Visitors to the 2019 Donington Historic Festival on 3-5 May will enjoy not only a hugely entertaining three days of action on the circuit, but also a jam-packed programme of off-track entertainment, including massive display areas, exhibitions and parades.

Formula One cars confirmed for display

A number of F1 cars will be on display during the event, with some taking to the track for demonstrations too.

Cars already confirmed include an ex-Nelson Piquet Benetton B190, the Toleman Hart machine from 1984 that powered Ayrton Senna to stardom, a 1991 Dallara BMS-F191, a Hesketh from 1977 and an extremely rare Honda R8 1082. This was the test mule for the new KERS systems that were developed in F1 ahead of the 2009 season and is believed to be a one-off machine. When Honda pulled out of F1 at the end of 2008, the car was passed to Brawn GP and then to the current Mercedes team, meaning this car will run in the famous colours of the ‘Silver Arrows’ that have marched to every F1 title over the past five years. Additional F1 machinery is also expected to be confirmed ahead of the Festival.

Historic karts to give some buzz

Historic karting has been a major part of the Donington Historic Festival for many years, and this year is no different, with the British Historic Kart Club set to have a big display at the Launch Pad area near Redgate corner. A wide range of historic karts and related memorabilia will be on static display in the Launch Pad, while outside a series of demonstrations will be taking place. Some of the karts on display will have a significant Donington heritage, having taken part in karting Grands Prix at the circuit in the 1980s, while drivers who competed at the events are expected to attend as well as other star guests, set to be confirmed soon.

Take a Sporting Bears classic and supercar Dream Ride

The Sporting Bears have been a prominent attraction of the last two Historic Festivals, and visitors to the event will again be able to have a passenger ride in a variety of classic and modern sports and saloon cars around the local area. Some 25 cars are scheduled to be offering Dream Rides, ranging from a classic Fiat 500 to an SS100 Jaguar, an Aston Martin Vantage, a Maserati GranCabrio Sport and a Ferrari 360 Spider!

Formed in 1989 to provide a way for classic and supercar owners to raise money for children’s charities, the club celebrates its 30th anniversary this year; to date it has raised some £2.3million for its selected causes. Festival visitors will be able to make a donation to benefit the Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People, based in Loughborough, in return for a 10-mile passenger ride. Sporting Bears members provide the cars, time and effort at their own cost, so every penny raised from the Dream Rides goes to the charity.

BBMF Flypasts

Two iconic World War II aircraft will take to the skies, with flypasts taking place on both the Saturday (4 May) and Sunday (5 May), courtesy of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) from the Royal Air Force.

Saturday’s flypast at 13.00 will come from a Hawker Hurricane, the ‘workhorse’ at the forefront of Britain’s defence throughout the war. Although the faster Spitfire had the glamour, the Hurricane played a more defensive role, scoring 1,593 of the 2,739 RAF victories claimed in the Battle of Britain. 14,533 Hurricanes were made but huge numbers were lost in the war and today just 12 airworthy Hurricanes remain, two of which are operated by the BBMF.

Sunday’s aerial activity at 14.15 will be from a BBMF Douglas C-47 Dakota, a fantastic example of the military version of the Douglas DC-3 airliner, one of the most long-lived and successful transport aircraft ever made. From transporting vast numbers of paratroopers for D-Day to towing gliders across the Channel to liberate Europe this versatile aircraft played several vital roles in WW2.

Car clubs set to put hundreds of vehicles on display

Donington Park’s Infield and Grand Prix Loop will play host to hundreds of cars from almost 60 clubs. Clubs scheduled to attend range from the Abarth Owners Club to the Z Club of Great Britain, so there will literally be an A-Z of motoring on show! In addition, there’s a special pre-1990s parking area for non-club members who book to bring their classic, and dozens of the pre-1990s and the club display vehicles will be seen out on track in the lunchtime parades.

New Donington entrance and event layout to make event even more accessible      

The range of improvements to Donington Park over the winter months will make access to the Donington Historic Festival even easier this year. The redeveloped main entrance will provide easy access to the re-jigged race paddocks, as well as to the Melbourne Loop, which this year will be the host for several major display areas. Donington has also received several other upgrades over the winter include an improved entrance at the Fogarty Esses, and detail improvements in spectator areas.

Shopping at the Festival

With a trade village packed with stands selling everything from motoring and motorsport books, photographs, artwork and other memorabilia to clothing and accessories, Donington Historic Festival is a great place to shop!

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