If you’ve always wanted to know what it would feel like to be behind the wheel of a sports car in a real high-octane motor race, Donington Park is now offering you the chance to live your dreams with their Thunder in the Park Track Days.
Thunder in the Park is a unique event taking place on the 14th and 15th of December that will allow even novice drivers to experience the thrill of driving the National Circuit in their own chosen vehicle. If you do plan to use your own vehicle, it is worth making sure the vehicle is correctly insured through respected motor insurance companies like Express Insurance, Allianz and Confused to name a few.
Alternatively, if you don’t want to use your own car, Donington Park have partnered up with Bookatrack to make 10 Caterham 7 Superlights available for rental for the experience.
A Day to Remember
When booking, you’ll be given a choice of three driver groups to choose from: novice, intermediate, and advanced. While it may be tempting to try and join a more advanced group for a more exciting experience, it’s best to know your own limitations.
If you’re not sure what group you fall into, always choose the lower of the two. While there will be some professional instructors available on the day, Thunder in the Park is not for the faint of heart: the Craner Curves and the Old Hairpin are legendary among fans of motor racing.
The day begins at 7.30am sharp with driver sign-on. Driver briefing then takes place at 8.30am, and the fun begins at 9. Each group will be allocated six 20 minute sessions which rotate throughout the day until 4pm or dusk, whichever is earlier.
This allows for a total of two hours total driving time for each driver; plenty of time to become a master of the Old Hairpin and to fully indulge those Michael Schumacher fantasies. You can also choose to drive with a passenger if you’d like to enjoy your day with a friend.
There’s no doubt that Thunder in the Park will be a day to remember, and a professional photographer from Xtreme Sports Photography will be on hand to capture your every expression of glee and terror as you whizz round the track for posterity.
Safety First
Although the speeds are unlikely to be close to those you’ll see at a real motor race, any form of motor racing can be dangerous, which makes it very important that proper headgear is worn at all times. Helmets aren’t provided by Donington Park, so be sure to bring your own.
If you’re driving in an open vehicle, then you’ll need to wear either a full face helmet or eye goggles. Only proper motorsport helmets will do, so leave your cycling helmet at home. It’s also very important to obtain one-day track cover insurance if you’re planning on using your own vehicle. This is offered by Competition Car Insurance.
There are only 30 spaces available in each driver category per day, so places are very limited. You can, of course, choose to book both days as long as places are available, but you’d better hurry because it’s likely to sell out fast. It’s not often that members of the public are given the opportunity to experience this piece of motor racing history for themselves.