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50-621: The Donington Grand Prix Collection , sometime known as the Donington Grand Prix Exhibition , was a museum of motor racing cars, based at the Donington Park motor racing circuit in Leicestershire , England. The collection, which started in the 1960s, began to deplete in the 2000s. The museum closed permanently on 5 November 2018 (6 years ago)  ( 2018-11-05 ) and its large collection

100-702: A 25 was taken to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for evaluation, where they also trialled Lucas electronic ignition for Ford. The results were encouraging enough for Colin Chapman to mount his ultimately successful challenge on the Indianapolis 500 . The 25 was again used during the 1964 season, winning a further three races in Clark's hands. At the final race in Mexico , just as in 1962,

150-433: A distance of eight miles. It was won by the locomotive of Isaac Watt Boulton , one of six he said he had run over the years, perhaps driven by his 22-year-old son, James W. The race was against Daniel Adamson's carriage, likely the one made for Mr. Schmidt and perhaps driven by Mr. Schmidt himself. The reports do not indicate who was driving, since both were violating the red-flag law then fully in force. Boulton's carriage

200-593: A high-speed test, car handling manoeuvres can be tested such as precision drifting , donuts, handbrake turns, reversing and so on. Other disciplines of automobile sport include: The international motorcycle sport governing body recognised by the International Olympic Committee is the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Disciplines include: The international powerboating governing body recognised by

250-591: A hill, at private and closed roadways where higher speeds and distances can be reached than at an autotesting course for example. Time attack are terms used by series that run sprints at racing circuits where competitors try to set the quickest lap time rather than racing head-to-head with others. Time trials are run by the Sports Car Club of America , amongst others. Rallysprints are mainly sanctioned and held in continental Europe. Ultimately, they are similar to other time trial sprints but originate from

300-455: A near-complete collection of McLaren Formula One cars from the team's inception to the early 2000s, and extensive collections of Williams and BRM cars (including examples of both notorious BRM V16 -powered machines as well as the H16 -powered BRM P83). The collection also had examples of four different four-wheel drive Formula One cars, including an unraced Cosworth car. Another star exhibit

350-452: A race is between competitors running head-to-head, in its International Sporting Code, the FIA defines racing as two or more cars competing on the same course simultaneously. Circuit racing takes place on sealed-surface courses at permanent autodromes or on temporary street circuits . Competitors race over a set number of laps of the circuit with the winner being the first to finish, or for

400-464: A sealed surface such as asphalt or concrete. Notable off-road races on open terrain include the Baja 1000 desert race, organised by SCORE International . The FIA authorise Extreme E , an electric off-road series whose organisers have announced a hydrogen fuel series, Extreme H, to begin in 2025. Examples of off-road racing disciplines and series include: Drag racing is an acceleration contest from

450-493: A set length of time with the winner having completed the highest number of laps, with others classified subsequently. Circuit racing replaced point-to-point (city-to-city) racing early in the history of motorsport, for both spectator appeal and as safety concerns brought in regulation of the sport, forcing organisers to use closed, marshalled and policed circuits on closed public roads. Aspendale Racecourse in Australia in 1906

500-519: A small collection of racing motorcycles , including a Daijiro Kato Honda and a Barry Sheene Heron Texaco Suzuki and a number of collections of trophies and awards gained by a selection of British drivers and riders. In addition to exhibits, the Donington Grand Prix Collection museum also incorporated a conference suite and gift shop. In 2007, the owner began an attempt to bring Formula 1 back to Donington Park, however

550-399: A standing start along a short and straight course. Vehicles of various types can compete, usually between two vehicles. Winners can be the first to finish of competing pairs or by setting the fastest time, and competitions may have heats and/or series of runs. Kart racing is a form of circuit racing using very small and low vehicles not considered as automobiles known as go-karts. It is one of

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600-453: Is a form of motorsport where drivers intentionally lose rolling traction in corners through oversteering but maintain momentum with effective throttle control, clutch use and corrective steering. In competition a panel of judges award marks on artistry and car control through the corner or series of corners. Competitions often feature pairs of cars driving together where a lead car and a chase car go head-to-head, with only one car going through to

650-447: Is based on Wheatcroft's personal collection of vehicles. These include some that Wheatcroft's own motor racing team ran for drivers such as Roger Williamson and Derek Bell , although many cars exhibited are on loan from other owners. Various external collections of automobilia and motor racing ephemera have been donated to the museum over the years. Specific attractions included the world's only complete collection of Vanwall cars,

700-498: Is called a series, and a grouping of competitions often forms the basis of a championship , cup or trophy . Not all nations have a sporting authority affiliated with the FIA, some disciplines may not fall within the FIA's remit of control, or organisations may choose to ignore the claim of the authority of others. Examples include banger racing and stock car racing in the United Kingdom which are claimed by both

750-870: The 1998 season ), an M14A driven by Denny Hulme and an MP4/2 , the car that took Alain Prost to his first World Drivers' Championship in 1985 . Alongside these lay helmets of great drivers who drove for the Woking-based outfit over the years such as Senna, Prost, Lauda , Häkkinen, Berger and Coulthard . 52°49′38″N 1°21′58″W  /  52.82722°N 1.36611°W  / 52.82722; -1.36611 Motor racing Different manifestations of motorsport with their own objectives and specific rules are called disciplines. Examples include circuit racing , rallying and trials . Governing bodies, also called sanctioning bodies, often have general rules for each discipline, but allow supplementary rules to define

800-619: The International Olympic Committee is the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM). The organisation's origins date back to 1922. The international air sports governing body recognised by the International Olympic Committee is the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). The FAI also governs non-powered air sport such as gliding and ballooning, however its motorised sports include: Lotus 25 The Lotus 25

850-694: The United States , dirt track racing became popular. After World War II , the Grand Prix circuit became more formally organised. In the United States, stock car racing and drag racing became firmly established. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), formed in 1904, is the oldest and most prominent international governing body. It claims to be the sole international motor sporting authority for automobiles and other land vehicles with four or more wheels, whilst acknowledging

900-588: The 1948 Maserati ). The 25 was powered by the Mk.II 1496cc through to the Mk.5 1499cc versions of the Coventry Climax FWMV V8 in crossplane and flatplane formats. Later, Reg Parnell Racing in 1964 fitted BRM P56s of similar specification to their second-hand 25s. Some privateers who had been buying Lotus chassis were disgruntled by the fact Chapman refused to provide them 25s. These teams, including Rob Walker Racing, were given Lotus 24s , while

950-631: The ASNs must be obtained to organise events using their rules, and their licenses must be held by participants. Not all ASNs function in the same manner, some are private companies such as Motorsport UK, some are supported by the state such as France's FFSA, or in the case of the US's ACCUS, a council of sanctioning bodies is the national representative at FIA meetings. ASNs, their affiliated clubs or independent commercial promotors organise motorsport events which often include competitions . A collective of events

1000-510: The Climax engine developed an oil leak and with literally a lap to run Clark coasted to a halt in sight of world championship victory, this time conceding to John Surtees . Despite the introduction of the Lotus 33 in 1964, the 25 was still used until well into the 1965 season, Clark taking the car's final win at the 1965 French Grand Prix . In 1964, Reg Parnell Racing began racing the 25, using

1050-639: The Oshkosh and the Green Bay (the machines were referred to by their town of origin). This is examined and illustrated in detail in The Great Race of 1878 by Richard Backus, Farm Collector, May/June 2004. In 1894, the French newspaper Le Petit Journal organised a contest for horseless carriages featuring a run from Paris to Rouen. This is widely accepted as the world's first motorsport event, and

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1100-690: The Oval Racing Council and the National Stock car Association, despite the claim by the FIA affiliated ASN, Motorsport UK , to be the "governing body of all four-wheel motorsport in the UK". SCORE International , National Auto Sport Association and National Off-Road Racing Association of the United States are also not members of the FIA affiliation system but may work with members for international matters. Although English dictionaries do not unanimously agree and singularly define that

1150-412: The authority of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) over vehicles with one to three wheels, which FIM calls motorcycle sport. FIM and FIA are both recognised as international sports federations by the International Olympic Committee . Within the FIA's structure, each affiliated National Sporting Authority ( ASN ) is recognised as the sole authority in their nation. Permission of

1200-519: The cars and courses used in special stage rallying with the elements of navigation and itinerary removed, and not necessarily requiring a co-driver to call pacenotes . Rallying involves driving to a set itinerary, following a prescribed route and arriving and departing at control points at set times with penalties applied for diverging from the route or arriving late and early. Rallies nearly always involve routes on open roads, closed special stages are used on some rallies where competitors drive against

1250-516: The character of a particular competition, series or championship. Groups of these are often categorised informally, such as by vehicle type, surface type or propulsion method. Examples of categories within a discipline are formula racing , touring car racing , sports car racing , etc. The first prearranged match race of two self-powered road vehicles over a prescribed route occurred in the north west of England at 4:30 A.M. on August 30, 1867, between Ashton-under-Lyne and Old Trafford, Manchester ,

1300-699: The clock, the winner having the shortest, lowest average or total time. Hillclimbing events often include classes of competition for various categories and ages of vehicle and so may be incorporated into car shows or festivals of motoring such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed . Hill climb courses can be short at less than 1 mile, or several miles long such as the 12.42 mile Pikes Peak course in Colorado , USA. Sprints are governed by national FIA member ASNs in United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia, amongst other places. They are held on courses that do not climb

1350-519: The clock. The classification of these rallies are determined by summing the times set with the fastest crews being victorious, as found in the World Rally Championship . This method is often called rally racing or stage rallying informally, whilst rallies that do not include special stages are distinctly regularity rallies . Rallies that include routes that cover terrain off-road are also known as rally raid or cross-country rallies,

1400-485: The collection included the #1 McLaren M23 driven by Formula 1 World Champion James Hunt in 1977, the McLaren MP4/14 chassis number 4, untouched after crossing the line and affirming Mika Häkkinen as 1999 Formula 1 World Champion, also, the 1993 MP4/8 driven to victory by Ayrton Senna on location at the 1993 European Grand Prix . An MP4/4 , designed by Gordon Murray carrying chassis number 3 and being

1450-675: The deal collapsed. The Donington Grand Prix Collection was closed briefly in late 2009 in the wake of the death of Tom Wheatcroft and Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd. entering administration under leadership of his son Kevin Wheatcroft. It reopened in January 2010, along with the cafe and race control offices. The museum began to sell items to help fund various costs. They sold the Jim Clark Lotus 25 c.2008 to an unknown private collector. Several other Formula 1 cars also disappeared from

1500-508: The establishment housed the Jordan 191 in which he made his formula 1 debut in 1991. The 1998 Jordan 198 , the most successful in Jordan's history, (the chassis being the one Damon Hill drove to victory in a 1–2 with teammate Ralf Schumacher at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps ) also figured. Another interesting exhibit was an Auto Union , built from pre-war plans following

1550-402: The factory's destruction by Allied bombing during World War II . Wheatcroft had also supplemented the racing car collection with some additional notable cars, including a replica of the personal Bugatti Royale of Ettore Bugatti . Augmenting the car collections were the world's largest collection of motor racing helmets; Fangio , Graham Hill , Mansell , Hunt and Alonso amongst others,

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1600-439: The general form of time trials and sprints. Hillclimbing is the most widely known form of time-trial due to its status as the only time trial or sprint form to have international FIA championships and endorsement. Its origins begin near the start of motorsport, particularly with the trials held that tested the capabilities of early automobiles to tackle uphill gradients. Contestants complete an uphill course individually and against

1650-447: The general rule of participants completing a course individually with the intention of setting the shortest time or highest average speed. This form of motorsport can be recreational or when competitive, rules may vary slightly such as whether to include the total time of several runs, the best time set, or the average pace of multiple courses to classify competitors. Qualifying sessions for circuit races and special stages in rallying take

1700-582: The most famous example being the Dakar Rally . In the United States, the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) was founded in 1967 along with the Baja 1000 . Since the 1990s, this race has been organised by SCORE International whilst NORRA's events have closer followed the FIA regulations and standards for cross country rallies, although the association has no affiliation to ACCUS , the US's FIA member. Drifting

1750-433: The museum including Jackie Stewart's 1973 championship winning Tyrrell 006 , a Lotus 72 and a Ferrari F1-2000 . These cars may have been sold in order to solve Donington's financial problems when it enlarged the circuit and attempted to host the 2012 British Grand Prix. The Donington Collection was home to the largest exhibition (being almost comprehensive of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s) of McLaren vehicles. Highlights of

1800-494: The next heat or winning the competition. Autocross has multiple general meanings based on country of use. Also known as Autocross in US and Canada and Autoslalom in Continental Europe, these similar disciplines are held in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. They involve precise car control, usually but not always against the clock on very short and compact temporary courses. Rather than being

1850-479: The normal 9.5 sq ft (0.88 square metres). It was also envisaged to have a column gear lever, to keep the cockpit width to a minimum, although this was only experimental and discarded. To assist the low profile and low frontal area, the driver reclined sharply behind the wheel (an idea seen in the 18 , and pioneered over a decade previously by Gustav Baumm at NSU ), leading to the nickname 'The Bathtub', while front coil/damper units were moved inboard (as in

1900-499: The only example of said model to not win a Grand Prix stands in exhibition of the all conquering McLaren of the 1988 Formula One season . Conversely, its lacklustre predecessor, the Steve Nichols designed MP4/3 TAG Porsche twin-turbo stands alongside it in a diachronic exhibition of McLaren creations. In addition, rarities such as a Häkkinen's MP4/13 in test livery (prior to the unveiling of their new sponsorship ahead of

1950-417: The original sketches for the car were made on napkins while Chapman discussed his idea while dining out with Frank Costin (designer of Vanwall , Lotus Mk.8 , 9 , 10 , 11 and Lotus 16 bodies, later of Marcos fame). The unveiling of the 25 at Zandvoort in 1962 was a shock for the competition, and particularly for teams like Brabham and UDT/Laystall who had recently purchased 24s from Lotus, with

2000-527: The sports regulated by FIA (under the name of CIK), permitting licensed competition racing for anyone from the age of 8 onward. It is generally accepted as the most economical form of motorsport available on four wheels. As a free-time activity, it can be performed by almost anybody, and as karting circuits can be indoors and not take as much space as other forms of motorsport, it can be accessible to retail consumers without much qualification or training. Non-racing speed competitions have various names but all carry

2050-539: The title, but while leading the final race in South Africa a much publicised engine seizure cost him the title to Graham Hill . Clark gained his revenge the following year, taking his first World Championship in the 25, by winning 7 races, Belgium , France , Holland , Britain , Italy , South Africa , and Mexico . Lotus also won its first constructors' championship. Following the United States GP,

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2100-466: The understanding that they would be "mechanically identical" to the works cars - Chapman reserved the right to alter the bodywork of the cars. The monocoque made the car more rigid and structurally stronger than typical F1 cars of the period. The 25 was three times stiffer than the interim 24 , while the chassis weighed only half as much. The car also was extremely low and narrow, with a frontal area of 8 sq ft (0.74 square metres) as compared to

2150-501: The works team had exclusive use of the 25 for Jim Clark and Trevor Taylor . When it first appeared at the Dutch Grand Prix , the futuristic 25 was inspected by John Cooper , who asked Chapman where he had put the frame tubes in the car. Seven cars were built in total, numbered R1 to R7. Four cars - R1, R2, R3 and R5 - were written off (three of them by Trevor Taylor ) in accidents between 1962 and 1966. The most successful

2200-503: Was R4, which Clark drove to all seven of his World Championship wins in 1963. This car was later crashed by Richard Attwood then rebuilt as a Lotus 33 using a spare monocoque of that type and unofficially known as R13. The car gave Clark his first World Championship Grand Prix victory, at Spa in 1962. He took another win in Britain and again in the USA , which put him in contention for

2250-551: Was a racing car designed by Colin Chapman for the 1962 Formula One season . It was a revolutionary design, the first fully stressed monocoque chassis to appear in Formula One. In the hands of Jim Clark it took 14 World Championship Grand Prix wins and propelled him to his 1963 World Championship title. Its last World Championship win was at the 1965 French Grand Prix . It was the first Formula One car to use Esso fuel. An early brainchild of Chapman's fertile mind,

2300-661: Was developed from a scrapped John Bridge Adams light-rail vehicle. These were solid fired steam carriages. This event and the details of the vehicles are recorded in the contemporary press, The Engineer , and in Fletcher's books. The Wisconsin legislature passed an act in 1875 offering a substantial purse for the first US motor race, which was run on July 16, 1878, over a 200-mile course from Green Bay to Appleton, Oshkosh, Waupon, Watertown, Fort Atkinson and Janesville, then turning north and ending in Madison. Only two actually competed:

2350-473: Was sold and loaned cars returned to their owners. With five halls and over 130 exhibits, the Donington Grand Prix Collection comprised the largest exhibition of Grand Prix cars in the world. The collection contained vehicles from many forms of open-wheel, single-seater racing, but was primarily focussed on Grand Prix and Formula One machinery. The museum was formed by the late Tom Wheatcroft in March 1973 and

2400-540: Was the Lotus 18 with which Stirling Moss won the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix , along with Jim Clark 's World Championship-winning Lotus 25 . Noticeable, however, was the distinct lack of Ferrari vehicles, 3 in all, but fine examples nonetheless. First being a Ferrari 312 driven by Chris Amon, second a 312B and thirdly, a Ferrari F1-2000 (the particular chassis driven to victory in the 2000 Canadian Grand Prix , one of nine victories for Michael Schumacher in his maiden championship winning series with Ferrari), conversely,

2450-483: Was the first purpose-built motor racing track in the world. After which, permanent autodromes popularly replaced circuits on public roads. In North America, the term road racing is used to describe racing and courses that have origins in racing on public highways; distinguished from oval racing , which has origins at purpose-built speedways using concrete or wooden boards . Off-road racing can take place on open terrain with no set path, or on circuits that do not have

2500-645: Was the first to involve what would become known as automobiles. On 28 November 1895, the Chicago Times-Herald race , running from Chicago to Evanston and back, a distance of sixty miles, was held. This is believed to be the first motorsport event in the United States of America. In 1900, the Gordon Bennett Cup was established. Motorsport was a demonstration event at the 1900 Summer Olympics . Following World War I , European countries organised Grand Prix races over closed courses. In

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