Donington’s iconic Dunlop Bridge goes under the hammer

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The bridge is being sold at auction this weekend Credit: PA

The iconic Dunlop Bridge, which used to span the Donington Park race circuit, is being auctioned to raise money for a cancer charity.

It was taken down in 2009 at the start of work to upgrade the track in the previous operator's failed bid to host the British Grand Prix.

When that fell through the future of the circuit was left in doubt and the steelwork for the structure was sold off as scrap

The Dunlop tyre fibreglass panels have recently been recovered, and will now be auctioned off this Saturday (September 15) along with other nostalgic features from the race track.

The four Donington Park landmarks, to be sold ‘in situ’, are:

  • The individual sections of the fibreglass bridge, each as big as a large garden pond. Buyers can choose whether they want the individual letters or the whole bridge to spell out Dunlop, along with side supports.

  • The Dunlop advertising signage which hung below the bridge until its demolition in 2009.

  • The old timing clock once branded to Pirelli, which currently sits on the Old Hairpin bridge.

  • The wind tunnel model, from the 1970’s, of the World Land Speed Record car, Project Blue Star, which also sits on the Old Hairpin bridge.

Christopher Tate, Managing Director at Donington Park, said:

The tyre company Dunlop originally paid for the bridge to be built over the track 30 years ago and it was constructed in 1977.

The auction will take place at the Goodwood Revival race meeting this weekend, and money raised from the sale will go to Leicestershire-based charity Hope Against Cancer.