Brands Hatch | Address: | Fawkham
Longfield
Kent
DA3 8NG
Great-Brittain | | | | Telephone: | (+44) 1474 872331 | | | | Fax: | (+44) 1474 874766 | | | | Country: | Great-Britain  |
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| History: | | 1926 - | Birth of the circuit. |
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One of the most beautiful and challenging curcuits in the world, Brand's Hatch is renowned for it's scenic beauty and daunting high-speed corners.
The track was originally built in the 1920's as a bicycle racing circuits, but it was used later for cars when amateur racing enthusiasts started taking their cars there. However it wasn't until after the second world war when the land now used for Druid's loop, and the land now used for the lower section of the GP circuit was purchased completeing the 4.221 KM layout.
The start straight, Brabham straight is downhill which makes for a tricky start before you come up the hill and around the long uphill right hand Paddock Hill bend, which leads you on a short downhill, and then uphill straight that takes you into the uphill Druid's Loop Hairpin. You then go back downhill and through the sweeping left hander, Graham Hill before a short straight takes you into a sweeping, sharply uphill, left hander known as Surtees.
Surtees leads you onto the longest straight on the race track. The straight starts uphill until you get to Pilgrim's drop, a drastic downhill section that plunges you deep into the lower bowl and onto the tricky, sweeping ninety degree right hander known as Hawthorn. Hawthorn leads onto the short downhill Derek Minter straight that leads you into westfield, and then onto another short straight, and into Sheene's, a corner formerly known as Dingle Dell, this right hander has been subject to some reprofiling following Johnny Herbert's horrific accident here in F3 in 1988. This leads onto the only flat corner on the circuit, the 90 degree left hander, Stirling's Bend. This leads us back up the hill along clearways straight into the tricky tight right hander, Clark, which leads us back onto the main straight to start another lap.
Brand's Hatch hosted it's first British GP in 1964, a race won by Jim Clark, and features corners named for a large number of British racing heroes. The British GP was alternated between here and Silverstone until 1986, hosting 12 races. The last one being won by another British Hero, Nigel Mansell. Brand's Also hosted the European GP in 1983 and 1985.
However after 1986 Brand's Hatch fell out of favour with the F1 folk. The facilities were out of date and safety concerns arose. Brand's fate was sealed with Herbert's near fatal crash in 1988 that resulted in a chicane being added at Dingle Dell. However the circuit is still widely used, including regular rounds of the British Touring Car championship, as well as the World Superbike Championship. The GP circuit is getting it's major single seater revival this year with the English corcuit hosting the first round of the A1GP series. Maybe this will result in the return of F1 to the magnificent track, but all we can do is watch A1GP and hope.
Statistics
| Seasons: | 14 (1964, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986) |
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