DONINGTON PARK
History
The first race at Donington took place in 1931 on the narrow roads of the Hall’ s Estate. The track was made permanent two years later and hosted pre-war Grand Prix racing, including the legendary Auto Union Silver Arrows driven by Bernd Rosemeyer and Tazio Nuvolari.
It was requisitioned by the MoD in World War II and racing did not return until 1977, when Tom Wheatcroft purchased the land and turned it into one of Europe’ s premier venues. In 1993, the circuit hosted the European F1 Grand Prix, a rain-drenched event that was one of Ayrton Senna’ s most legendary races.
A failed bid for the British Grand Prix caused racing to cease in 2009 – and the removal of the landmark Dunlop Bridge – and the circuit fell into a state of disrepair until Kevin Wheatcroft, son of Tom, rescued it and rebuilt it for motorsport once again. It was acquired by MotorSport Vision( MSV) in 2017, after which further improvements were made and the venue is now one of the UK’ s most prized race circuits.
Track
The circuit is famed for its fast and flowing lines, with 12 corners on the Grand Prix track that provide a wide variety of challenges. The opening section includes the high-speed sweeping Craner Curves, while the Melbourne Hairpin, has a high-speed entry and late braking, marks the end of a challenging lap.
Categories that compete at the track
The circuit welcomes a wide range of four-wheeled racing through the season including rounds of the British Touring Car, British GT, GB3 Championships and British F4, as well as Historic and Vintage Motorsport festivals. It also hosts tarmac Rallies, including the Dukeries Rally in March. It’ s premier weekend, however, is on two-wheels – with the annual visit of the FIM Superbike World Championship.
How to get on track
The circuit hosts track days throughout the week, providing the opportunity for drivers to take to the famous track in their own cars. MSV runs its own in-house track day operator MSVT, which runs events throughout the year – see https:// msvtrackdays. com / >>>>>
JEP
Revolution- April 2025
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