set for bumper start at Donington
The first major historic race meeting of the season in Britain will deliver a packed nine-race programme with nearly 300 sports, saloons and single-seaters from the 1950s through to the 1980s when the Historic Sports Car Club race season opens at Donington Park on Sunday, 30 March.
With racing covering everything from an MG Midget to a Formula 5000 Lola T400 single-seater, the meeting has broad appeal and with adult admission just £12 and children admitted free, it's a great value day out for all the family.
Not only will full grids produce some great racing, the paddock will be packed with a glorious array of racing machinery and visitors to Donington will have ample chance to get up close to the cars and drivers in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
Notable among a day of bumper entries will be a 43-strong field of Historic FF1600s, with 11 drivers currently on the reserve list for the race for Formula Ford 1600 single-seaters built and raced before 1972.
With previous category pacesetters Neil Fowler and Nelson Rowe absent, the way is open for drivers like Westie Mitchell, David Wild, Dave Lowe and HSCC chairman Chris Sharples to set the pace. However, teenager Lee Dwyer is a likely contender along with series newcomers Simon Kinsey, Amanda Whittaker and Derek Rodgers. Kinsey and Rodgers have experience in more recent Formula Fords, while Whittaker was a class champion in Historic F2 in 2006.
Half a dozen thundering 5-litre Formula 5000s grace the Derek Bell Trophy field for powerful single-seaters of the 1970s, with Loughborough's Simon Hadfield in a McLaren M10B ranged against the Formula 2 March 782 of former BTCC racer Sean Walker.
More full grids will line up for the opening rounds of the Historic Road Sports and 70s Road Sports Championships, with Porsche, TVR, Ferrari, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Lotus, Morgan and Austin Healey all represented. Another crowd favourite will be the first round of the Historic Racing Saloon Championship with Lotus Cortinas, Ford Anglias and Mini Coopers taking on Ford Mustangs.
Qualifying starts at 9.05am and the first of nine races is at 1.30pm. All races will run over a 15-minute duration.
