Donington Park has never hosted the British Grand Prix, but it did succeed Brooklands as Britain’s most prominent racing circuit and played an important role in establishing the UK as a major motorsport player in Europe. Between 1935 and 1938, the Donington GP was Britain’s biggest race. In 1937 and 1938, it attracted the might of the Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz teams, with the great Bernd Rosemeyer and Tazio Nuvolari winning the respective races. It was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence during World War II but reopened in 1977, thanks to energetic new owner and enthusiast Tom Wheatcroft. He eventually achieved his dream of attracting Formula 1 to the East Midlands in 1993, when Ayrton Senna put in a wet-weather masterclass to win the European GP.