The Donington Classic Motorcycle Festival returns to the East Midlands circuit this weekend (5-7 August) for the annual celebration of all things historic motorcycling.
A huge schedule of 49 races from the Classic Racing Motorcycle Club will keep race fans thrilled, with racing taking place across all three days (Friday – Sunday). As well as sensational on track action from hundreds of riders and their machines, there will be a number of parades and massive display areas too.
The Donington Classic Motorcycle Festival has become a key event in the European Motorcycling Calendar, and always attracts a glittering list of star names, with this year’s event being no exception. Legends from the world of motorcycling at this year’s running include the first American to win a World Championship, Steve Baker and Festival regulars Steve Parrish and Jim Redman. Parrish will again be hosting a special evening of entertainment on the Saturday evening, in which the star names will join him to regale often hilarious stories of motorcycling from times gone by, with tickets still available at £20. Charlie Williams, an eight time winner at the Isle of Man TT will also make an appearance at the evening entertainment.
Racing comes from all manner of machines, from motorcycles of varying capacities to sidecars, with special events including the Wheatcroft Cup for pre-1986 bikes and the Lansdowne Cup for Grand Prix machines from the 1950s and 60s. The Wheatcroft Trophy has attracted a huge entry of nearly 60 machines, while several other contests will see at least 30 bikes in each race, with the Junior Production race attracting 44 machines and 37 in the 750cc Clubmans event.
Meanwhile, huge displays across the venue form a major talking point, including 450 machines courtesy of the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club (VJMC) in the Engine Room exhibition centre. The VJMC will be holding their 13th Classic Clubs show during the event, which has become one of the largest shows of its kind for motorcycle clubs. The centre piece of the show is the VJMC stand, which will have over 60 bikes on displays with machines from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
In addition, in the Integro Paddock Suite, another huge display of famous machinery will be on show, with notable bikes including examples from the Dick Shepherd Triumph Collection, and further models from the Sammy Miller Museum.
On track action starts at 9.10am on all three days, with the paddock open throughout, allowing visitors to get up close to the star names and machines.
Donington Park Sporting Director Bob Adams commented: “The Donington Classic Motorcycle Festival has become one of Europe’s top historic motorcycle events and we are delighted to be welcoming a number of star guests and hundreds of motorcycles. The on track action will be something to savour with numerous rare machines going against one another, while the massive display areas will ensure all visitors will have plenty to see both on and off the track. With excellent value tickets, it’s a fantastic event for visitors, whether they are hard-core bike fans or simply after a great day out.”
Tickets for the Donington Classic Motorcycle Festival are available in advance priced from £12 or £25 for the full three day weekend, until 5pm on Wednesday 3 August. Tickets will also be available for purchase upon arrival at the circuit. For more information visit www.donington-park.co.uk.