Peter Swinger, "Motor Racing Circuits in England : Then & Now" (Ian Allan Publishing. Welcome to Driver 61’s video circuit guide to Brands Hatch Indy. In front of a weekend crowd of 26,800, Mattias Ekström shone with a brilliant recover drive to finish third. The last visit in 2008 saw Ryuichi Kiyonari take his first two World Superbike wins of his career, although this was overshadowed by the death of Craig Jones in a supporting World Supersports race. The Modsports Turner VUD 701 driven by its owner Chris Fulke Greville flew round Brands Hatch Indy race circuit in a very quick 46.38 seconds. [12] Sadly the 1986 race that saw a major first lap accident at Paddock Bend where Jacques Laffite (Ligier-Renault JS27) broke both legs after going head-on into the wall on the right side of the track, which spelt the end of his F1 career and Brands Hatch as a Formula One circuit. The new 2.65-mile track used, all of this existing one with the extension of Kidney Bend; South Bank became a long, uphill 160° sweep out into the country and making the approach to Clearways very much faster. The American SpeedFest, launched in 2013, features the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series has become one of the venue's biggest events of the year. The following year 1962 did not see any major meetings at Brands, but on 1 October, the longest race staged so far took place. In the 2010 FIA WTCC Race of UK, Andy Priaulx drove his BMW 320si for a time of 1:34.078. The need for the new formula was caused by the escalating costs of Formula Three, Formula Two and the decreasing number of non-championship Formula One events as more and more countries demanded a Grand Prix. Motorcycle racing quickly resumed after World War II and in 1947, Joe Francis (managing director of Brands Hatch Stadium Ltd.) persuaded the BBC to televise a grass track meeting, the first motorcycle event to be televised on British TV.[4]. – a new outright record. 1977 was a quiet year, with James Hunt retaining his Race of Champions crown for McLaren. Lap Record Driver Event Set Bahrain International Circuit: 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix: 1:31.447 Pedro de la Rosa: 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix: Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari: 2021 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix: 1:15.484 Lewis Hamilton: 2020 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix: Algarve International Circuit: 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix: 1:18.750 Lewis Hamilton: 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix [25], With an impressive display, Paul di Resta takes another DTM in 2010. In this track guide Scott Mansell – our resident driver coach and outright lap record holder at Brands Hatch Indy – takes us through an in-depth look at racing lines, braking references and everything you need to know to be fast at this MSV track. Race engines cannot be started until after 08:30 and must be turned off by 18:30. Motor Racing is a dangerous game and there had been some fatalities at Brands including the deaths of George Crossman, Tony Flory and Stuart Duncan in the mid-60s. The winner speed was 124.650 mph. Jordan - the 2013 BTCC champion - set a 48.063s lap, which was 0.14s faster than Turkington in seventh and 0.25s ahead of Oliphant in 12th. It was his 176th Grand Prix, equalling Graham Hill's record. Jim Clark made his Brands Hatch debut at the Boxing Day event, when he drove the Border Reivers-entered Lotus Elite into second place behind Colin Chapman. The 7 August meeting saw the Guards International Trophy for Intercontinental Formula cars. Race 2 saw Andy Priaulx take his first ever win at the wheel of a touring car at Brands. And the best was yet to come, for he dominated a field of 350cc machines, riding special 250cc Bultaco (with an enlarged 280cc capacity).[7]. The shorter "Indy Circuit" layout (1.198 miles) is located entirely within a natural amphitheatre offering spectators views of almost all of the shorter configuration from wherever they watch. The first actual race on the circuit was held in 1926, over 4 miles (6.4 km) between cyclists and cross-country runners. Practice was marred by a series of worrying accidents, but Johnny Herbert took pole position with his teammate Martin Donnelly alongside in the Eddie Jordan Racing Reynard 88Ds. The record runs got underway at 07:00 and were completed at 20:00, meaning that many hours were spent lapping Brands Hatch in complete darkness. Qualifying Lap Record:Tom Ingram:47.990s(90.61mph)2016: Race Lap Record:Matt Neal:48.498s(88.97mph) 2011 Tom Pryce had made a name for himself at Brands, driving Formula Ford and Formula F100 cars. A court injunction ensured that the cars started their home race, but Stefan Bellof and Stefan Johansson qualified the cars on the back row of the grid, the former finishing 11th but Johansson being eliminated in a first-lap accident. Noise restrictions and the proximity of the Grand Prix loop to local residents mean that the number of race meetings held on the extended circuit are limited to just a few per year (usually for higher-profile series such as the BTCC and the BSB). Shortly after completion, Barry Sheene died, so the new complex was renamed the Sheene Curve.[17][18]. This was also the year the Brands grew up, running Formula One cars for the first time on 14 October. And so to July, 76-laps of the Grand Prix Circuit adds up to just a few hundred yards over 200 miles which Emerson Fittipaldi completed in 1hr 47:50.2secs (108.67 mph), driving the John Player Special Lotus-Cosworth 72D, from Jackie Stewart (Tyrrell-Cosworth 003), Peter Revson in the Team Yardley McLaren-Cosworth M19A, Chris Amon in the Matra-Simca MS120C, Denny Hulme Team Yardley McLaren-Cosworth M19C, with Arturo Merzario taking the last point in the Ferrari 312B2. I don't see a direct comparison yet, ... added data for VW Passat CL, VW Passat CL, data for Opel Vectra 2.0i and Opel Vectra 2.0i. Alain Menu was welcomed back to the pits as a hero by the RML garage at the end of Race 2 as he achieved the team's first WTCC victory. Just one week later, and again at Brands, Sheene took his first race win, and he did it is style by an incredible 12 seconds. This caused some alarm as to the future of the circuits. The 908 was driven by Gijs van Lennep and Hans Laine. Jo Siffert died in an accident in the Rothmans World Championship Victory Race. Some 50,000 people packed into the Daily Telegraph International and as the season came to an end Parker raised the lap record to 74.38 mph (48.4secs). The full Grand Prix circuit begins on the Brabham Straight, an off-camber, slightly curved stretch, before plunging into the right-hander at Paddock Hill Bend, with gradients of 8%. The Porsche 911 GT1 of Hans-Joachim Stuck and Thierry Boutsen led home three McLaren F1 GTRs driven by Andy Wallace/Olivier Grouillard, Pierre-Henri Raphanel/Lindsay Owen-Jones and John Nielsen/Thomas Bscher. During the week the circuit offers some general test days and driving experiences, and can also be hired out for private testing and track days. The local rider charged to a 1’24.614 lap to make history at the Kent track, putting him in a good place ahead of this afternoon’s qualifying session. These festivals feature large off track entertainment areas, running concurrently with the on track racing. Despite the curfew, the early evenings during the autumn months allow some racing to take place in darkness and the Britcar 'into the night' race has been a regular on the calendar, with the Lotus 1000 km reviving a tradition that started in the 1960s with the BOAC sportscar races. Amongst those giving the demonstration was a very young Stirling Moss. This led to an appealing race with eclectic mix of cars and drivers, most notably Denis Marcel's in a Matra Murena, Stig Blomqvist in his own Audi Quattro, and Cor Euser in a MG Metro 6R4. Meanwhile, Jonathan Palmer, head of Brands owner MotorSport Vision, said the decision to part with the DTM was a mutual one. [30], After a four-year hiatus, it was confirmed that DTM would return to Brands Hatch in August 2018, this time competing on the full Grand Prix layout.[31]. [13][15][16], Over the winter of 2002/03, the Dingle Dell chicane was reprofiled and removed. The highlight of the year was the Marlboro British Grand Prix and it was voted the best of the year by the members of the Formula One Constructors Association. However, high-profile single-seater did return in 2003, when the London Champ Car Trophy, a round of the CART Series was held at the circuit. John Webb had gone to America to witness the organisation of Indy Racing at first hand and as a result of that visit two rounds of the USAC National Championship were in England. Meanwhile, former world champion Alan Jones finished third in his last drive for Arrows. Like the previous season Robbie Kerr won the Sprint race the American, Jonathan Summerton and Ireland's Adam Carroll taking the next two steps on the podium. In effect the redundant 2.5-litre F1 cars from pre-1961. Initially, a long-distance race was planned, but in the end a 15-lap race was run which attracted four work entries from Connaught (B-Types for Archie Scott Brown, Les Leston, Jack Fairman and Stuart Lewis-Evans) opposed by privately entered Maserati 250Fs driven by Roy Salvadori and Bruce Halford and a selection of independents. This was the year of the 'big cats', with the Tom Walkinshaw Racing run Silk Cut Jaguar team and their XJR-8 of Raul Boesel and John Nielsen, who won at an average speed of 111.80 mph with the Richard Lloyd Racing entered Porsche 962GTi of Mauro Baldi and Johnny Dumfries second, these two being the only cars to run the full distance. But the biggest 'first 'was the arrival of Formula Ford which was to become the providing ground and starting place for so many drivers. It was also the last non-championship F1 race to be held in the sport's history. The large crowd witness the favourite, a 7-litre Ford Galaxie driven by Dan Gurney and Jack Brabham floundered in the wet and the Jaguar dominated the race. Brands Hatch Indy. Five laps down in third was the Lancia-Martini LC2 of Bob Wollek/Mauro Baldi/Andrea de Cesaris. The 35-lap Main race also went to Piquet, Jr. with Australia's Will Power second, and Mexico's Salvador Durán third.[20]. 1m14.194s. Richard Brent ran 52.9 around there in a 205 1.6 on Carbs in Dunlop Motorsport News series about 10 years ago now... how can a FWD record be 60 seconds, is that a wet lap record ?? Brands Hatch held the finale again on 4 May 2008. In October 1999, Octagon commenced negotiations for the purchase of Brands Hatch Leisure Group: in December agreement was reached, control of Brands Hatch, Cadwell Park, Oulton Park and Snetterton passing to the new owners. Fabrizio Giovanardi blitzed the Brands Hatch lap record in the final British Touring Car Championship pre-season test. BMW Team RBM's Andy Priaulx converted pole position into a Race 2 win on home turf. In the early 1980s, Rallycross was beginning to attract more sponsorship and enjoy higher quality of competition, frequently broadcast on BBC Grandstand. [37] Riders raced around a course that starts and finishes at Brands Hatch and encompasses both the circuit and local roads surrounding it. Truck racing has also developed into a large family-friendly event, with the series final event of the year concluded with a large fireworks display which attracts huge crowds. At the bottom the Paddock Hill, a quarter-mile extension to the circuit was added which took the competitors up the other side of the valley to a right-hand hairpin, which is called Druids Hill Bend. At the third start, Donnelly went away to score a debut win in the Formula, at 120.8 mph, from Martini in a March 88B and Mark Blundell in a Lola T88. The first Alfa home completed the podium, was the 33TT3 of Rolf Stommelen and Peter Revson. The Brands race was run on the Club Circuit which was then renamed the Indy Circuit in honour of the guests. The year saw many firsts; in July, Tetsu Ikuzawa became the first Japanese ever to win a race in Britain, the first Mini Festival was run at Whitsun and the Mini-Seven Club ran the first ever all-saloon car meeting in February. Then, the year turned into a Grand Prix one after all; following the cancellation of the proposed New York Grand Prix,[10][11] John Webb lobbied FISA in company with the RAC MSA and was granted the opportunity to run the Grand Prix d’Europe on 25 September, thus giving Britain its second Grand Prix that season. The winter of 1962/63 was severe, causing the cancellation of most sport, which resulted in empty television screens on occasions. A perfect pit stop strategy, great overtaking manoeuvres and a vast experience enabled Bernd Schneider (AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse) take the DTM victory when the series visited in 2007. Within a few years, motorcyclists were using the circuit, laying out a three-quarter-mile anti-clockwise track in the valley. A rostrum position in the day's 250cc race was a great achievement, but an even better was not very far away. In second place was Maurício Gugelmin, followed by Roberto Moreno, both Ralt RT21-mounted, with Stefano Modena and Yannick Dalmas. Herbert was seriously injured, suffering major leg fractures. Siffert's victory was noteworthy in that he won in a Lotus 49B which was delivered new to the circuit on the first morning of the meeting. The British cars were placed fourth and fifth, the Aston Martin AMR1 of David Leslie and Brian Redman beating the Jaguar XJR-11 of Jan Lammers and Patrick Tambay. Current Lap Records. So like slightly lower than Trofeo R That's still good. 86 GT '15 Toyota. Three months later came the British Grand Prix on 20 July, won by Jo "Seppi" Siffert. [19] Palmer immediately implemented a programme of improvements to the venue, designed to heighten customer experiences both for spectators and competitors. At the restart Donnelly moved into the lead from Pierluigi Martini, but Gregor Foitek and Herbert touched, resulting in a bad accident and a second stoppage. He came to the British Airways/Daily Mail Race of Champions on 16 March as a works driver for the UOP Shadow. 1m35.600s. The following year, 1973, was less hectic; the BOAC 1000 was cancelled when the date offered by the FIA was unsuitable, and the year had an unfortunate Race of Champions. This was the Motor-sponsored Six-Hour Saloon race. The former race gave the McLaren marque its maiden Formula One victory when Bruce, driving his own car, led home the field ahead of Pedro Rodríguez in the BRM P133 and his new team-mate, Denny Hulme. The 235-lap race was won by Mario Andretti and Jacky Ickx in a Ferrari 312PB, with the average race speed of 105.12 mph, from Tim Schenken and Ronnie Peterson, a lap down in a similar car. But in October 1971, the season drew to its close with the death of a major driver. 2006, also saw the first visit of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) on 2 July. Agreement was reached which ensured that the Grand Prix will be run at Silverstone for 15 years. Thanks to the efforts of John Webb, enter John Foulston! Of the four BMW's entered, two did not even make the start. Tag: Lap Record Brands Hatch Round 4 Fastest Times Pro Classes. Brands Hatch was originally the name of a natural grassy hollow that was shaped like an amphitheatre. In 2011, it also hosted one of the rounds of the Mini 7 Racing Club season. The circuit currently has a curfew of 18:30 due to a housing estate built near to Clearways bend. https://youtu.be /jP3tqOowM4A?t=6 58 according to this test, the 3R tires were more grippy ... i'm not exactly sure. Using the natural contours of the land, many cyclists from around London practised, raced and ran time trials on the dirt roads carved out by farm machinery. Clearing all challenges will also score you even more bonus credits! Second was teammate Jean Alesi, followed by Érik Comas in a Lola-Mugen T89/50.[3]. This was to be Parker's year for he won the Autosport Formula 3 Championship taking seven races at Brands on his way the title. In 1932, four local motorcycling clubs joined forces (Bermondsey, Owls, Sidcup and West Kingsdown) and staged their first meeting that March. 31 August 2008 saw unstable weather conditions, and Timo Scheider (Audi Team Abt Sportline) defended an extremely narrow lead against the Mercedes driver, Paul di Resta. The man from Guernsey lead home Félix Porteiro (BMW) and Robert Huff (Chevrolet). Also, this year the World Championship of Makes arrived for again the Brands Hatch Six-Hours with victory going to Reinhold Joest and Volkert Merl in their Joest Racing Porsche 908/3 Turbo. The first 100 mph lap was set by Clark in 1min 35.4secs. Despite the weather, a good crowd came to the circuit to witness two races that were both run on soaked asphalt. The most significant elevation changes on the circuit occur here at Pilgrim's Drop and Hawthorn Hill, which leads into Hawthorn Bend (with some parts approaching 7%). The field of 35 entries included some foreign entrants and victory went to Mike Parkes and Jimmy Blumer driving a 3.8-litre Jaguar Mk II; the German pairing of Peter Lindner and Peter Nöcker in another Jaguar from a Mini-Cooper driven by John Alvy and Denny Hulme, a New Zealand mechanic employed by Jack Brabham. This was won by Irishman Derek Daly in a Hawke DL17. As larger-capacity cars become more common, 500 cc racing began to decline, but the formula still gave close, exciting racing. Zanardi first drove at Brands Hatch in 1991 in the Formula 3000 series, and had last driven at the track in the World Touring Car Championship in 2009 – eight years after losing both legs in a near-fatal 2001 racing accident during a CART FedEx Championship Series race in Germany. Indianapolis-style single-car qualifying was introduced for the 1969 Race of Champions, but it simply did not catch on – perhaps it did not have the glamour of the Indy 500; Jackie Stewart won the race in the Matra MS80 owned by Ken Tyrrell and went on to win his first World Championship with it. 25 September 2005, the inaugural A1 Grand Prix of Nations was held at Brands Hatch. The winner of the first Formula 5000 race was Peter Gethin driving a McLaren M10A with Chevrolet power. The event was notable for the only F1 appearance of the Shannon SH 1 in the hands of Trevor Taylor which lasted just one lap. The costs were £500,000 but, unfortunately the race did not capture the imagination of the British enthusiasts, despite the appearance of such legendary names as A. J. Foyt, Rick Mears, Tom Sneva and Danny Ongais. Allan McNish won the 125-mile race at 108.26 mph in a Lola T90/50 with a Mugen engine, followed by Damon Hill in an identical car, with a Cosworth power plant. On 16 March, the Brands Hatch Six-Hours was run and saw a healthy invasion of Italian cars; Lancia Beta Monte Carlos in the hands of Riccardo Patrese and Walter Röhrl, with Michele Alboreto and Eddie Cheever taking the two places for Lancia Corse, the winning car being the only one to complete the full race distance of 147 laps, at 99.384 mph. The feature race at the Boxing Day meeting was for Formula Junior, a new International Formula for single-seater racing cars using production engines up to 1,100 cc; works entries were received from Elva, Gemini, Lola, Cooper and Lotus. The BOAC 1000 had become the British Airways 1000 and was dominated by the works Matra-Simca MS670C which finish first and second; first home were the Jean-Pierres – Jarier and Beltoise – with Henri Pescarolo and Gérard Larrousse second. SVA Imports arrived at Brands Hatch knowing they were out of the Championship fight after a … Politics caused the cancellation of the Boxing Day meeting that year due to the Suez Crisis. In a popular move, Group B rally cars were permitted from 1987 until 1992. The … Two laps further down in third was another 907 driven by Vic Elford and Jochen Neerpasch and fourth place went to another GT40, driven by Paul Hawkins and David Hobbs. The Maidstone & Mid-Kent Motor Club invited a number of sports car drivers to test the circuit on 5 November, this being the first time that any car other than a 500cc had used it, and they ran clockwise. Easter Monday 1969 saw another brainchild of John Webb and the BRSCC's Competitions Director Nick Syreett come to fruition. The Austrian stormed through the field in lap one, following a bad practice, but the engine had been over-revved. [according to whom?][33][34]. The 'Trio' meeting in July saw the end of an era when a 500 took the chequered flag for the last time with Mike Ledbrook, driving a Cooper-Norton Mark 8 in the 500 and 250cc race. Brands Hatch is a circuit in Kent, southeast of London, near the village of West Kingsdown. A fortnight later competing in the Townsend Thoresen Championship, Senna totally dominated the race despite a very heavy downpour, winning by 9.4 seconds during 15-lap race on the Indy Circuit. The winner was the Swede, Mattias Ekström. Unlike earlier rallycross courses at Brands Hatch, cars start on the startline then veer right and downhill on the loose at Paddock Hill Bend. Michael Eastwell - Spectrum 011b (22/10/2017) Brands Hatch GP. Once again the Grand Prix was run over 199 miles (76 laps), the winner being Niki Lauda in the McLaren-Cosworth MP4/1B from the Ferrari 126C2 of Didier Pironi and Patrick Tambay. Tom Pryce brought the Shadow home in fourth. Early in 1987, he added Cadwell Park to his fold which was now known as the Brands Hatch Leisure Group. Soft qualifiers and a bright chilly November day helped. The Jolly Club pairing of Carlo Facetti and Martino Finotto, were out of luck again, when the ETCC landed in Kent for the Brands Hatch 500 km. Thus Brands Hatch was born as a motor racing venue, and on 16 April 1950, the opening meeting was scheduled for the first purpose-built post-war racing circuit in England, approval having been given by the RAC following a demonstration by a handful of 500s in February. At the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, Mansell set a lap record of 38.032 seconds during the 2004 EuroBOSS season. The Grand Prix took place on 18 July and was somewhat controversial. Current Lap Records (Indy) Outright/Superbike: Bradley Ray (1000 Suzuki) – 45.201s – 96.20mph – 15/04/18. To bring some real excitement, noise and spectacle back into British motor racing, the BRSCC invented Thundersports. Brands Hatch; Ubicación: Kent Inglaterra Reino Unido: Coordenadas: Coordenadas: Eventos: Blancpain GT Series; BTCC: Longitud: 4.206 km: Curvas: 9: Vuelta récord: 1:09.593 Nigel Mansell Williams-Honda After 98 laps, he crossed the finish line with his AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse, 7.4 seconds ahead of his teammate Bruno Spengler, thus repeated last year's victory. Alain Prost brought his McLaren-TAG MP4/2B home in fourth, to win become the 1985 World Drivers' Championship. [27], Martin Tomczyk headed an Audi 1–2–3 in a wet race at Brands Hatch, on 4 September 2011. [6] While Formula III racing was unquestionably close and exciting, it did have its limitations and now the paying public wanted some variety and more powerful cars to watch. Reynard 91Ds filled the first three places, first home being Emanuele Naspetti at 123.9 mph, driving with Cosworth-power, from Alex Zanardi in a similar car. On a rainy and cold 21 May 2006, SEAT and Chevrolet shared the honours on the first visit of the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC)'s to Brands Hatch. The official website of Brands Hatch, the UK's best loved race circuit.