Donington BTCC races to go ahead

The meeting, plus other Donington events, was understood to be in doubt because the venue did not possess the necessary track licence to hold racing.

This was because of a lack of suitable run-off at the side of the track between the McLeans and Coppice bends resulting from construction work being undertaken on the new paddock area, which has already caused a number of race meetings to be either cancelled or postponed, including the British Formula 3/GT event.

UK motorsport's governing body, the MSA, has now confirmed that following work in the past week at the circuit to alleviate the situation, a track inspection will take place on May 7, after which the necessary licence will be granted.

Donington boss Simon Gillett said: "I understand that seeds of doubt may have started to set in among fans and competitors as a result of our silence to date, but we are not in the business of raising false hopes and we are only happy to speak publicly about agreed facts.

"However, it's disappointing that race fans were being given the impression that Donington Park is putting British motorsport in jeopardy, because nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, we are bending over backwards to ensure that safe racing is on track at Donington Park as quickly as possible.

"That has meant additional work and costs on our part, and our contractors Amphion are working 24 hours a day to ensure that race fans will once again witness live, thrilling action.

"Our main concern is the future and in ensuring that our forthcoming events in May are a huge success for all involved. We have ongoing communication with the directors of both car race series that will host events at Donington Park in May and we are all working positively together for the benefit of the fans and competitors."

BTCC series director Alan Gow said he was delighted that doubts about the event had now been removed.

"The Donington team have worked long and hard to get the circuit prepared for our race event on 17 May and we thank them for their tireless efforts," said Gow.