Ask any F1 enthusiast to name Ayrton Senna\u2019s greatest achievements and the 1993 European Grand Prix at Donington Park is sure to feature. In an underpowered McLaren MP4\/8-Cosworth, he surged from 5th to 1st on the opening lap of the wet race and after no less than five pit stops in the changeable conditions scored one of his most memorable victories. Consider too that Senna\u2019s first time behind the wheel of an F1 car was also at Donington\u2014in Keke Rosberg\u2019s Williams FW08-Cosworth in 1983\u2014and it\u2019s not surprising that Senna declared Donington Park his best British circuit.<\/p>\n
These memories were relived 20 years later at the Donington Historic Festival, May 3-5, as organized by Historic Promotions Limited and the Historic Sports Car Club. A number of cars from Senna\u2019s career were on display, supporting an 18-race program featuring a wide range of categories from the 1920s through the 1980s. It\u2019s 80 years since the opening of the original Donington Park facility where the Auto Union and Mercedes \u201cSilver Arrows\u201d did battle in the 1937 and \u201938 Donington Grands Prix. Current circuit owner Kevin Wheatcroft demonstrated his faithful replica of the Mercedes W125 from that era. Among the race entries at the Festival was the actual Alfa Romeo Tipo B driven to victory here in the 1935 GP event by Richard Shuttleworth, which is now raced by Tony Smith.<\/p>\n
Versatile historic racer Gary Pearson seems to make a habit of stepping on both the first and second steps of the podium in one two-driver race, and he did it again by sharing sister Jaguar D-Types with his brother John and with Carlos Monteverde. The ERA R3A of Mark Gillies won both Nuvolari Trophy races for pre-1940 GP cars, and Gareth Evans took Group C honors in a Mercedes C11.<\/p>\n
Tragically, an accident in a Touring Car race on the third afternoon of the meeting resulted in the death of Christian Devereux from London after his Mini Cooper S collided with a Ford Mustang. The meeting was abandoned shortly after.<\/p>\n
By Keith Booker<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ask any F1 enthusiast to name Ayrton Senna\u2019s greatest achievements and the 1993 European Grand Prix at Donington Park is sure to feature. In an underpowered McLaren MP4\/8-Cosworth, he surged from 5th to 1st on the opening lap of the wet race and after no less than five pit stops in the changeable conditions scored one of his most memorable victories. Consider too that Senna\u2019s first time behind the wheel of an F1 car was also at Donington\u2014in Keke Rosberg\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198,"featured_media":552238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[260,13063],"tags":[432,15234,16947],"class_list":["post-493181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-car-events","category-vintage-car-racing","tag-events","tag-events-vintage-racing","tag-event-donington-historic-festival"],"yoast_head":"\n