The Festival takes place from Friday 8th August to Sunday 10th August and Costello is relishing a return to the East Midlands track: “Donington is a great circuit to ride and it’s going to be the perfect place for me to shakedown the Team Classic Suzuki that I’ll be racing later on this month at the Isle of Man Classic TT.”

In addition to parading the Team Classic Suzuki F1 at the event, Maria will also be in the paddock suite signing autographs and posters and selling her merchandise.

Costello explained:

“I’m very grateful to Donington Park, Steve Wheatman and Team Classic Suzuki for this fantastic opportunity. It’s a beast of a bike and I can’t wait to head down Craner Curves on it! I’m also looking forward to meeting a lot of the fans, so please come and say hello.”


Costello will be joined on track by many other legends from the bike racing world, including one of her heroes – special guest Kevin Schwantz.

The event will feature a great range of historic racing bikes from GP bikes, Superbikes, two strokes, four strokes, multi cylinder and single cylinder. Classic post WW2 to 1986 solos from 125cc to 1300cc with all the usual makes (BSA, Norton, AJS, Matchless, Triumph, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha) and the ever spectacular sidecars will all be appearing. Already booked is Sammy Miller with bikes from his famous museum, amongst which will be a 500 GP Konig similar to the one raced so successfully by Kim Newcombe.

There will be over 40 CRMC Championship races, Lansdowne Series races, ACU Championship Classic races and the Wheatcroft Trophy race. A new award for 2014 will be the Robert Fearnall Trophy, which will be decided by a star panel and go to the person/team who best exemplifies the spirit of the festival.

Add in the Classic Bike Clubs Show, grass track racing, trials, Battle of Britain fly past and ‘taxi’ sidecar passenger rides on Saturday evening and it promises to be one very impressive weekend.

2014 Sponsors of Maria Costello MBE: The European Shoe Machinery Company Ltd, Hol-Taj, Draper Tools, Rock Oil, Kawasaki UK Ltd, Arai, Pirelli, NGK spark plugs, Wilbers/Vmtek Suspension, Radicool, Jap4Performance, EBC, Dymag, GBRacing, Premier Bodyworks, Knox, HEL, iDP Moto Ltd, Racebikebitz/Samco hoses, Daytona boots, Pipercross, B&C Express, APC Wet Paint Ltd, Print Monkey, Christian Baker, Dallington Fitness Leisure & Wellbeing Club, Trilogy Gyms, DnG, Sparkes Management Support, JP-PT Personal Trainer, Bespoke Injury Management, Scott Physio, Richard Griffin, Duncan Buckmaster, Progrips, Mugs 4 U, Steve Snape Helmet Design, Promach, CMS, The Joseph’s Experience, http://www.tonicwebworks.com, CHI Fire Solutions Ltd, Stomp & SKINS.

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