2023 Longstone Light Car Race Donnington
Longstone Light Car Race - Donnington 2023
A Race & a Social Gathering - @psiimages
Practice Completed! (Video by Tony Lees)
A vintage car race like no other unfolded at Donnington last weekend, on a wild and exhilarating day filled with racing, soggy bums and vintage car fun.
Mother Nature had her own plans for the race, as the rain poured down relentlessly. Sadly, due to the unforgiving weather conditions, the organizers were forced to cancel race 8, much to the disappointment of the drivers and spectators alike. Our hearts go out to those that missed out.
The Longstone Light Car Race (Video by Paul Rogers)
Despite the inclement weather, the people of Donnington graciously allowed the Longstone Light Car Race to take place.
The race featured some thrilling scenes. You would be hard-pressed to see another race where you see 4 cars abreast dawdling into 'RedGate'. Indeed, there is probably no other race where the cars are allowed to drive flat out in the pit lane.
Dougal's 1924 Austin 7 'Chummy'
Awards were given for the first breakdown and best breakdown. Todger Wodger and Annabel Jones had a phenomenal performance fixing his Carden then very quickly braking down again, winning them the coveted 'First Breakdown' award.Â
'Best Breakdown' went to Richard and Will Marsh for pulling off an incredible feat of engineering by continuously braking down throughout the whole race.
Another notable mention was Jeremy and Rufus Flan in their 1914 Philos, expertly managing to break down on the way to the starting line!
Post Race Celebratory Fizz
In the Longstone Light Car Race it's not about winning, in fact, the first 3 finishers were disqualified for being too fast.
The winning magnum of champagne was generously half-drunk by 1st 2nd & 3rd place before they found out they were disqualified. 4th, 5th and 6th place got the official podium, and the other half of the bottle.
Despite the heavy rain that threatened to put a damper on the event, the resilient spirit of the participants and the support of the Donnington staff helped make it an unforgettable experience. We look forward to seeing you all at Donnington next year!