Donington Park GP

The Donington Park GP hosts the British Touring Car Championship for rounds 19, 20, and 21 of the 2026 season. This visit to Donington Park uses the full Grand Prix circuit layout, measuring 2.49 miles and featuring 12 challenging corners. The btcc returns to this Leicestershire venue for a weekend of close racing action on one of Britain's most historic racing facilities.

The Grand Prix Circuit at Donington Park

Donington Park sits near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit holds the distinction of being the oldest motorsport venue still operating in the United Kingdom. The Grand Prix layout extends the track through the Melbourne Loop, which was added in 1985. This configuration creates a flowing circuit that tests drivers with high-speed corners and demanding braking zones.

The circuit's most famous section is Craner Curves, a fast and flowing sequence that requires commitment and precision. The layout combines elevation changes with technical challenges, making it a favorite among drivers and fans. The facility can accommodate 120,000 spectators across its viewing areas.

Current lap records for the btcc at Donington Park GP stand at 1 minute, 33.154 seconds in qualifying and 1 minute, 33.621 seconds during races, showcasing the pace of modern touring cars on this layout.

Race Weekend Format

The 2026 btcc season introduces a revised weekend structure. Saturday features a single 40-minute free practice session, followed by two 15-minute qualifying sessions. A new Qualifying Race then takes place on Saturday afternoon. This race awards points to the top 15 finishers using a 10-9-8-7-6-5-5-4-4-3-3-2-2-1-1 system.

Sunday hosts three full championship races. The Qualifying Race result determines the grid for race one. Race two uses the finishing order from race one. Race three employs a partial reverse grid, where positions sixth through twelfth from race two are drawn to set the pole position. All Sunday races are broadcast live and carry full championship points.

2026 Championship Competitors

The 2026 btcc season features 21 cars from multiple teams. NAPA Racing UK fields four Ford Focus entries for four-time champion Ash Sutton, Dan Cammish, Sam Osborne, and newcomer Lewis Selby. Team VERTU runs Hyundai i30 Fastback N cars for reigning champion Tom Ingram, Tom Chilton, Nicolas Hamilton, and returning driver Ricky Collard.

Plato Racing makes its debut as a new team, led by former double champion Jason Plato. The squad runs Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloons for Dan Rowbottom and Adam Morgan. West Surrey Racing continues with BMW 330i M Sport machines for Charles Rainford and Daryl De Leon.

Speedworks Motorsport maintains its lineup with Árón Taylor-Smith, Gordon Shedden, Josh Cook, and Max Buxton in Toyota Corolla GR Sport cars. Power Maxed Racing expands to three new Audi S3 Saloons for Mikey Doble, Aiden Moffat, and Dexter Patterson. Restart Racing defends its Independent Teams' title with Chris Smiley and James Dorlin.

Technical Regulations

All btcc cars comply with Next Generation Touring Car regulations, introduced in 2011. These rules require teams to use common components including the turbo, wastegate, intercoolers, ECU, six-speed sequential gearbox, fuel tanks, differential, subframe, steering, brakes, clutch, wheels, dampers, and suspension.

Each car runs a 2-litre turbocharged engine producing over 350 brake horsepower. Teams can develop their own engines from the same family as their car model, or use the TOCA-spec engine. All btcc cars now use 100% sustainable, fossil-free fuel.

The championship no longer uses success ballast. Instead, performance is controlled through the TOCA Turbo Boost system. The top seven championship positions have reduced boost time, accessible at a higher minimum speed. Cars ranked eighth and below can access boost for 50% of racing laps at a lower minimum speed threshold.

Circuit Heritage

Donington Park opened in 1931 as the first permanent park circuit in the United Kingdom. The venue hosted pre-war Grand Prix races, attracting legendary drivers like Bernd Rosemeyer and Tazio Nuvolari. World War II interrupted racing when the site became a military vehicle depot.

Businessman Tom Wheatcroft revived the circuit in the 1970s. Donington Park hosted a single Formula 1 race in 1993, the European Grand Prix, which produced a memorable wet-weather drive from Ayrton Senna. The British Touring Car Championship first visited in 1977 and has remained a regular fixture, delivering many memorable touring car battles over the decades.

MotorSport Vision currently operates the circuit. The facility previously housed the Donington Grand Prix Collection, a museum established in 1973 that featured the world's largest collection of Grand Prix cars.

What Makes This Event Special

The Donington Park GP round offers a different challenge compared to the National circuit configuration used earlier in the season. The longer layout rewards smooth driving and race craft across its varied corners. The natural terrain creates elevation changes that add character to the racing.

The circuit's history brings added significance to modern btcc competition. Drivers tackle the same corners that have witnessed decades of motorsport action. The venue predates Silverstone, giving it unique historical value among British circuits.

The flowing nature of the track often produces close racing and multiple overtaking opportunities. The combination of fast sections like Craner Curves and slower technical corners creates varied racing conditions. Weather can also play a factor, as the exposed layout is susceptible to changing conditions that can shuffle the order.

This Donington Park visit represents a crucial stage of the championship battle. With three races offering maximum points, the weekend can shift championship positions significantly. The revised format with the Saturday Qualifying Race adds another layer of strategy and competition to the proceedings.