Donington Park Circuit
Donington Park Circuit
RACE TRACK ENGLAND
Donington Park Circuit Layouts
Donington Park has two exciting layouts. Both the GP and National circuits provide huge challenges and thrilling racing for riders and drivers.
Donington Park GP Circuit
Circuit Length 2.49M / 4.02KM
Left Hand Corners 5
Right Hand Corners 7
Corners 12
Pole Position Left
Donington Park National Circuit
Circuit Length 1.98M / 3.186KM
Left Hand Corners 4
Right Hand Corners 6
Corners 10
Pole Position Left
Donington Park Circuit CW
Donington Park Circuit CW is 4 km, 12 turns, clockwise.
The Donington Park Circuit runs clockwise starting in the Wheatcroft Straight, with high-performance vehicles hitting 200 km/h (124 mph) before downshifting to enter Redgate at 100 km/h (62 mph).
The Craner Curves come next, followed by the Old Hairpin at corner number four. Starkey's Bridge goes downhill at 220 km/h (136 mph), and the 90-degree turn at McLean's leads into another acceleration sector.
The Starkey's Straight is the fastest in Donington Park, with velocities as high as 250 km/h (155 mph), and The Esses provides a considerable speed reduction before the abrupt halt at the Melbourne Hairpin, where racers need to travel at 50 km/h (31 mph) to remain in control.
The tight-angle Goddards end the races with a three-dimensional challenge, as drivers need to face the elevation change before entering into the final stretch of the raceway.
Donington Park Circuit National CW
Donington Park Circuit National CW is 3.2 km, 10 turns, clockwise.
Donington Park's National Circuit clockwise configuration delivers 3.150 kilometers through 10 turns representing the shorter layout bypassing the Melbourne Loop's technical Esses section.
This CW routing emphasizes faster flowing character compared to Grand Prix circuit, connecting Starkey's Straight directly to Wheatcroft Straight via short 90-degree Turn 9 rather than navigating the complex Turns 10-12 Esses sequence.
The National CW configuration's character derives from Melbourne Loop exclusion creating faster, more accessible layout.
The 1.96-mile distance enables higher average speeds as Starkey's and Wheatcroft straights connect through simple Turn 9 rather than the technical Melbourne Esses-Goddards sequence.
Contact us
Address
Donington Park, Castle Donington, Derby, DE74 2BN
Phone
+44(0) 1332 810048
Donington Park
There are two layouts available for different competitions in Donington Park: the 1.96-mile (3.15-km) National Circuit and the 2.5-mile (4.02-km) GP Circuit, including The Esses and the Melbourne Hairpin.
One of the world's most iconic sporting venues, Donington Park hosts some of motorsport's most prestigious events on two and four wheels.
The circuit’s premier event is the annual visit of the FIM Superbike World Championship which is considered one of the best weekends on the bike racing calendar. Firm fan favourites also include the Bennetts British Superbike and Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championships, and the visits from the British GT and GB3 series.
Other major annual events include British Truck Racing, the Donington Historic Festival and the Classic Motorcycle Festival plus dozens of club car and bike meetings.
Donington is superbly located with major cities Derby, Nottingham and Leicester all nearby and Birmingham is less than an hour away. The circuit is close to the M1, A50 and A42 roads and right by East Midlands Airport, with the main terminal just two miles away.
Donington Park History
opening its doors for a motorcycle race in 1931, as an initiative of the local motor club secretary Fred Craner.
Donington Park is the oldest UK motorsport circuit still in operation. The first racing took place in 1931 using the narrow roads that accessed the Donington Hall estate as it was then. In 1933, the track was made permanent and welcomed pre-war Grand Prix racing including the legendary Auto Union Silver Arrows driven by Bernd Rosemeyer and Tazio Nuvolari.
During World War II, the circuit was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence to be used as a military vehicle depot. Racing didn’t return until 1977 after the land was purchased and the circuit rebuilt by businessman Tom Wheatcroft.
The circuit was acquired by MSV in 2017 and made significant improvements following a winter programme of major investment. The future of the circuit is assured and its reputation grows by the day.