There was an explosion of classic activity at Donington Park earlier this month. The circuit hosted a massive historic racing festival sponsored by XFX race simulators, alongside a classic bike show organised by the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club in the complex’s exhibition centre, with a round of the ACU Pre-75 Grasstrack series thrown in.
Although the remnants of Hurricane Bertha brought heavy rain on the Sunday morning, when the sun shone, it was all action.
The bike show attracted nearly 500 machines, almost all in good running order, displayed by 48 clubs catering for classics of all nationalities, although Japanese predominated. Around 90 of the exhibits were paraded on the track on the Sunday, despite a damp surface.       Â
In racer parades, Texan Kevin Schwantz topped a long list of the famous and less famous. The 1993 500cc world champion rode a Suzuki RGV XR84 Grand Prix two-stroke, one of a dozen lovingly-preserved bikes from Steve Wheatman’s Team Classic Suzuki present. Others were ridden by famous names including early 1980s legend Graeme Crosby, visiting from New Zealand en route to the Classic TT.
An incredibly varied – and noisy – horde of historic machines paraded, from Sammy Miller’s rasping 1954 BMW Rennsport to the cackling Yamaha TZ750 of eight-times TT winner Chas Mortimer. Loudest of all was the George Beale Honda Six replica ridden by its owner, motor trader Dennis Bunning.
There was a packed programme of Classic Racing Motorcycle Club races, for more than a dozen solo and sidecar classes. Ashford’s Phil Atkinson won both the Wheatcroft Trophy feature races on a 350 Yamaha TZ350G.Â
Pictured are Kevin Schwantz and TGA Racing Services, run by Graham Boothby and Ewan Johnson. TGA has sold classic racing parts and bikes for four decades. Formerly in the UK and now based in France, TGA returns twice a year for Donington and the Stafford Classic Motorcycle Show.
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