I am delighted to be announce that Abarth Owners Club will be one of the participating clubs at the
Donington Historic Festival, held at
Donington Park from
Fri May 3 to Sunday May 5th 2019.I am aware that this does, once again, clash with the popular Brooklands Auto Italia event, and many will wish to attend that. But it is only one of the three days of the Donington Festival, so for those who want a double car fix for the weekend, and something that will surprise and delight all fans of motorsport, this event comes highly recommended.
Donington is one of the best spectator circuits in the UK, and with a packed program of activity on the track on all three days, there will be plenty to see. The final timetable will be revealed nearer the event, but to give you an idea, grids from last year included:
PRE-WAR SPORTS CARS - These are the oldest cars competing at the event, with all sports cars built before 1941 being eligible. They may be the ‘elder statesmen’ at the Festival, but they don’t hang about!
HISTORIC TOURING CAR CHALLENGE WITH TONY DRON TROPHY - This grid of pre-1991 British and European Touring Cars features the type of beefy machines that most of us could only dream of driving back in period.
STIRLING MOSS TROPHY - These purpose-built, pre-61 sports-racers look and sound fantastic – and the drivers are competing for the actual cup that Sir Stirling Moss won in the 1955 British GP.
ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB WOODCOTE TROPHY - This series is firmly established within classic racing circles as the go-to series for competitive 50s racing. And it features some of the most beautiful road-racing cars ever built.
GT & SPORTS CAR CUP - This grid is for genuine pre-66 GT cars and pre-63 sports-racing cars of a type that was raced in the World Endurance Championship in period.
FJHRA/HSCC ‘SILVERLINE’ CHAMPIONSHIP FOR FRONT-ENGINED FORMULA JUNIORS - These lovely little machines, developed for a racing formula that was introduced 60 years ago to train and bring on future Grand Prix drivers, always deliver outstanding and highly competitive racing.
FJHRA/HSCC ‘SILVERLINE’ CHAMPIONSHIP FOR REAR-ENGINED FORMULA JUNIORS - Close and exhilarating racing from nimble little machines that, back in the day, were the stepping-stone to Formula 1 for some of the greatest names in the sport.
HRDC ‘TOURING GREATS’ for pre-’60 Touring cars with invited ‘TC63’ - This grid for pre-60 Touring Cars features a wildly diverse mix of tin-tops, ranging from Austin A35s and A40s to Alfa Romeo Giulietta Ti Berlinas and Volvo Amazons.
HRDC ‘COYS TROPHY’ celebrating the BTCC 1958-1966 - Expect David and Goliath action amongst the pre-66 Touring Cars, with Mini Coopers lining up alongside Jaguar Mk1 and 2 saloons, Lotus Cortinas and mighty V8-engined Ford Falcons and Mustangs.
SUPER TOURING CAR CHALLENGE - Bringing back more recent memories, the mighty 2-litre Super Touring Cars of the 1990s and pre-1990 Group A cars battle it out with pre-2006 FIA S2000 and invited BTC cars. Expect to see Vauxhall Vectras, BMW 318s and 320s and Alfa 155s and 156s taking on Honda Accords, Peugeot 406s and Audi A4s.
JAGUAR CLASSIC CHALLENGE - Iconic pre-1966 ‘big cats’ compete against each other, showcasing the very best of Jaguar’s rich racing heritage. C-type, D-type, E-type, low drag E-type, MkI, MkII, XK120, XK140, XK150 are all eligible.
DEREK BELL TROPHY - A series of races for Formula 5000 and Formula 2 single-seaters built and raced between 1967 and 1979. This is the series for the more powerful cars with wings and slick racing tyres.
As if that is not enough, there will be
several hundred Car Club exhibits, and
demos of historic rally cars and karts, and everyone gets
unrestricted access to the pits and paddock where there are always a few surprises.
There is usually a
lunchtime parade for Car Club members. Plans for this have yet to be announced - I will update you once I know more.
We will have our
own reserved infield car parking area, and a discounted ticket offer. As in 2018, instead of a "2 for 1" deal, you simply buy the number of tickets you need, at the discounted rate.
You can buy your tickets online, or over the phone. Here's how:
TO ORDER ONLINE1) Go to: https://shop.msv.com/DisplayCar/ClubRegister/DP-19-Historic
2) Select our club from the list shown and click on its name. If you already have an MSV account, login. Otherwise, create an account.
3) You’ll then be presented with a page showing the conditions for displaying a vehicle - click the box at the bottom to say that you agree, then you’ll be taken to a page that asks ‘who are you displaying with?’ Select ‘With a club’ then select our club name from the list that appears and press ‘Continue’
4) Select the day or days that you wish to attend and press ‘Continue’
5) CAR DETAILS: Add the details of the vehicle/s you will be bringing* to display on the club stand.
6) TICKET SELECTION: Follow the process through to ticket selection. IMPORTANT - the online club ordering system automatically puts one adult entry ticket for your chosen day/days into your shopping basket before you get to the ticket selection area. So please only select any additional entry tickets that you may need when you get to ticket selection.
7) In the shopping basket you will see any additional tickets you have chosen showing as entry tickets and your driver entry ticket will show as a vehicle display pass (shown at the price for your entry ticket).
At this stage everything will still be shown at full price - press to go through to checkout, then enter our
unique club code: DHF_Y7HJJGV in the Promotion/Voucher Codes box, which will apply the 50% club discount.
All entry tickets, including the driver ticket, will be sent out immediately but the vehicle pass (which is only a parking pass this year) will be sent out separately, two weeks before the event.
TO ORDER BY PHONECall the MSV ticket hotline 0843 453 9000, give the club name and booking code DHF_Y7HJJGV and you should receive the 50% club discount. Please also request a display parking pass if you are planning on bringing a vehicle to display on the club stand (note, the parking pass will be sent out two weeks before the event. Entry tickets will be sent out immediately.) *Calls cost 7 pence per minute plus your phone company’s access charge.
All club tickets must be booked by 5pm on Friday, April 19th 2019 
Topic: Abarths at Donington Historic Festival: 3 - 5th May 2019 (Read 1456 times)