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Silverstone becomes a second home for GL events Owen Brown as it starts building for the Classic

By 30/01/2014September 7th, 2016Motorsport, Sporting events

Silverstone has turned into a home from home for temporary structure suppliers GL events Owen Brown as it gets to work on two separate events at the Northamptonshire circuit.

This month the company will have no fewer than 12 workers stationed at Silverstone on any given day, with one team dismantling the 12,000sqm of hospitality space it provided for the British Grand Prix and another building structures for the forthcoming Silverstone Classic July 20-22.

Owen Brown is providing 1,500sqm of temporary buildings for the two day event, which is billed as the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival, including a mixture of pagodas and marquees in the Village Green and International Paddock areas to accommodate trade stands and sponsors’ stands.

The contract also involves the provision of a 120sqm Absolute temporary structure to house the International Paddock Café, two more 300sqm and 60sqm structures for an art and photography gallery and the welcome centre and a further 100sqm structure which will act as the green room for a host of music acts, including Adam Ant and, appropriately for a motoring event, Mike and the Mechanics.

Owen Brown, which is based in Castle Donington, Leicestershire, has provided temporary hospitality space for the British Grand Prix since it began in 1950 and spends a quarter of the year at Silverstone assembling and dismantling structures. It moved onto the site on May 5 this year and will not leave until July 27.

James Anderson, Commercial Director at Owen Brown, said: “It seems like Silverstone is something of a second home for us at the moment because of the number of staff we have on site working on both projects.

“The Grand Prix is without doubt one of our largest supply contracts and some of the structures used for that event will be pressed into action for the Silverstone Classic. We are confident that all of our structures will look the part for what promises to be a thoroughly enjoyable event.”

The Classic, which is sponsored by the AA and organised by Surrey-based Goose Communications, has become a firm favourite in the Silverstone calendar, thanks to its mixture of racing, classic car displays and entertainment.

The line-up this year also includes a fundraising Celebrity Challenge race featuring Star Trek actor Sir Patrick Stewart, footballer Steve Bull, TV chef Heston Blumenthal and Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay