According to a report on BikeSportNews.com Donington Park owner Tom Wheatcroft has sadly passed away.
The 87-year-old has seemingly lost his battle with cancer, passing away at his home on Saturday morning (31st October).
Having made his money through building and construction, Wheatcroft has always lived within a 30 mile radius of Castle Donington.
Wheatcrof only attended 18 months of formal school, instead preferring to cycle from his home to watch the pre-war motor racing at Donington Park, “You had to be there to know what it was like. The W125 Mercs and the V16 Auto Union racing cars were doing 170mph by halfway down the straight. The noise and the smell and the speed – we hadn’t seen anything like it before.” he was once quoted.
Wheatcroft ran his own team during the 1960s before buying part of the 1,100 acre Donington Hall estate, including the pre-war racing circuit for £100,000.
Along with rebuilding the circuit from his own money he moved his classic car collection to the estate, the largest collection of motor racing cars in the world now known as the Donington Grand Prix Exhibition.
In 2007 Wheatcroft agreed to a 150 year lease of the land to Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd, who went on to secure a 10 year agreement to host the British Grand Prix.
Unfortunately Wheatcroft would never see the British Grand Prix at his much-loved circuit, with Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd failing to find the funds for the development work, after many deadlines Bernie Ecclestone announced that the bid had failed and talks with Silverstone ensued.
TCF passes on its condolences to the Wheatcroft family.
