Race Preview: Donington Park National

For Rounds 9 & 10, Miata Trophy heads to Donington Park National Circuit on Saturday 29th August!

One of the UK’s most iconic circuits, Donington Park’s National layout offers a combination of fast, flowing corners, elevation changes and technical sections across its 1.979-mile lap. From the downhill sweep through Hollywood and the iconic Craner Curves to the Old Hairpin and the climb towards McLeans and Coppice, momentum will be crucial around the Leicestershire circuit. The lap is completed by the technical Roberts chicane, providing plenty of opportunities for drivers to make up time – and with the close racing synonymous with Miata Trophy, there should be plenty of action throughout the field.

Amongst the entrants for Donington are #63 Oliver Allwood and #93 Jack Brewer, with the pair sharing a heated battle in the opening race at Anglesey. 2023 Miata Trophy Champion #12 Declan Lee will also be hunting for his first win of the season, having finished second last time out in Race 1.

#10 Tyler McAlpin continues to build on his reputation as a consistent underdog, posting a respectable P6 at Anglesey while also showing strong pace. With only two seasons of circuit racing under his belt, McAlpin continues to demonstrate maturity beyond his experience and will certainly be one to watch at Donington.

Driver of the Day debutant #78 Ella from Project 29:7 also returns and will be keen to get involved in the midfield battle as she continues to make solid progress in what will be only her second race. As always, the MX-5 Owners Club will be selecting their Driver of the Day, so competitors will be looking to impress through consistent race pace, brilliant recovery drives or outright speed.

As we enter the second half of the season, the championship remains wide open with four rounds still to run. #24 James Cossins is enjoying a brilliant campaign, to lead the standings ahead of Allwood in second, with Lee just 20 points further back in third. McAlpin sits fourth and will be keen to make up ground and challenge for a podium position as he continues his second season of motorsport. Rounding out the top five is 2024 Miata Trophy Champion John Langridge, who certainly should not be discounted from the championship running, sitting just seven points behind McAlpin.

Full Championship standings can be found here.

For this round the livestream will be available to watch on the MSVT Racing Youtube Channel!  

Fancy getting involved? Check out our list of Championship approved teams here.

Photo: Gary Hawkins