By Jethro Bovingdon
Donington Park is quite a place. It dips and swoops with the lush Derbyshire topography and has been the scene of countless tense and spectacular races. It was the first permanent park circuit in the UK, with racing starting in May 1931 when ‘Squib’ Burton took the chequered flag on his Raleigh 350cc motorcycle.
Donington’s awesome history
Since then it’s played host to the fearsome pre-war Auto Union and Mercedes racecars that were created to demonstrate the crushing superiority of the Third Reich, fantastically closely-matched BTCC tussles, possibly Ayrton Senna’s greatest ever performance in a Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1993, and kept true to its roots by providing incredible motorbike races from club level all the way up to British Superbikes and MotoGP.
This aerial view of Donington Park shows its length and character
It’s no surprise then, that Donington Park is the home of the Ron Haslam Race School – where keen motorcyclists can learn how best to tackle a racing circuit at high speeds but in safety and under expert tuition.
Have yourself a Honda Motorcycle Experience
However, you might be surprised to learn that the new Honda Motorcycle Experience, designed to give absolute novices the opportunity to try out riding for the very first time, also calls this place home. Of course this new initiative stays well away from the red and white kerbing and testing corners of the track… The premise behind the Honda Motorcycle Experience is simple. It’s a short taster of motorcycling in a safe, open environment that’s designed for people who’ve always fancied a scooter or motorcycle but never quite taken the final step to book lessons.
Two-wheel challenge: British Superbikes at Donington Park
Open to all
The course is open to anyone over the age of 12, so even keen youngsters can share the experience and perhaps fulfil a dream, too. Participants will observe the basic skills of controlling a bike before heading onto a closed-off section of tarmac themselves with a qualified Honda School of Motorcycling instructor in close proximity. By the end of the 90-minute session we hope you’ll have mastered the basics and determined that motorcycling really is the thing for you. It’s is a great day out and with Donington Park’s superb museum to explore and the Haslam Race School running on the circuit itself at the same time, there’s plenty to do for all the family. So soak up the history and maybe start to write a new one of your own with the Honda Motorcycle Experience.
