the rest (and the handicapper). Confused? Watch the explainer video here.

Awards

In addition to one overall scratch and overall top two handicap awards, there are a number of handicap class prizes to ensure all teams have a chance of silverware. Like many aspects of the event, there are some unique quirks to the Birkett awards that have been set in the rules since the early days – teams are advised to read the entry paperwork carefully.

Video

The Birkett was the first circuit racing event live-streamed by Alpha Live back in 2018, and the event has been broadcast by the streaming pioneers on the 750 Motor Club YouTube channel every year since. Watch back the action from previous years and head to our channel on 25th October 2025 to watch the Birkett Relay as it happens.

Photo Galleries

You can find various historic Birkett photo galleries going back to the 1950s in the 750 Motor Club archive, whilst 750MC Photographer Jon Elsey has been trackside every year in the modern era – you can find comprehensive galleries on Jon’s photo site.