Breakfast DJ Chris Evans buys Donington Park’s iconic Dunlop bridge for £312

Breakfast DJ Chris Evans has bought Donington Park's iconic Dunlop bridge for a mere £312.

The 70ft structure was put up for auction over the weekend along with a number of other items from the Castle Donington race track.

The radio star seemed childishly excited about the acquisition as he spoke on his breakfast show yesterday, and posted a picture of the bridge on Twitter, with the tag "The bridge!!!".

Talking on his Radio 2 show, he said: "All kids listening to the show are saying, 'yeah, why wouldn't you buy a bridge if you had a chance' – and all the adults are saying, 'has he lost it?'

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"When you're a kid at school and someone asks if you want your own bridge, you say 'yes'.

"I'll do anything it takes. I'll do O-levels, GCSEs, CSEs, a part-time job – I'll pick strawberries in the summer – if one day it gets me to own a bridge."

The auction was held by London firm Bonhams at the Goodwood Revival, in Chichester, West Sussex, on Saturday.

Half the money from the sale of the 30-year-old Dunlop bridge will go to Leicester charity, Hope Against Cancer.

Funds raised from a number of other Donington Park items will also be donated to the organisation.

Race fans also snapped up the Project Blue Star car for £250; the Donington Park Starkey's Bridge Pirelli clock for £937.50 and the "Feel the Road" Dunlop advertising panel, which sold for £125.

A Donington Park spokesman said the track was delighted the Radio 2 DJ had bought the bridge.

Managing director Christopher Tate said: "I think it's great to see it has gone to a real petrol-head, as there is great history behind the bridge."

The structure, which stood for 30 years, was taken down in 2009 after the site's previous operator launched a failed bid to host the British Grand Prix.

All the metal was sold, while the panels were taken apart and held in storage at the track.

Mr Tate said the bridge would not have been allowed to be reinstalled due to circuit regulations.

He said: "Sadly, it had been left here with the outer sections, the steel work having all gone.

"Given modern-day circuit regulations, we couldn't put the structure back up when we took over the running of the circuit two years ago."

Wendi Stevens, Hope Against Cancer co-ordinator, said the charity was "delighted" to have a partnership with Donington.

"It is ongoing support for the fellowship established in memory of Tom Wheatcroft, a motor racing legend", she said.

"Hope Against Cancer aims to funds local cancer research here in Leicestershire and Rutland with the aim of creating a centre of excellence which will directly benefit future sufferers."

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