Donington Park to host World Touring Car Championship

Donington Park is set to host the 2011 FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), officials have confirmed.

The event, which has been held at Brands Hatch in Kent since 2006, consists of 12 meetings in countries across the world.

Kevin Wheatcroft, chairman of Donington Park Racing Ltd, described the acquisition of the WTCC as a "coup".

The WTCC is watched by 430 million viewers worldwide and will take place on 14 July 2011.

Safety inspections

"The FIA asked us to consider hosting the British round of the WTCC because of the size of our paddocks and the excellent infrastructure we have at Donington fitted the bill for their ever-increasing operations," said Mr Wheatcroft.

"Getting the WTCC is a real coup, both for the track and the local area.

"It is a huge event which attracts large crowds and is watched the world over so we can't wait to bring it to Donington," he added.

Donington Park was left unusable earlier this year after a failed bid by a previous leaseholder to host Formula One racing.

Racing returned to Donington Park on 13 August after the circuit passed crucial safety inspections.

Donington Park Ltd, owned by Adroit Group, took over the track's lease in May, promising to invest £2m. It repaired the 2.5 mile (4 km) circuit and brought it up to the latest safety standards.