Donington Collection Visit #MGPdonny

For the past few months I've been 'intending' to start this blog. As with much in life however I've been struggling to find the effort required to move from 'intending' to 'doing'. But the events of the last weekend have inspired me to jump in and have a crack and see where it goes - as often doing things you intend to do but haven't yet done can be a rewarding experience!

As I live only 30 short minutes away from Donington Park, I've always 'intended ' (that word again) to visit the Donington Collection of Grand Prix cars, but somehow I've never quite gotten round to it. But on Friday night, at literally the 11th hour, I noticed vague posts on Twitter where people I follow were telling others to 'enjoy their day at the Donny Collection'. Hating missing out I made quick enquiries as to what was going on and found out another blogger (Garry Marshall at MarshalGP) had organised a trip to the collection, with a track walk too with a £2 saving on the ticket price too! So I shoe-horned my way into the event and headed to Donington on Saturday morning.

As soon as we were in the museum, I realised what a fool I'd been not making the effort before. It's like stumbling into the worlds best garage, with rows and rows of classic Grand Prix machinery lined up - and each a cracker! Most era's of Grand Prix history are represented, from the flaming-spitting brutes of the pre-war years right through to the intricately designed cars of 2008 (I didn't see any cars from the years after the reg changes 'smoothing' out the cars and adding big front wings). Many people say they don't like the cars from the mid-00s due to having too many flutes and funnels and attachments. I must admit though I love seeing them, and the intricate details they employ to shepard the air to the right places. I can't say I like them more than the cars from other eras, but I certainly don't like them less, so it was great to see the 2007 McLaren and the 2008 Red Bull.

I've always loved the old footage of Donington from the 1930s (see the You Tube Video above!), so it was a particular pleasure to see one of the famous Auto Unions, looking as gorgeous in the metal as it does in the newsreels (pic below!). Then there was the Cosworth 4 Wheel Drive test car from 1969 - so completely alien to the designs of any era that it looks like a prop from a Batman movie rather than a car that was ever intended to race in the World Championship (pic opposite)!

The F1 Twitterer @GrandPrixDiary recently had a shout out for recollections of ugly F1 nose designs, and plenty of the nominees were present and correct at the collection, inlcluding the Cosworth, the 1995 McLaren and the 'tea-tray' March 721. I must admit to having a fondness for the out-there design of the March and the Cosworth - but not so much the Macca, but then I don't think its even anyone at McLaren's favorite McLaren!

The absolute highlights for me however were all grouped within a few meters of each other in the Williams hall. First to mention were two of Damon Hill's car - the Brabham he just qualified for his first F1 start (Silverstone 1992) and, just opposite, the Williams I watched Damon race in the 1993 Donington Grand Prix when I was 12 years old. Senna's race winning car was sadly away at the Autosport show, but such was the sheer weight of cars on show I didn't miss it.

I started watching F1 as an 11 year old in 1991 and my first memory of the sport was seeing a Jordan 191 being lapped by two battling cars at the French GP, with all three side by side. The image seared itself (no doubt not entirely accurately) into my impressionable brain and a sporting obsession was born! I supported Jordan until they left the sport, and it was truly moving to see the car up close.As much as I supported Jordan as a team, Mansell really was my man - and I'll still fight any man who suggests he isn't a true Grand Prix legend! In only my 2nd year of watching Grand Prix Mansell took his title in the FW14b. So seeing these two cars together, within feet of each other really did leave me star-struck. I had to watch myself on the day for fear of sounding like a teenage fan at a Westlife concert (or whatever it is teenage fans get giddy about these days!).

If there is any criticism of the Donington Collection, it is that for the most part it is just that - a collection of cars. The changing designs and liveries are explained on the supporting information, but it would be good to see more groupings of cars to really show the evolution (you get quite a good effect in the McLaren and Williams halls where the cars are lined up) to explain F1's evolution from front-engined to rear-engined cars, through the various aerodynamic trends and regulation changes. A windtunnel model was tucked away between two of the cars - it would be great to see more made of this, in a recreated windtunnel maybe, to show how car design process works. The best example in the museum of how this might work is shown in the display of two of David Purley's LEC cars - one in good condition, and one obliterated by a crash in the 1977 British GP meeting. Its amazing to see the two side-by-side, leaving you marvelling at how anyone could ever survive the accident. It would be fantastic to see more displays that tell a story like this.

I'd personally also like to see more of the history of Donington itself. There are some boards giving some detail - but they are consumed by the ever encroaching collection, making them hard to give any attention. I suppose I should remember this is a Grand Prix Collection though, not the Story of Donington, but some of us are never satisfied! Its hard in any sense to feel any disappointment or criticism when you have the sheer amount of historic cars displayed that they do. I know I'm already planning my next visit when some of the cars are back from the Autosport show, and if you are a motorsport fan it really is essential viewing.

The Collection's most poignant exhibit brings together cars and items that belonged to Roger Williamson, who was tragically killed in the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix. David Purley (the amazing crash escapee from described above) earned the George Medal for his heroic efforts in trying to save Williamson. The scene is featured on the recent documentary Grand Prix: The Killer Years and is one of the saddest sights I've seen from F1's often dark history. Tom Wheatcroft, the engineer of Donington's 1970's rebirth, and enigmatic founder of the Collection, funded Williamson's career, and you can feel the personal sadness in the displays. There is a statue outside (right), which at first glance looks hidden away, dwarfed by the memorial to Senna and Fangio, but on discovering it is Williamson, and knowing the story, its more secluded site seems entirely appropriate and moving.

Thanks need to be passed on again to Gary Marshall for organising the day. There was a great turnout (around 35-40 people), and hopefully there will be plenty more gatherings in the future! There are alreday rumblings to that effect, so I suggest if you aren't already you follow @MarshallGP on Twitter! Its always fun to meet up with other people with a passion for motorsport, and new social-media sites like Twitter are making this ever easier - Viva la Future!

And, the moral of the story again is - don't 'intend' to do things - start 2012 off by doing some of them!

My photos from the day are below - my apologies for being as good with a camera as I am with words! Practice makes perfect...!