Donington Park
Driver coaching at Donington Park
Donington Park is one of the best circuits in Britain for building genuine car control. The drop through the Craner Curves and the climb back up through McLeans and Coppice mean the car is almost never flat and settled — which is exactly why it teaches so much.
Coaching is one-to-one in your own car, on the National layout or the full Grand Prix layout with the Melbourne loop. No track car? Get in contact — we have a range of track cars available to use.
Location
Castle Donington, Leicestershire, East Midlands
Configurations
National circuit and Grand Prix circuit (Melbourne loop)
Character
Fast, flowing and hilly — a momentum circuit
Suits
Drivers building confidence and racers chasing consistency
The corners that decide your lap
- RedgateA long, decreasing-radius right at the end of the start straight. Patience on entry protects the run down the hill; over-slowing here is far cheaper than running wide.
- Craner CurvesDownhill, fast and unloading. Confidence comes from vision and a smooth hand, not from bravery. This is where most of the lap time lives.
- The Old HairpinNot really a hairpin. It is a fast left at the bottom of the hill with compression on entry and gravel waiting on exit — commitment with an accurate exit reference.
- Starkey's Bridge and Schwantz CurveBlind and uphill. Fixed references matter here because the corner arrives before you can see the apex.
- McLeans and CoppiceThe exit of Coppice defines the following straight. Progressive throttle and traction management, especially in a powerful rear-drive car.
- Melbourne loopOn the Grand Prix layout, heavy braking into Melbourne Hairpin and Goddards makes brake release and rotation the whole exercise.
What we typically work on here
Smoothness first. Donington punishes abrupt inputs because the car is being loaded and unloaded by the gradient constantly. We work on quieter hands and a slower, more deliberate throttle.
Then commitment through the Craner Curves — built up over sessions with references, never in one go. Most drivers find seconds here once they trust the line rather than the corner they can see.
Finally, exits. Redgate, Coppice and Goddards all lead onto long stretches, so we spend time on where the throttle actually opens rather than where it feels like it should.
Planning the day
Book a trackday or test day with your preferred organiser, then send me the date, car and what you want to achieve. Sessions are one-to-one and structured around debriefs between runs.
Donington is hard on brakes and tyres because of the gradient and the traction demands out of the slow corners, so arrive with plenty of both — or get in contact to arrange a track car from our fleet.
Common questions
- Is Donington Park good for learning circuit driving?
- Yes. It has real elevation change and flowing, linked corners, so it teaches car control and commitment rather than just braking in a straight line.
- Do you coach on the National or Grand Prix layout?
- Both. The National circuit is the usual trackday layout; the Grand Prix layout adds the Melbourne loop, which is a very different braking and traction exercise.
- Where is Donington Park?
- Donington Park is at Castle Donington in Leicestershire, in the East Midlands, close to junction 23a and 24 of the M1.
Book a coaching session
Tell me your car, your circuit and your goal for the day, and I'll come back with a plan for the session. No track car? Get in contact — we have a range of track cars available to use.
Get in touch