Weekend preview: British Endurance Championship kicks off at Donington

The Easter weekend features round one of the British Endurance Championship season at the Donington circuit, near Sherwood Forest in the East Midlands, where a Ferrari 458 Challenge will also start.

The number 16 car of FF Corse & Red River Sport will appear in the British series’ season debut at the historic Donington Park track. Constructed in 1931, this venue hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1993. It is closely associated with the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK, the national series of the Maranello manufacturer’s championship. This event has had a leg here on multiple occasions and will return in 2024 with the round on 21 July.

The Ferrari 458 Challenge is the fifth car in the 30-year-plus history of the Prancing Horse’s one-make series, a model that was unveiled at the Bologna Motor Show in 2010. Drivers Johnny Mowlem and Bonamy Grimes will be behind the wheel, competing against numerous rivals. Eighteen cars will line up on the starting grid for the endurance event on the weekend of the BARC Race Meeting.

The programme for the first of the six championship rounds of the season is concentrated on Friday, featuring free practice, a qualifying session at 10:55 a.m. and a two-hour race at 3 p.m. (all times are local). The series calendar includes rounds at Snetterton, Silverstone and Oulton Park before the final rounds, again at Donington and Snetterton.