Gallery: Donington Park over the years

The first permanent park circuit in the UK, Donington Park has stood since 1931 and has a storied history.

During the Second World War the circuit was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence for use as a vehicle depot and it wouldn’t host another race until 1977.

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Ten years later in 1987 the Motorcycle Grand Prix championship moved the British round to Donington, with Eddie Lawson winning the race. MotoGP would return to Donington every year until 2009, with Andrea Dovizioso the last Donington Park GP winner.

In 1988 Donington Park played host to the first round of the World Superbike championship, with Davide Tardozzi taking victory in the first race on board a Bimota.

Now, Motorsport Vision, owners of several tracks around the UK including Brands Hatch and Cadwell Park, have bought the circuit, and they have big plans. MSV’s Jonathan Palmer said: “Like many circuits in the UK, Donington has had a turbulent time over the last ten years, though thankfully Kevin Wheatcroft and his team have now recovered the damage done by the previous owner of the business.

“Donington is a good British circuit that deserves further investment, energy and expertise in order to make it truly outstanding, and MSV will provide this. We plan a great new era for Donington, with some exciting new events and much enhanced quality of experience for all of its customers, whether spectators, competitors and track day participants, together with even better value.”

We spent a bit of time trawling through our extensive archive to bring you the gallery above.

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