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#1
11-01-2006, 06:36 AM
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Britcars & Fireworks at Donington 4th Nov
Anyone here going to this event? Seems like a good way to end the Motorsport season. Thinking of popping down to kick some racing tyres and take a few photos. So if anyone from Fchat is going down in their Ferraris make sure they’re clean.
I shall be taking photos and drawing the forum’s attention to those which are less than agreeably presented 
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#2
11-01-2006, 01:58 PM
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I won't be making the Donington meeting but there's a busy thread on Pheads about that date. Many of the drivers/teams post in that section so you could introduce yourself in advance. http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing...2740&f=147&h=0 However, I will be going to the 'night' race at Brands on the 18th - but that may be a bit of a trek for you  Should be good fun, Qualifying at dusk then a 100 minute race into darkness - the local killjoys will only suffer the noise for so long.
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#3
11-01-2006, 02:42 PM
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#5
11-05-2006, 07:30 AM
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Well, went along to this yesterday, must have been one of the quietest race events I’ve ever attended, if there were a couple of hundred spectators that was it. The racing was a bit quiet too, so we decided to go see the Donington museum. Wow, what a fantastic surprise this turned out to be, it had a lot more cars than we expected, a very nice collection of bikes and some amazing motorsport art. We spent ages just looking through the photos, trying to see how the circuit was before WW2 and how it has changed. The museum is a must for all who haven’t been. Highlight for me was a collection of Senna’s McLarens from ’88 to ’93. Sadly I’m a bit crap with the camera these days, but here are a few pics from the day anyway. Might also put the museum ones in the showroom section of the forum too.
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#9
11-05-2006, 08:13 AM
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Great pics Martin nothing wrong with the quality, the museum pics look good, excuse my ignorance but I didn't even know there was a museum there!, I've only ever been to Donnington once and that was in '96, I will have to try and get there sometime
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#10
11-05-2006, 02:44 PM
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I wouldn't be ashamed of those photos.
If you want to know more about the museum you should read Tom Wheatcrofts book 'Thunder in the Park' - it's a good read, if a little one-sided. I think I saw that Bugatti Royale (its a replica that cost millions to build) at the Louis Vuitton concours some years back - it's magnificent. I didn't realise quite how many recent F1 cars he had. I've been to Donnington many times but never visited the museum, next year I will rectify that.
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#11
11-05-2006, 02:46 PM
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I've not seen the Britcars but as I mentioned in an earlier post I will be going to the 'night' meeting at Brands in 2 weeks. Shame if it doesn't get a lot of support - the guys on Pheads are very enthusiastic.
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#12
11-07-2006, 04:09 PM
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Thanks for your comments guys; from what I’ve heard the museum seems to be one of the most well kept secrets in British Motorsport, it costs £7 per adult to enter and imo is much better value than say the Autosport show. I recommend having a good few hours spare so you have time to take in the artwork as well as cars. Oh, and my most valuable lesson, take a tripod for your camera.
http://www.doningtoncollection.com/ Hope there's a full field of Britcars for you at Brands Andy. Regards
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#13
11-07-2006, 05:01 PM
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Its the largest collection of Grand Prix cars in the world. About 140 cars at any one time spread from 1930's (some earlier cars too) right upto 4/5 years ago.
Cars come and go, at the moment the 15 coolest cars are at an art exhibition in Denmark (Alfa Bimotore - 1936 500BHP 200mph complete with Ferrari badges, 1939 Auto Union prototype etc)...but still pleny to see (car are due back around Christmas). The museum is the reason why Donington Park exists as a race track, Tom Wheatcroft was looking to find a home for his collection back in the 60's when a Leicestershire planning official told him Donington was for sale. As mentioned above its all in his book. As for the cool photo's above... No.1 Bugatti Royale copy, cost a few million to build - group of small UK engineering firms were tasked with building it using some drawings, measurements taken from the 6 remaining "real ones"...paint job cost £70,000 - 21 coats of hand polished cellulose. No.2 Rolls Royce with a Renault body!! No.3 1950's Bellanger Special Indy Car No.4 1966/67 Eagle F1 car, chassis 001 with a development Coventry Climax engine. Eagle was/is most successful US Grand Prix car. American chassis, american driver (Dan Gurney), Ford engine, Firestone tires (sic) - won the Belgium GP in 1967 at the "propper Spa". No.5 Lotus 49B Chassis 12, in Tasman livery. Last chassis built and was a demo car Ford owned until they gave it to the collection. Gold Leaf was 1st time a company not involved with motor racing sponsored an F1 car, shortly followed by JPS on Lotus which stayed longer. Cosworth DFV in the back. Reuteman car is actually 1974, advertising the Argentinian World Cup of 1978. In the background is the P34 Tyrrell 6 wheeler. No.6 Jackie Stewart Tyrrell (owned by Stuart, on loan to the museum) No.7 Nigel Mansell 1992 World Championship winning Williams with all the driver aids on it, Active Ride suspension, intelligent semi-auto gearbox etc. Next to it is the Jaguar which a local won off Sky TV a few years ago, he keeps it in the museum. No.8 Hall 3, Williams (top left looks like David's bum LMAO) leaning over Mansell's 1st GP winner at Brands Hatch in 1985, also the car Rosberg did average 160mph in qual at Silverstone same year. End of hall and right are the Italian Collection, mainly Tazio Nuvolari cars along with Ascari Tipo 500 from 1952/53 except its in Denmark. Just out of shot on right is Senna's 1st Grand Prix car (Toleman owned by Nick Mason). No.9 Hall 4 - Mclaren-land...early 90's on this side (high airbox = V10 then later V12 Honda's) at the end is Mansell's pig ugly one (just see the airbox wing) and the Pug engined one is up there too. No.10 Car that nearly won every race in 1988 when Senna and Prost won everything except Monza. Gordon Murray left Brabham with his "low level" idea that didnt work with the BMW engine at Brabham but Honda built him an engine especially for this low design. Only reason they didnt win everything was Prost engine went pop and Senna hit a back marker leaving Berger/Alboreto to make it a 1-2 the year that Enzo died. The Pope had blessed the cars at the start of the race so I guessed Mclaren had it stacked against them that day lol. No.12 Car Senna won at Donington in 1993's European Grand Prix. Photo's of that race in the background. Most people regard it as his best victory but Senna didnt, too easy with traction control etc. He prefered his 1st GP victory at Estoril in the Lotus. No.13 Sitting in the foyer, an ex DeCesaris and Gachot Jordan F1 car (there are loads of Jordan F1's in the workshop under the museum - Eddie keeps them there, just like Bernie used to with the Brabham's). Gachot got lobbed in jail for using a mace spray on someone in 1992 and hence M.Schumacher replaced him for the Belgium Grand Prix that year (he possibly tested this car as it was Gachot's chassis but its not the one he raced), and the rest, as they say...is history...
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#14
11-07-2006, 05:19 PM
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New track blends back into the old for Mcleans but at Coppice the track is now much tighter. The old circuit continued and turned right to head along the present perimeter road passing close to the circuit office and along the side of the museum. Heading straight through the current Exhibition Centre (at the perimeter 'chicane') before joining the new Melbourne loop but carrying on through paddock 3 (and out of Leicestershire into Derbyshire) over the hill down to the old loop (now the car park for the Sunday market). Hairpin thats still there led the cars back up the hill along the old start/finish straight to what was Redgate corner in the 1930's (through a red gate). There the LEFT hander led them back towards Redgate lodge along the line of the concrete roadway that is still there at the entry to the main paddock 2 today. Whilst the new Redgate is located at the kink that led to Hollywood in the 1930's, the actual left of Old Redgate was roughly the piece of tarmac that you arrive in the main paddock on. The National straight was all new for the 70's re-opening because the circuit had to reside fully in Leicestershire. Tom had spent a couple of million £ (in the early 1970's!!!!) to get planning permission from one council and he didnt want to go through the same expense with another. Donington is situated in a funny part of the country, next door literally is "Nottingham East Midlands Airport" and the circuits land is in Leicestershire and Derbyshire. Castle Donington village has a Derby postcode, Derby phone numbers and yet residents get Leicestershire Yellow Pages and the council is North West Leicestershire! Sorry for waffling... Last edited by Ricard; 11-07-2006 at 05:21 PM.
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#15
11-08-2006, 09:40 AM
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Many thanks for all the information to accompany the photos and the explanation of the old circuit Richard. Looks like I’ll be paying another visit at the start of next season’s racing if the collection changes. And even if it doesn’t I don’t think I need an excuse to go again
 .Guess you can tell I like the McLarens, well the ’88 to ’93 McLarens. The MP4/4 is one of my favourite F1 cars, and one of the first I actually saw racing at Silverstone. I'm going to have to put Tom Wheatcroft’s book on my Christmas list.
Last edited by Martin H; 11-08-2006 at 09:42 AM.
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#16
11-08-2006, 09:58 AM
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. I spoke to the manager at the Galleria Ferrari a few years ago about the museum (she had been to Donington but not the museum) and she was kinda vacant until I showed her a photo of the Mclaren hall, that made her pay attention - anyone who likes cars should have already been there or atleast be on the way lol
Last edited by Ricard; 11-08-2006 at 10:02 AM.
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#17
11-08-2006, 10:28 AM
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ahh, that explains the level of knowledge lol. I’m surprised if you haven’t already been roped into giving an official Fchat tour
.I first heard about the museum during a moto gp commentary (Toby Moody & Julian Ryder raving about it) a couple of years ago and have kept meaning to visit since.
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