Submitted by: Activ Derby

Donington Park is the home to the Donington Park race track, one of the most prestigious racing circuits in the UK which hosts some of the most popular events in the British motor sports calendar as well as many other non-motoring related events.

The race track was originally part of the Donington Hall estate until it was bought in 1970 by local construction magnate Tom Wheatcroft who was largely responsible for making it the venue it has become today.

Donington Park Location

Where is Donington Park? – Situated in one of the most central locations in the UK just outside Castle Donington, Derbyshire, Donington Park is easily accessible by all methods of transport with the M1 motorway just a couple of miles away and East Midlands Airport even closer.

Donington Park Address:

Castle Donington

Derbyshire

Postcode: DE74 2RP

Phone: 01332 810048

Donington Park Directions

Coming from the South Exit the M1 at J23a and slip onto A42 (sign to Stoke A50). At the roundabout follow the signs for Donington Park (2nd exit) onto the A453.

You will pass Donington (MOTO) Services on the left and at the next roundabout take the 1st exit onto the A453. At the next roundabout again take the 1st exit following the A453 and you will pass East Midlands Airport on the right. Shortly after the airport you will see Donington Park on the right.

Coming from the North Exit the M1 at J24 and at the roundabout take the 4th exit to Tamworth & Birmingham. At the following roundabout use the 2nd exit signposted to Donington park and continue on the A453.

You will pass Donington (MOTO) Services on the left and at the next roundabout take the 1st exit onto the A453. At the next roundabout again take the 1st exit following the A453 and you will pass East Midlands Airport on the right. Shortly after the airport you will see Donington Park on the right.

Donington Park by Train The nearest train station to Donington Park is East Midlands Parkway which is approximately 7 miles from Donington Park itself. From there you will need to catch a bus or taxi.

Donington Park Race Track

The race track at Donington Park has been developed over a number of years to become one of Britain s most popular racing circuits. In 2009 Donington Park narrowly missed out on it s bid to host the Formula 1 British Grand Prix due to funding issues and time constraints on the maintenance work being carried out on it. Since then it has undergone a multi million pound refurbishment to improve safety and update the race track as well as the facilities.

The track at Donington park now boasts the following:

one of the largest paddock areas of any UK racing circuit

A new bar facility next to the Pit stop Dine

A vastly improved viewing area to enhance the spectator experience

An impressive variety of hospitality suites for conferencing and exhibitions

An exciting and varied circuit with a range of inclines, descents, curves and hairpins

Events at Donington Park

Motorsport Events at Donington Park

Every Year Donington Park hosts a full calendar of motorsport events that sees some of the world s best car drivers and motorbike riders battling it out in pursuit of some of the most prestigious prizes in the racing calendar. Below is a selection of the best motor sport events held at Donington Park.

FIA World Touring Car Championships 2011 will see the World Touring Car Championships make its debut at the Donington Park Circuit. The world s top drivers will battle it out going 4 abreast and bumper to bumper around the track in this high octane contest.

British Super Bike Championship 2011 will see the return of the BSB Championship to Donington Park. The event at Donington will be right towards the end of the championship so there will usually be some fierce rivalries playing out at the top of the table with the prize so close to hand.

British F3 International Series This event, sponsored by Cooper Tires, sees young drivers from all over the world competing in the world leading Formula 3 racing car series. The event at Donington is one of 10 meetings in the series of the leading single-seater racing championship in the UK and the pre-cursor to Formula 1 racing.

Avon Tyres British GT Championship The British GT Championship at Donington Park is one of 7 race meets across the GT racing calendar and showcases the most stylish and luxurious cars of any racing grid in the world. Within the GT3, GT4 and GTC classes of the championship you will see cars such as the Ferrari 430, Aston Martin DBRS9, Porche GT3, Audi R8 and Mercedes SLS.

There are also a number of non competitive motoring events at Donington Park such as the MG Car Club event and Track zone where members of the public can come and race there own vehicles around the infamous race circuit.

British Moto Grand Prix at Donington

Prior to its closure and refurbishment, Donington Park was renowned as the home of the British Moto GP event, the Grand Prix of motor bike events and regarded as the pinnacle of world class superbike events. The British Moto GP was held at Donington for 23 years prior to 2009 but the event has since moved to Silverstone after Donington Park lost its bid to host the Formula 1 Grand Prix there in the same year.

Silverstone now has a 10 year deal to host the British Moto GP but fans of the sport and organisers at Donington Park hope to be able to bring the sport back to the Donington circuit in the future.

Track Days and Driving Experiences

The racing school at Donington Park offers a selection of different driving experiences all year round where members of the public can come and experience driving some of the most prestigious supercars on the planet.

Driving experiences entail some tuition by qualified racing instructors after which they get the chance to do a few laps of the track in their chosen vehicle.

Cars available for track day experiences include:

Ferrari 360

Lamborghini Gallardo

Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Audi R8

Porsche 911 Turbo

Ariel Atom

Mini Cooper S

Single Seaters

High Speed Passenger Rides

Also available at Donington are off-road driving experiences in vehicles such as JCB s, Off road quad bikes, 4x4s and experiences that involve learning advanced driving skills such as how to handle skids and power sliding.

Non Motoring Events at Donington Park

As well as all the motorsport events and driving experiences available at Donington, the venue also plays host to a wide variety of non-motoring events such as music festivals, exhibitions and conferences.

Corporate Events at Donington With state of the art conferencing and events facilities, Donington Park offers companies the opportunity to hold meetings, conferences and team building days at the venue. The facilities can cater for anywhere between 6 and 600 participants with a range of different driving and non-driving activities on offer. Full catering options are also available as well as accommodation within a variety of different hospitality packages.

Festivals at Donington For years Donington Park has been host to some of the biggest rock concerts in the UK right from the Monsters of Rock back in the 1980 s and early 90 s to the internationally renowned Download Festival which attracts some of the biggest names in rock music such as Metallica, AC/DC and Iron Maiden. Download festival takes place over 5 days and is attended by around 150,000 people each year.

Trade Shows & Exhibitions Conference suites at Donington have capacities ranging from 4 to 650 people and their conference and exhibition centre covers 4400 sq metres with a capacity of 2500. As such the venue hosts a number of trade shows, gala dineers and exhibitions over the course of the yea

Tickets for Events at Donington Park

Tickets for most of the events at Donington can be bought via the following methods

– Online at www.donington-park.co.uk

– In Person from the Grand Prix Museum (until 5pm on thurs before event)

– By Phone on 0844 8737343

For the major motor sport events it is advisable to book well in advance as tickets for these events sell out quickly.

Donington Park Museum

The Donington Park Grand Prix Museum houses the largest single collection of Grand Prix racing cars in the world.

The museum is made up of 5 halls which collectively showcase over 130 exhibits illustrating the history of motorsport dating back to the early 1900s. Visitors to the museum get to see the actual cars that were driven by Grand Prix legends such as Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, Stirling Moss and Jackie Stewart.

Previously unseen vehicles are also gradually being introduced to the Grand Prix Collection from the Wheatcroft private collection. So far 18 new vehicles have been put on display from the collection including motorcycles and army vehicles and founder Kevin Wheatcroft says he is looking forward to adding more over the course of each year.

Other notable attractions of Donington Park Museum are:

The Lotus in which Stirling Moss beat the mighty Ferrari team in the 61 Monaco Grand Prix

The largest collection of drivers helmets in the world

The worlds largest collection of McLaren and Williams racing cars

Museum Opening Times

Open 7 days a week from 10am 5pm (last admission 4pm)

Museum is open all year with the exception of 23rd-27th Dec and New Years Day

Museum Prices

Adults 8

Children 6 16years 3

Children under 6 Free

Eating at the Museum The museum has the Grand Prix caf open 10am 5pm 7 days a week where visitors can get a variety of drinks and snacks as well as hot a cold food.

Museum Contact Details:

Phone: 01332 811027

Email: Gary.rankin@donington-park.co.uk

Car Parking at Donington Park There is ample car parking at Donington Park for all visitors to its motoring events. Larger events such as the Download festival will organise their own car parking facilities as close to the venue as possible. Car parking charges at Donington are usually included in the ticket price. For further details you will need to contact the venue itself using the contact details at the top of the page.

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