European Le Mans Series | |
---|---|
Venue | Donington Park |
First race | 1989 |
First ELMS race | 2006 |
Duration | 6 hours |
Most wins (driver) | Jean-Louis Schlesser (3) Mauro Baldi (3) Emmanuel Collard (3) |
Most wins (team) | Team Sauber Mercedes (2) JB-Giesse Team Ferrari (2) |
Most wins (manufacturer) | Sauber-Mercedes (2) Ferrari (2) |
The 6 Hours of Donington is a sports car race held at Donington Park in the United Kingdom. The event has been held sporadically since 1989.
Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilizes sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built (Prototype) or related to road-going models.
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate is currently under lease by MotorSport Vision until 2038.
The United Kingdom, officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland but more commonly known as the UK or Britain, is a sovereign country lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 22nd-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.
Motorsport is a popular sport in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom is a key player in the world of motorsport, hosting rounds of the Formula One World Championship, World Rally Championship and Grand Prix motorcycle racing, amongst others. It is also the home of many of the current teams in Formula One, such as McLaren and Williams, while teams such as Red Bull Racing, Mercedes and Lotus are also based in England. There are also a range of popular national series held such as the British Touring Car Championship. The Motor Sports Association is the official governing body of motorsport in the United Kingdom.
The 2004 FIA GT Donington 500 km was the sixth round the 2004 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at the Donington Park, United Kingdom, on June 27, 2004.
The 2003 FIA GT Donington 500 km was the fifth round the 2003 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at Donington Park, United Kingdom, on 29 June 2003.
The 2002 FIA GT Donington 500 km was the ninth round the 2002 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at Donington Park, United Kingdom, on October 6, 2002.
The 1999 FIA GT Donington 500 km was the seventh round the 1999 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at Donington Park, United Kingdom, on September 5, 1999.
The 1998 FIA GT Donington 500 km was the seventh round the 1998 FIA GT Championship season. It took place at Donington Park, United Kingdom, on 6 September 1998.
The 1989 Wheatcroft Gold Cup was the sixth round of the 1989 World Sportscar Championship season. It took place at Donington Park, United Kingdom on 3 September 1989.
The Willhire 24 Hour was an endurance race for production cars held at Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit in Norfolk, England between 1980 and 1994. Over the years, the race included both sports cars and saloon cars. Latterly, it was contested by competitors running in the FIA Group N specification National Saloon Car Cup. The race was run by the British Racing and Sports Car Club (BRSCC), which was also responsible for the aforementioned series.
MotorSport Vision (MSV) is a motorsport organisations and an operator of six UK venues. MSV has a portfolio ranging from major two and four wheel championships to organising the PalmerSport corporate driving event.
Frederick Bernard "Tom" Wheatcroft was an English businessman and car collector. He made his fortune through building and construction, and was known for resurrecting the Donington Park motor racing circuit and founding the Donington Grand Prix Collection museum.
The Ginetta G55 is a specialist sports car, which has been built by Ginetta Cars since 2011. It is built to the FIA GT3 regulations, and the cars are raced in a one-make series; the Ginetta GT Supercup. In addition to this, they are also used in the GT3 class of competitions such as the British GT Championship. It was an evolutionary update of the Ginetta G50, which is a GT4-class car.
The Debora LMP296 was a Le Mans Prototype, built by Debora Automobiles in 1996 for use in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car was originally entered with a 2-litre turbocharged Cosworth straight-four engine, but several other engines were used in the car's three-year career. Two cars are known to have been built. In conjunction with the LMP297, the car helped Waterair Sport to the International Sports Racing Series SR2 Team's Championship in 1998. The LMP296 was updated into the LMP299 for 2000.
Robert Babikan was a British racing driver. He was most notable for competing in the British GT Championship in 2000 and 2001, and racing in a single round of the European Le Mans Series in 2001. He won the Porsche Cup GB in 1996.
The Centenari M1 was a Le Mans Prototype, originally built by Centenari in 1991 for the Italian Prototype Championship. In 1997 and 1998, it was used in the SR2 and the CN category of the International Sports Racing Series. Two cars are known to have been built.
The Debora LMP2000 was a Le Mans Prototype, built by Debora in 2000 for use in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Sports Racing World Cup. The car was initially fitted with a 3.2-litre BMW straight-six engine, but had a 3-litre BMW straight-six fitted for the Sports Racing World Cup. One chassis is known to have been built.
The Ascari A410 was a Le Mans Prototype built by Ascari Cars in 2000. The car, which was based on the Lola T92/10 Group C racing car, featured a 4-litre Judd GV4 V10 engine, and was used in European and international sports car racing events. In 2002, it was renamed as the Ascari KZR-1 and shipped to the United States for usage in the American Le Mans Series. Two cars were built.
The Lechner Spyder SC91 was a sports prototype racing car, originally built by Reynard Motorsport for Walter Lechner and his Walter Lechner Racing School Interserie team in 1991. The car was rebuilt as the Reynard Spyder in 1993, and became known as the Reynard Horag in 1997. Throughout its career, it used a Formula 1-derived 3.5-litre Judd V10 engine. One car was built, and it proved successful; taking the Interserie Division I title in 1997 and 1998, in addition to being the strongest non-Porsche 962 in 1991, and the strongest non-Kremer CK7 Spyder in 1993.
The GMS Durango LMP1 was a Le Mans Prototype built for Durango by GMS in 2000. Initially fitted with a 4-litre BMW V8 engine, which was prepared by Mader, a Judd GV4 V10 was fitted in its place for the 2002 season. Durango replaced the car with their own PM 02 for the 2003 season. The GMS Durango LMP1 was not particularly successful, and had a weak gearbox; but it was able to win one race, the 2002 6 Hours of Vallelunga.
The Rapier 6 was a sports prototype racing car built by LM3000 in 1999. It used a 3-litre Nissan V6 engine, and Team Sovereign ran the car in the FIA Sportscar Championship. The car achieved moderate success, and Team Sovereign retired it at the end of the 2003 season, after the series folded. In 2011, it reappeared in the Britcar series, being driven by Mike Millard.