Donington Park - The Pioneers

John Bailie, ISBN: 9781527229976, hardcover book, published in 2018, 348 pages

Tribute to those who created Britain's first permanent road racing circuit... and to those who saved it.

This isn’t a book just about motor racing. It's about people. It’s about the pioneers who created Britain's first permanent true road racing circuit...firstly for motor cycles in 1931 and then also for cars from 1933.

It’s about the phenomenal success and dramatic progress that saw the circuit expand from loose-surfaced tracks created for horse-drawn carriages to hosting four pre-war Grands Prix, the first in 1935, the final two the "Silver Arrows" Grands Prix of 1937 and 1938. It's about how the Army took over during the war years and the many attempts that came very close to bringing racing back in the 1960s with innovative, state-of-the-art facilities...and it describes the Tom Wheatcroft era from 1977, son Kevin’s revival of the track in 2010 and the New Vision of MSV's first full season in 2018.

Researched, written and designed by John Bailie, the book includes many new photographs plus documents, maps and diagrams, unique then-and-now images, illustrations by the author, personal anecdotes and memories, together with extracts from on-the-spot race reports by Bill Boddy MBE, founding editor of Motor Sport magazine.