Sun shines on historic festival
THE sun was shining and the cars were roaring as the Donington Historic Festival returned to the legendary Castle Donington track at the weekend.
Now in its eighth year, more than 400 rare and iconic classic cars dating from the 1920s to the early 2000s battled it out on track.
Crowds flocked to the three-day event to watch cars of yesteryear race around the track in a series of classes.
In the all-access paddock visitors could wander around and see car being worked on with such greats as Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Austin-Healey, Bent- ley, BMW, Bugatti, Frazer Nash, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lister, Lotus and Porsche, to name but a few of the legendary marques represented in the entry list.
There was plenty of action for touring car fans, including the HSCC Super Touring Car Challenge, plus glamour galore in the 1950s and 60s GTs and sports cars, and singleseater action from historic Formula Juniors, Formula 5000 and Formula 2 cars, and a great selection of pre-war sports cars.
There was a celebration of Donington Park’s famous 1993 European Grand Prix, with F1 car track demonstrations on the Saturday and Sunday of the event which drew big crowds, plus static displays on all three days.
There were also displays on the Melbourne Hairpin, including rally cars and karting, plus people could go on a pitlane walk, view hundreds of classic cars on the infield, enjoy lunchtime classic car club parades and browse the motor racing-themed stalls in the paddock.
Visitors could also view the improvements carried out to the track over the winter, including new toilet blocks, an impressive new grandstand at Hollywood, and a new restaurant, which offers much more space and choice than the previous site.
All in all, a fun day out for both motorsports fans and families looking for a day out with a difference.