Donington To Host British Grand Prix In 2010

Donington Park has been granted final planning permission by the council for hosting the British Grand Prix next year. This enables Donington Ventures Limited, the lease holders of the track to begin modifying the Derbyshire venue for the coming race. Permission was given by the North West Leicestershire District Council, and Donington Ventures Limited CEO Simon Gillett and Tom Wheatcroft, owner of the circuit, have signed the proper paperwork. Gillett said on Friday that they still have a lot of hard work to do, and will do everything that they can to deliver against the promises that they have received.

The next step after the paperwork is to ensure that all the construction work is done on time. Gillett said that they were trying to make sure that the construction doesn't compromise the experience of visitors to the track, but also trying to ensure that it is completed on time.   This change will see the return to Formula One to Donington Park, an event which hasn't happened since they hosted the European Grand Prix in 1993. Ayrton Senna won the event that year. The British Grand Prix will be hosted at Donington for ten years, starting in 2010.

Even through the construction will be massive, the circuit will still be hosting events like the British Motorcycle Grand Prix, and the World Superbike Championships. The Chief Executive Officer said that when the work is done, they will have a facility that is the “pride of World Championship Motorsport.”