‘Mad Jack’ race for Pre-War Sports Cars
One of the most anticipated events of the upcoming Donington Historic Festival (April 29–30) is Motor Racing Legends' 'Mad Jack' race for Pre-War Sports Cars. This event brings together the oldest cars at the conference, some of which have already reached their centennial, in a fierce and highly competitive exhibition of classic motorsport that reveals age has not slowed down these sprightly machines.
Richard "Mad Jack" Shuttleworth, driving an Alfa Romeo Tipo P3, won the inaugural Donington Grand Prix in 1935. Legend has it that "Crazy Jack" once placed a "urgent" order for a new Rolls-Royce since the one he had recently purchased was being used to pull a muck spreader.
The race honours Shuttleworth and the sports car racing history of the United Kingdom's sole active motor circuit from before World War II. Donington Park hosted the historic RAC Tourist Trophy race in September 1937 and a 12-hour sports car event in July 1937, both organised by former motorcycle racer Fred Craner. On Sunday, April 30th, the second day of the Donington Historic Festival, the 'Mad Jack' grid will race off the startline, recreating the spectacle of huge Bentleys and Talbots, powerful Bugattis, Aston Martins, Delages and Invictas, and potent Frazer Nashes sharing the circuit with tiny, giant-killing Morgans, Austin Sevens, and Rileys.
A Delahaye driven by Prince Bira and Hector Dobbs won the 1937 Donington 12 Hours. The runner-up and third-place finishers were both Rileys. A few months later, the French Talbot/Darracq team swept the Tourist Trophy, with BMW coming in third. There are only three weeks left until the Donington Heritage Festival audience finds out who won this year's "Crazy Jack."
Two days of world-class racing action, tributes to the 1993 European Grand Prix and Donington Park with demonstrations by historic Formula One cars, track parades, open-access paddock and pitlane walks, a trade village, and hundreds of cherished classic cars displayed by dozens of car clubs make up the Donington Historic Festival (DHF). Drivers from the British Touring Car Championship and Le Mans are regulars at this event, both past and present.
You can take in all the action on the Saturday and Sunday of this event and still have the Bank Holiday Monday to yourself, making it the perfect opportunity to expose the next generation to the thrills of classic motorsport.
Discover more: Donington Historic Festival
