Spectators made a welcome return to the Donington Historic Festival on 30 April-1 May, for the first time in three years. Racing started with the hour-long Jaguar Classic Challenge for pre-’66 cars – an all-E-type grid after the one outlier, Hans-Martin Schneeberger’s C-type, failed to start. Jon Minshaw and Phil Keen were on pole ahead of Gary Pearson and Alex Brundle, followed by the solo-driving Danny Winstanley, who leapt to second off the line. When Minshaw/Keen were forced to retire with steering woes, Winstanley won by 25.6 secs.
In contrast, there were plenty of changes for the lead in the Sixties Touring Car Challenge with U2TC. It was pro-driver David Pittard’s Lotus Cortina debut, but he was sharing with the experienced Rob Hall and started from pole. When Hall took over at the pitstop he had to fight back to the front, with the closing nine laps all about the Cortinas of Hall and Julian Thomas, the latter started by former U2TC champ Andy Wolfe. Hall grabbed victory by 1.6 secs, with Andrew and Max Banks third in their Alfa Giulia Sprint GTA. Meanwhile, Ric Wood and his Nissan Skyline GT-R dominated the Historic Touring Car Challenge and Tony Dron Trophy.
The first Group C race was another close finish, as Rob Huff (Spice SE89P) pipped Andrew Bentley (Jaguar XJR-8) by 0.8 secs. Huff was a non-starter in the second, which Bentley won from David Hart (Lola T92/10).
Pearson/Brundle were back, and on pole in a Lister-Jaguar, for the Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy and Stirling Moss Trophy, but a penalty for a pitstop infringement dropped them back. When
