The Donington Historic Festival (May 1-3) is a great opportunity to see many rare cars both on the track and in static displays on the infield. The infield displays are organised by owners clubs from around the UK and most makes are present. This years event was blessed with a couple of warm days while the final day was cool and damp, turning to rain for the last coupe of races. Despite this it didn’t put a damper on the day.
There is an excellent racing programme and most dominant were the Ford Mustangs who took many of the top places. These were closely followed by the Ford engined Mk1 Lotus Cortina, from the mid 60’s. When it comes to heavy metal the Ford Falcon was most impressive and their size is only emphasised by the Mini’s nipping at their heels.
It was good to see a number of less exotic cars, though the quality of their builds was just as exceptional. Most fun was Greg Rumbles Ford Anglia and a couple of Ford Fiesta’s. Probably one of the most unusual race cars was a Studebaker bought off ebay and carrying many years of patina. Not the fastest car but run by an enthusiastic team who just enjoyed taking part.
The most powerful cars were in the GT3 category of which the Ford GT40 GT3 Evo was the rarest and up against Lamborghini’s and Maclaren’s.
Between the races there were circuit drives for the cars taking part in the static displays and a demonstration by three historic Formula One cars. If you have never seen a Formula One car in action it is quite a sight and sound. There are stalls selling models and teamware as well as the chance to drive in a supercar in exchange for a charity donation.
You can also see the cars close up in the pit area and see what it takes to put a road car on the track. The level of preparation varies enormously depending on budget and sponsorship. Some drivers will happily chat to you if they are not dealing with a broken car or other racing problem.
Daily tickets cost £32 but if you attend as part of a club display (or the Classic Yorkshire stand) you can get them for half price. Better still you can take your car into the track, saving you the effort of carrying you chairs, umbrellas and picnic into the circuit. I can happily recommend this event for fans of historic racing and with the half price tickets it offers extraordinary value.
