Brands Hatch
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| Location | Fawkham, Kent, England |
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| Coordinates | 51°21′24″N 0°15′45″E / 51.35667°N 0.26250°ECoordinates: 51°21′24″N 0°15′45″E / 51.35667°N 0.26250°E |
| Major events |
British Grand Prix FIA WTCC Formula 3000 International Championship A1GP BSB SBK BTCC DTM FIA European Formula Three British Formula 3 Championship CART World Sportscar Championship FIA European Rallycross Championship 2012 Summer Paralympic Games |
| GP Circuit | |
| Length | 3.908 km (2.433 mi) |
| Turns | 9 |
| Lap record | 1:09.593 ( Nigel Mansell, Williams FW11-Honda, 1986, Formula One) |
| Indy Circuit | |
| Length | 1.929 km (1.198 mi) |
| Turns | 6 |
| Lap record | 38.032 (Scott Mansell, Benetton B197-Renault, 2004, EuroBOSS) |
| Website | www |
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near Swanley 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 hosts many British and International racing events.
Gerhard Berger once said that Brands Hatch is "the best circuit in the world". Paddock Hill Bend is a renowned corner.
Brands Hatch offers two layout configurations: 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 longer "Grand Prix" layout (2.433 miles) played host to Formula One racing, including events such as Jo Siffert's duel with Chris Amon in 1968 and future World Champion Nigel Mansell's first win in 1985. Noise restrictions and the proximity of local residents to the Grand Prix loop 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).
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. Despite the difficulty of the curve, due to the straight that precedes it, it is one of the track's few overtaking spots. The next corner, Druids, is a hairpin bend, negotiated after an uphill braking zone at Hailwood Hill. The track then curves around the south bank spectator area into the downhill, off-camber Graham Hill Bend, and another, slightly bent stretch at the Cooper Straight, which runs parallel to the pit lane. After the straight, the circuit climbs uphill though the decreasing-radius Surtees turn, before moving onto the back straight where the track's top speeds can be reached. The most significant elevation changes on the circuit occur here at Pilgrim's Drop and Hawthorn Hill, which leads into Hawthorn Bend. The track then loops around the woodland with a series of mid-speed corners, most notably the dip at Westfield and Dingle Dell and the blind Sheene curve. From there the track then emerges from the left hand Stirlings Bend onto the short straight to Clearways and rejoins the Indy Circuit for Clark Curve with its uphill off-camber approach to the pit straight and the start/finish line.
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Wikipedia