New hope for Donington

The future of Donington Park looks brighter following yesterday’s announcement that plans are in motion for the circuit to re-open this summer. The news has been greeted with a collective sigh of relief within the sport as many of us had begun to fear we were about to lose this much-loved race track for a second time – and this time, probably forever.

The new hope is thanks to Kevin Wheatcroft, son of Donington’s late, great owner Tom Wheatcroft. How sad it was that Tom should be taken last year just as it had become clear that Simon Gillett’s ridiculously optimistic plan to bring the British Grand Prix to the track had crumbled, leaving the place a building site unfit for anything. It was feared that the cost of repairing the damage would be a fatal blow to Donington Park’s future.

Until yesterday. Plans and the cost of the repair work are being finalised by project advisors, led by ex-Aggregate Industries director Philip Barltrop and Duncan Green of Pick Everard Consulting Engineers, who have met with the Motor Sport Associations’s John Symes to gain his approval. Subject to obtaining the necessary racing licences, the team is “confident” that the track will re-open in August.

Kevin Wheatcroft has been hoping to attract a new leaseholder to take over the circuit, with the BARC and Jonathan Palmer’s MotorSport Vision organisation both touted as potential candidates. Between them the BARC and MSV already run eight British race circuits. But without a deal confirmed, it appears Wheatcroft is taking on the task himself, at least in the short term – a decision for which he should be commended.

Hot on the heels of Wheatcroft’s announcement, the Masters Historic Racing organisation declared its intention to hold the first race meeting at the circuit following its re-opening. Its Festival meeting, which had originally been planned for June, will now be scheduled – and expanded to three days – for September 3-5. Special features will include an ‘Into the Dusk’ endurance race on the Saturday evening, plus demonstration runs of cars and motorcycles from the Donington Collection.

It was Tom Wheatcroft’s dream back in the 1970s to re-open the old pre-war Grand Prix track, and he achieved his life’s ambition in 1977. Now it appears that, thanks to his son, his beloved circuit will not die with him.