Donington and the German Invasion

The British Grand Prix: an historic title that instantly conjures images of 'Our Nige' in 'Red Five' receiving the frenzied plaudits of the home crowd having just hunted down and passed arch-rival Nelson Piquet in the sister Williams; or the spectacular multi-car accident that stopped the race after the young Jody Scheckter spun in the middle of the pack in 1973. Or a deranged Irish Priest decked in outlandish garb running among the cars in 2003. But to many the words British Grand Prix say only one thing: Silverstone.

Since becoming the permanent home of the event in the late 1980's Silverstone has lodged itself in the minds of fans world-wide as the 'home' of Motor-Racing in the United Kingdom. But perhaps the greatest Grands Prix on British soil took place at a very different venue, in a very different time...

A short history lesson:

It is 1926, the world is still in recovery from the Great War, the automobile is becoming ever more prominent in daily life, and Motor Racing has taken a hold in countries across Europe. Italy builds its own shrine to the sport at Monza in the early 1920's, France presents Montlhery around the same time, but both are a long way behind Great Britain.

The development of the motor car went hand in hand with that of the Aeroplane in these exalted early days, so it is fitting that the first (world first, that is) purpose built motor racing circuit be constructed at Brooklands in Surrey on an airfield site in 1908 (Indianapolis would follow in 1910). Brooklands was to become a mainstay of society in the 1920's, with dashing young men racing their Bentleys, Delages and Bugattis around the banked curves lap after lap, counterparts of the Daring Young Men in their Flying Machines (and often one and the same.)

In 1926 the Royal Automobile Club, champion of all things motoring, organised an official Grand Prix at the Surrey circuit. 110 laps, or 287 miles, later, Senechal and Wagner crossed the line victorious, having averaged 71.6 miles per hour in their Delage. Behind them, in his Bugatti, came the great (soon to be Sir) Malcolm Campbell, the esteemed record-breaker managing 68.82mph.

The success of the meeting saw the RAC organise a re-run in 1927, and this time over 325miles the great Robert Benoist brought another Delage home first, averaging an astonishing 85.59mph. Motor Racing continued at Brooklands in earnest, but this would be the last 'Grand Prix' to be held at the hallowed arena.

Move forward to the 1930's and the Motor Car had advanced beyond recognition. Motor Racing was now a world wide obsession, and a number of circuits were springing up across Europe. Enter Donington Park, and the now legendary 'German Car' Grands Prix.

Donington, nestling in the Derbyshire countryside, was built in the early thirties in the grounds of Donington Hall by the landowner, a racing enthusiast by the name of Fred Craner (after whom the wonderful Craner Curves at todays re-born Donington are named.) A beautiful undualting circuit, in original form it included a blast through a farm-yard (tied open five-bar gate included..) just feet from the barn and farmhouse. The farmhouse still stands today, although not in such close proximity to the modern circuit!

The first Donington Grand Prix was held in 1935, attended by most of the days top British drivers, and won by Dick Shuttleworth in a P3 Alfa Romeo. The 1936 event ran to a similar entry, and was won by Hans Ruesch, co-driven by the great Richard Seaman, also in an Alfa Romeo. But in 1937, the stuff of legends was born in this charming patch of English countryside. The Germans arrived.

Little did the Motor Racing public know that in two years time this country would be at war with their guests at Donington, and the Mercedes Benz and Auto Union teams were welcomed enthusiastically to the circuit that in 1937. These two teams, resplendent in silver, with mechanics adorned in spotless matching overalls and such oddities as electric starting devices, were the dominant force in European Motor Racing at this time, and their arrival on these shores rendered the current British crop of racing machinery, primarily ERA's, instantly obsolete.

The German teams driving squads read like a list of greats of the day (and, I might add, legends of today). At Mercedes were Rudolf Caracciola, Manfred von Brauchitsch, Herman Lang and Richard Seaman. At Auto Union the brilliant young Bernd Rosemeyer, Rudolf Hasse and HP Muller.

This is Denis Jenkinson on the 1937 race:

"Until this time most racing cars would reach 130-140mph along Starkeys Straight...but here were the Germans...through the yard (a farm-yard, remember) with smoking tyres, reaching 170mph by the middle of Starkey's, and appearing over the hill at speeds never before seen in Britain! Even at Brooklands the cars rarely topped 150mph, but here were seven silver German cars going much faster than that on a road circuit!"

And there was more to come:

"Plunging over the brow after the Old Hairpin, the German cars braked heavily for the 180 degree corner, leaving black marks as they rounded it, and rushed back up the hill with blue smoke billowing off their tyres! Over the brow they became airborne before touching down on the finishing straight and rushing past the pits."

Of the drivers themselves:

"Young Rosemeyer was a public hero; his incredible cornering with the tail sliding out and sending up showers of dirt and stones endearing him to the spectators, while the brave and aggressive von Brauchitsch was equally popular."

Needless to say, the meeting was a great success, and the race won by Rosemeyer in the ground breaking rear-engined Auto Union.

For the 1938 race the legendary (even then) Tazio Nuvolari replaced the late Bernd Rosemeyer at Auto Union, the young ace having lost his life while record breaking on a German Autobahn. 60,000 enthralled spectators saw the great Nuvolari wrest victory from the clutches of Mercedes Benz to bring Auto Union a second Donington Grand Prix victory. Here's old DSJ again, with a tale about a strange trophy taken home by Nuvolari:

"A Stag had emerged from the woods near McLeans's corner and leapt into the road in front of Nuvolari's Auto Union during practice. It had been killed instantly, although the driver suffered only a cracked rib sustained against the steering wheel. He drove with a heavily bandaged chest, but won regardless. The magnificent Stags head was mounted in a plaque and taken home by Nuvolari, along with his winners trophy, to his villa in Mantua."

But it would be the last of these epic races. 1939 saw the outbreak of war and Donington was requisitioned as a military tramsport base. It would be the early 1970's before Motor Racing returned to Donington Park.

The post-war years saw the gradual return of racing, and finally, in 1948, the British Grand Prix returned to the calendar. The venue was Silverstone, an old military airfield, and the circuit that now holds our annual Grand Prix would also hold the very first World Championship Grand Prix, The European, in 1950.

I will not endeavour to present a countdown of victors at Silverstone over the years; it will do to mention that most of the 'greats' - Stirling Moss, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari, Jim Clark to name a few - have experienced victory at this famous venue, while the 'modern' era saw champions such as James Hunt, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna take the spoils on the Northamptonshire circuit. Silverstone has suffered so many changes to the layout that the current circuit bears no relation, bar perhaps the names, to the original flat and featureless airfield perimeter and runway track from 1948. (Indeed, so bland was the circuit considered in the 1970's that a group of disgruntled fans hoisted their own banner above the main entrance one year. It read "It's Flat, Its Crap, It's Silverstone." The organisers were less than amused.) The current track is considered among the more challenging on the calendar, and while the facilities lag behind some of the modern purpose built venues, the crowd are among the best and the event sells out yearly.

As to the other circuits used for the British Grand Prix, here's a few snippets.

In the 1950's and early sixties the race was held on five occasions at Aintree, a circuit among the industrial climes of Liverpool in the North West of England. The circuit is no longer used but still exists alongside the famous Horse Racing course of the same name that hosts the Grand National. The Aintree race was won twice by Stirling Moss, who considered it a challenging and interesting circuit. It last hosted the British Grand Prix in 1962, won on that occasion by Jim Clark.

From 1964 right through to the end of the 1980's the British Grand Prix alternated between Silverstone and that other bastion of UK motor racing, Brands Hatch. The Kent circuit provided unrivalled spectator access, being set in a natural ampitheatre, and a much loved and respected driver challenge. The growth of Grand Prix into a world wide commercial entity during the 1980's put paid to Brands Hatch as a Grand Prix circuit; with only limited funds available to develop a circuit to the standard required, the powers that be chose Silverstone, and Brands was relegated to second string events.

So we arrive at the situation we have now, a sold out Silverstone. The circuit, while pilloried by many as behind the times and out of touch with the modern F1 requirements, tends to provide exciting races thanks to the width of the track and the various complex corners. However, while the threat of replacement by a more 'modern' venue elsewhere in the world raises it's ugly head seemingly every year, Silverstone appears to be embedded in the nations sporting calendar for the time being.

A last picture, not from a British Grand Prix, but from a Grand Prix in Britain. The European Grand Prix. It is April 1993, the place is Donington Park. We are here thanks to the perseverance of one man, Tom Wheatcroft, who bought the site as a home for his collection of Grand Prix cars (now the largest on the world) and set about bringing motor racing back to the once-revered circuit. Finally the world has seen right, and Donington reverberates to the sound of Formula One cars once more. The main protagonist this time is one Ayrton Senna. In the driving rain he fluffs the start and gets away sixth, his McLaren up against the greater power of the Williams Renault cars. Around the Craner Curves he picks them off, one by one, up to Redgate he takes another, commandingly, and into the Hairpin he dives past his prey, Alain Prost.

He crosses the line first. It is considered by many the finest opening lap driven by any driver in the history of Grand Prix racing. I'm sure his fellow Donington victors of the thirties, Rosemeyer and Nuvolari, would agree.




Written by 3 on Mon, 04 Jul 2005 13:17:20