The Donington Historic festival returned for 2022, running over the weekend of Saturday 30th April to Sunday 1st May. Although competitors had their fun in 2021, this was the first year since 2019 that spectators were allowed back. You know why. With a timetable promising everything from pre-war sports cars to Group C monsters, the 2022 event was inked into our diaries good and early.
I attended on both days but that’s not the reason my report will be split into two parts. Instead I’m going to cover the racing cars in this instalment, then look at the car club displays in part two. Visitor numbers didn’t seem to have returned to 2019 levels despite some good ticket deals being available, but this meant a more relaxed paddock with car club attendance still at a respectable level. Perhaps the bank holiday effect suppressed numbers with people now able to travel more easily for holidays and weekends away. Notably, the paddock was emptier than I remember from times past because Sunday competitors didn’t generally arrive until Saturday night, whilst the Saturday racers went home at the end of their day. Presumably this was a direction from the circuit operators because Donington is not short of paddock acreage.
Each morning commenced with qualifying for the races to come, with the Jaguar Classic Challenge for pre-66 cars being first for the green lights. The festival template is to run a smaller number of longer races including driver changes, with the Jaguars racing for a full hour. The pre-race publicity excitedly suggested that XK series cars, C-types, D-types and Mk1 & II saloons would be fighting it out, but in fact the grid comprised of 24 E-types, with a lone C-type being a non-starter. Even the biggest fan of the old Sea Cucumber might have wished for a little more variety, but there were sufficient differences between the standard cars, semi-lightweights and lightweights to hold even my limited attention. There was some late excitement when Car 25 of Burton/Finburgh slowed and entered the pitlane for an unplanned stop, only to have the differential lock solid before it got as far as their garage.
Race two sounded more like my thing, an hour of Sixties Touring Car Challenge for Under Two-Litre Touring Cars. However, this too was almost a one-make chase with 13 Lotus Cortinas in a field of 19 cars. I know there’s a natural draw for drivers to choose the best tool for the job but it was almost more homogenous than the Jaguar race; there are fewer variants of a Lotus Cortina than there are E-types. Breaking the Cortina monopoly were a trio of Alfas, a Mk1 Escort and a BMW 1800 Ti. Harry Barton managed third fastest lap in the BMW but finished in 17th place, two laps adrift of the winners, so something clearly went awry. It’s interesting that during the allotted hour the No.4 winning Cortina of Hall/Pittard completed 41 laps with a best of 1:22.6 compared to 43 laps and 1:19.6 covered by the fastest E-type; there wasn’t a huge amount between them.
Next up, 40 minutes of something really special: the return of Group C to Donington after a gap of 30 years. Group C was instigated in 1982 as the pinnacle of sports car racing, with factory teams from Porsche, Jaguar, Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, Aston Martin, Mercedes, Peugeot and Lancia all playing their part over ten seasons. Group C specified roofed prototype cars conforming to a maximum footprint and a minimum weight of 800kg, but the cars were only allowed a maximum fuel capacity of 100 litres. With each race covering at least 1000 kilometers with only five refuelling stops permitted, Group C cars needed to be fuel efficient (relatively speaking). The endurance aspect of the category meant large naturally aspirated engines could in theory compete with small capacity turbos, but don’t mistake efficiency for lack of pace. At the 1988 Le Mans a WM-Peugeot achieved 252 mph (405 km/h) down the Mulsanne Straight. These days a Group C car laps Donington in about 1:03.
Group C cars have a presence like little else and Donington provided an opportunity to get up close. Some are instantly recognisable; the various Jaguar XJRs in their classic Silk Cut liveries are iconic cars in the world of endurance racing. Some, like the Porsche 962C are better remembered in Rothmans colours, but still easily placed. Others are more likely to prompt scratching of heads and “what the hell is that?” They all grab attention but especially so when fired up. Whether V8, V10, V12 or Flat 6, their voices are uniformly intimidating. Being next to a Group C car being warmed to idle stirs visceral emotions, caveman stuff. It’s no point trying to communicate with your companions, they can’t hear you and you can’t hear them.
If you think that’s loud, wait until they come round at full chat. Standing near the pitlane entrance with sound-reflecting concrete surfaces all around, the crescendo of wails and growls is overwhelming as the field catapults out of the chicane and through the rolling start. Forget your ears, this is a noise you feel. Sorry future world, but internal combustion can be glorious in a way that electric will never come close to matching. The Group C cars were the only formula that ran over both days. For the record, Rob Huff in the No.55 blue Spice SE89P took overall honours in the Saturday race, whilst Andrew Bentley won the Sunday race in the evocative Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-8, made even more perilous by some light rain towards the end.
The final race on Saturday was for pre-56 and pre-61 sportscars and this solved the mystery of where all the non E-type Jags had gone. Lister Knobblies were most numerous, but the Aston DB2 with an orange nose caught my eye. An E-type got rolled but most other competitors finished the day intact.
I returned bright and early for the Sunday session, this time meeting up with ViaRETRO’s own Tony Wawryk for the day. The weather was distinctly more overcast but the Mad Jack Pre-War Sports Car racers didn’t seem to care. Unfortunately we were drinking coffee in the Porsche Club tent on the hill above Starkeys at that time so my action photos are a bit limited. I need a mega long zoom lens for Donington and I’m far too tight to stump up for one. The coffee was nice though.
Group C aside, I was eagerly awaiting the Tony Dron Trophy for 70s and 80s Touring Cars. I had my eye on the Daily Express liveried Rover SD1 but as we roamed the paddock, the Rover returned from qualifying in ignominious manner on the back of a recovery truck. The rear strut had detached from the top mount and although the car wouldn’t be repaired in time it could have ended far more badly.
Out on track the flame spitting Calsonic Nissan Skyline GT-R of Ric Wood started on pole and showed everyone else the way home, closely followed by the green Skyline of Middlehurst and Bailey. A third Skyline in Kenwood and STP livery retired. Steve Soper shared the No.33 Ford Sierra RS500 but I had to check it was actually him driving as the Soper name appears on many historic touring cars, presented in their original livery. The 3rd placed Kaliber sponsored Sierra RS500 of Julian Thomas looked fantastic. Zero-alcohol lager might not be as cool as traditional booze and fags advertising, but it’s a good paint-job nonetheless. The Kaliber car still wears an “Andy” number plate though Mr Rouse himself has now retired from motor racing. It’s easy to forget the heady days of proper touring car racing was quite a long time ago now…
With the aforementioned second running of Group C competed, the festival closed with the (deep breath) Royal Automobile Club Pall Mall Cup for pre-66 GT and Touring Cars, pre-63 GTs and pre-60 Sports Cars, which is a catchy name. Keen & Minshaw would take victory in yet another E-type, but the field was a cavalcade of variety which served as a reminder that not everyone in the olden days exclusively raced Lotus Cortinas and Jags. I’ll let the additional gallery close Part One while I go off to scribble some notes for Part Two. Back soon!
