Race Preview:

The season opener of the 2022 EnduroKA series sees a visit to one of the most internationally-renowned and historically significant circuits in the world – Donington Park. A superbly located circuit with a rich motorsport heritage for both two and four wheeled vehicles, our Donington Park opener will give competitors to race on the same tarmac as some of motorsport’s legends – including: Ayrton Senna, Valentino Rossi and Damon Hill.

EnduroKA competitors will battle it out for five hours, across Donington’s National Circuit. The circuit winds its way through ten turns, notably including: McLean’s, Coppice and Melbourne. The current lap record for the National Circuit is 57.221secs, set by Marijn van Kalmthout in a Benetton B197, it will be an impressive feat by any KA who beats that this weekend.

With a bumper grid of both new teams and EnduroKA veterans fiercely competing for the first victory of 2022 (and for the first Dagenham Dustbin!), the EnduroKA curtain raiser is not one to be missed.

Relieve the excitement of last years season opener at Donington below:

The 2021 EnduroKA season got off to a fine start at Donington Park last weekend when no fewer than 50 Ford hatchbacks took to the grid for an epic five-hour endurance race.

First blood went to IP Racing’s line-up of Adam Blair, Scott Parkin and Oliver Wilmott, who put the team’s #36 car on pole position from JTR’s entry, despite the latter’s roster including Le Mans winner and international sports car star Nick Tandy.

IP’s trio made good on their promising qualifying pace taking the initial lead and holding station at the front of the enormous field for the opening 20 laps of the race. This was when Alex Reade Motorsport’s entry for Luke Reade, Sam Lukes, John Wyatt and Chris Reade came into contention for overall honours, swapping positions several times with the IP car before moving into a lead it would hold until lap 47.

It was then KAR’s turn to run at the front with Matthew Eldridge, Justin Roberts and Ralph Fernhough, before the JTR car Tandy was sharing with David and Elliot Mason, and the Octane Junkies machine of Adam Smith, Martyn Smith and Bazza Ward took turns at the front.

The red flag was called for after 113 laps, due to coolant on the circuit and by this time it was IP Racing back in the lead, though this time courtesy of the #63 machine of Peter Keen, Ryan Parkin and Mark Witherington. The sister car was still in the thick of it though, sitting in second at the interruption.

JTR’s #128 car took the lead early in the restarted race, and wouldn’t cede the position again, leading home to the chequered flag – though not overall victory. The JTR car lost time in the combined classification from the two races after an earlier visit to the gravel trap, allowing the Octane Junkies #111 car, second in phase two of the race, to take the spoils.

IP Racing took the second and third spots on the podium, the #36 just edging out the #63, with Club Racing UK and JTR completing the top five.