DONUT Aftermovies 2026: Three Locations, Three Unique Stories
Every DONUT weekend looks and feels different.
The location changes, each crowd brings its own energy, the drivers face new challenges, and the event almost always delivers something we could not have fully predicted.
Over the course of just over six weeks, the first part of the 2026 DONUT season took us to the Bugatti Rimac test track near Zagreb, Stinice in Split and Westgate City.
Three completely different locations, each requiring its own official aftermovie.
The goal was not simply to capture the best runs and edit them into a few minutes of footage. We wanted each aftermovie to preserve the atmosphere of that particular weekend — from the sound of the cars and the tension on track to the crowd, the paddock and everything happening between runs.
The complete production of all three films was handled in-house, from the initial creative concept to the final edit.
DONUT 7 — OPENING THE SEASON AT THE BUGATTI RIMAC TEST TRACK
The season began on 18 and 19 April at the Bugatti Rimac test track.
The opening round always carries a special energy. Drivers return to the track after a long break, new cars appear in front of the crowd for the first time, and everyone wants to see how the competitive order is shaping up at the beginning of the season.
The Bugatti Rimac test track provided a controlled environment, high speeds and technically demanding drifting.
We therefore focused the first aftermovie on the intensity of the competition, the precision of the driving and the feeling that a new DONUT season had finally begun — in the most ambitious setting our largest venue had offered to date.
DONUT 8 — A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ENERGY IN SPLIT
Just two weeks later, the entire story moved south.
DONUT 8 took place on 2 and 3 May at Stinice in Split.
The industrial waterfront location provided a completely different visual setting from the one that opened the season. The venue was more compact, the crowd stood close to the track, and the energy of Split could be felt far beyond the competition itself.
The production approach therefore had to be more dynamic and closer to the people.
Alongside the action on track, we wanted to capture the character of the location and the relationship between the crowd and the event — one of the main reasons DONUT in Split has such a distinctive identity.
DONUT 9 — THE PLAN CHANGED, BUT THE STORY REMAINED
The third round took place on 30 and 31 May at Westgate City.
Our original plan for the DONUT 9 aftermovie relied heavily on the atmosphere of a night-time competition.
However, an extremely unfavourable weather forecast forced us to change the event schedule, meaning the competitive programme had to take place earlier and in daylight conditions.
A change to the schedule immediately meant a change to the production plan.
Camera positions, planned shots and the overall visual approach had to be adjusted in real time to reflect what was actually happening on location.
That is one of the most important aspects of event production.
A strong plan is essential, but it is equally important to know how to react when the event no longer looks the way it did on paper.
FROM THE FIRST IDEA TO THE FINAL FILM
The production of all three aftermovies covered the entire process within one team:
creative concept development
production planning
shot planning and camera-position preparation
on-site directing
multi-camera filming
drone filming
editing
colour grading
sound design
motion graphics and final delivery
Because DONUT is our own project, the production team did not become involved only after arriving at the venue with cameras.
Understanding the event, the drivers, the audience, the partners and the way the season was developing formed part of the production process from the very beginning.
This allowed us to develop every film as part of the wider DONUT story, without trying to make three very different events look the same.
MORE THAN A COLLECTION OF HIGHLIGHTS
An aftermovie is the final product of an event, but its life begins only after the event itself is over.
It may be the first introduction to DONUT for a new audience. It allows drivers to relive the defining moments of the weekend and gives partners and future collaborators a clear sense of the scale, atmosphere and energy of the project.
In motorsport video production, simply showing a car in motion is not enough.
The film has to communicate speed, sound, movement, tension and the reactions of the people around the track. The visuals, editing, music, motion graphics and sound design therefore need to work together as a single experience.
The three aftermovies from the first part of the 2026 DONUT season present the same sporting format in three completely different environments.
Each film has its own character, but together they tell one story — the story of a season that continued to grow and evolve from one weekend to the next.
