Everything about Brands Hatch totally explained
Brands Hatch is a
motor racing circuit in
Kent,
England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the
British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events. The name of the circuit may derive from the Gaelic
Brondehach (
bron meaning "wooded slope" and
hach meaning "forest entrance"). Using the natural contours of the land, many cyclists from around
London practiced, raced and ran time trials on the dirt roads carved out by farm machinery. The first actual race on the circuit was held in 1928, over 4
miles between cyclists and
cross-country runners. Within a few years,
motorcyclists were using the circuit, laying out a three-quarter mile
anti-clockwise track in the valley. Brands Hatch remained in operation during the 1930s, but after being used as a military vehicle park and being subject to many bombing raids during
World War II, it needed some work for it to become a professional racing circuit.
Upgrades
Brands Hatch Stadium Ltd. was formed in 1947 and saw the circuit surfaced in April 1950 to create a 1 mile oval course suitable for cars. The Half Litre Car Club for 500 cc
Formula 3 organised the first race on the 16th April, and in 1953 the Universal Motor Racing Club was established, with a racing school set up at Brands Hatch. The Half Litre Club, later to become the British racing and Sports Car Club, ran many races throughout the '50s and firmly established the venue as one of Britain's top circuits.
The track continued to expand in 1953 and 1954, with the addition of Druids Bend (lengthening the circuit to 1.24 miles), a
pit lane and spectator banks The aftermath of the
1955 Le Mans disaster resulted in many race circuits in the country and abroad being closed down for safety reasons, but Brands Hatch was able to comply with new safety requirements, hosting its first
Formula 2 race in 1956.
Hosting Grands Prix
The 2.65 mile Grand Prix circuit was constructed in 1959, The final Grand Prix held at Brands Hatch was the
1986 British Grand Prix, with victory going to
Nigel Mansell.
List of Grands Prix hosted
Grands Prix held with the title "European Grand Prix" are indicated with a light blue background.
Recent years
In 1986 John Foulston bought Brands Hatch,
Oulton Park and
Snetterton circuits from Grovewood Securities and established Brands Hatch Leisure (BHL). The company also acquired
Cadwell Park the following year before Foulston died testing a
McLaren IndyCar at Silverstone. Ownership of BHL passed to his wife Mary, but the company was run by John Webb until 1990, when daughter Nicola Foulston took over the running. In that time Brands Hatch hosted higher-profile series such as
Formula 3000 and
Superbike World Championship racing. 1988 saw further changes to the circuit layout, with a
chicane added at Dingle Dell Corner, while Westfield Bend and
Graham Hill Bend were tightened. New pits and a corporate entertainment facility were added in the late-1990s.
In 1999 Foulston announced that Brands Hatch had acquired the rights to the
British Grand Prix from 2002. Whilst discussions were ongoing with regards to planning permission to bring the circuit up to F1 requirements Foulston sold BHL to Octagon Motorsports (a subsidiary of
Interpublic) for £120 m. Octagon, however, failed to obtain the necessary planning permission and instead decided to lease
Silverstone in order to host the Grand Prix. However, high profile single-seater racing did return to Brands Hatch in 2003, when a round of the
CART series was held at the circuit. Despite attracting around 40,000 spectators the race wasn't retained for subsequent seasons.
With financial pressures stemming from running the British Grand Prix, Octagon sold off the group of four circuits, including Brands Hatch, to the
Motorsport Vision group headed by ex-F1 driver
Jonathan Palmer in 2004.
Current events
The circuit currently has a
curfew of 1830 because of a
housing estate that was built near to Clearways bend. Some
residents found the noise created every weekend too much so the above curfews were introduced. Race engines can't be started until after 0830 and must end by 1830. Despite this, Brands Hatch holds race meetings on almost every weekend during the motorsport season, ranging from small 'club' series to major international races attracting up to 50,000 spectators. Major race series include:
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.
Records
The outright lap record for the Grand Prix configuration is 1:09.593, set by
Nigel Mansell with his
Williams-
Honda at the circuit's last Formula One Grand Prix in July 1986. The record on the shorter Indy layout is 38.032 seconds, set by Scott Mansell (no relation) with a
Benetton B197-
Judd during the 2004 EuroBOSS season.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Brands Hatch'.
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