After being to many race circuits throughout the UK I have to admit that Brands Hatch is my favourite of all time, and whilst it is a good two hours drive from where I live, it is reasonably close and I make sure that I get to both rounds of the British Superbikes every season.

Brands Hatch circuit is located at Fawkham, Longfield, Kent. It is located off the A20 and is clearly sign posted from junction 3 of the M25.

There has been a race track at Brands since 1926, when the land was first used for grass track bike racing. In the early days competitors ran anti-clockwise, but the direction of the circuit was switched in 1954 to be consistent to that of other circuits.
Brands Hatch hosts both national and international championship rounds. The Grand Prix used to be held at Brands Hatch and consequently many famous drivers and riders have raced at Brands Hatch including Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Barry Shhene, Jack Brabham, Derek Minter, Emerson Fittipaldi, Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansfield.

In fact the late Ayrton Senna scored his first ever car win at the circuit and Nigel Mansell achieved his first ever Grand Prix win at Brands Hatch in 1985.

Whilst Brands Hatch no longer hosts the British Grnad Prix it still host international events such as World Superbikes, the World Touring Car Championship, DTM and the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport.

As well as hosting international meetings, Brands Hatch holds national events including British Superbikes, British Touring Car championships, truck events, British F3/GT and a number of club bike and car events.

In addition to races the circuit is also hosts track day experiences for both cars and motorcycles, driving experiences and is used as a testing circuit for road cars.

Brands Hatch is effectively two circuits in one. It has a shorter indy style circuit boasting six corners and just under 1.2 miles in length. This is a technical circuit with a mixture of fast and flowing corners, such as Clearways, and some difficult corners including the infamous Paddock Hill Bend ( a right hand corner going down hill with a blind entry) and Druids (an exceptionally tight hairpin).

The longer GP circuit consists of the indy circuit along with an additional section which goes through a bit of woodland, accessed at Clearways corner, and then joins the main circuit a bit further on from Clearways. The GP circuit boasts 9 corners and is just over 2.3 miles in length.

Brands Hatch is a real spectator’s circuit since it is in a dip. There is grandstand seating down the main start/finish straight, at Paddock Hill Bend and along the short stretch between Paddock Hill Bend and Druids corner. The seating is not cheap (£8 per person for the Paddock Hill Bend and £5 for the other stands. This soon adds up when seating a family). The seating enables the spectator’s to see almost the whole indy circuit (although the trees and the pit garages/commentary box in the middle of the site does obstruct the vision in some places).

When the GP circuit is used it is not possible to see the drivers/riders in any of the wooded section at all. You can see them as far as Clearways and then see them re-join further down Clearways. Whilst in the wooded section the spectators are reliant on the commentators, through the PA system. This is very poor quality and it is really difficult to hear what is going on. Supposedly, it is possible to tune in to Radio Brands Hatch to hear the commentary but I have never got this to work and I have noticed people around me trying and failing as well.

There are places to stand around the circuit (for free) but in order to get the real atmosphere and the best views you have to be in the grandstands in my opinion.

If you can get to the circuit early enough then there is limited parking in the infield section of the circuit allowing the spectators to view the circuit from the comfort of their cars. This is good for when it rains or it is cold but you don’t get the atmosphere. In addition, it is not possible to see the start finish straight as the pit garages are in the way.

Other than the infield section it is not possible to park near the circuit. Vehicles are parked in one of many fields, depending upon the direction you come from getting to the circuit. There are no designated parking spaces and all drivers are directed by the marshals who do a great job. In wet conditions the car parks turn in to mud baths and it is easy to get stuck although the circuit owns a fleet of vehicles to pull you out although you will be in for a long wait. Car parking is free.

The ticket prices will vary depending upon the event that is taking place. A days entrance for a small clubman’s race will cost in the region of £10. If you want to attend a premium event, such as the British Superbikes for the whole weekend, a ticket will cost £28. Race day will be £22 bought in advance online. Whilst the tickets may appear expensive they are in line with how much it costs to enter other circuits for the same event.

Compared to other circuits the facilities at Brands Hatch are fantastic, but then these are required by the racing bodies to hold the large international events. There are permanent toilet blocks (no porta loos here), permanent food outlets, a block of director’s and entertainment boxes and permanent shops.

The permanent shops sell a whole range of team clothing and race related clothing (such as Oakley, No Fear and Fox) as well as rider specific such as Rossi. The permanent shops do not have the right or licence to sell genuine British Superbike merchandise though.

The official race merchandise is supplied by Clinton Enterprises and the prices are the same as purchasing from their website.

There are other stalls selling helmets, gloves, leathers, boots, waterproofs and other clothing items and these are no cheaper or more expensive than buying them from an actual shop.

In addition to stalls selling merchandise there are other stalls such as the Think Bike Stall and bike manufacturers displaying the new range of bikes.

The restaurant provides seating and the option of eating off a plate with a knife and fork, although it is not that large and there is often quite a queue to get in, especially if it is raining or cold. The food is not that great and is the typical burger and chips, pie and chips, lasagne and chips, chilli etc. The food is quite expensive (I paid nearly £10 for burger and chips) and is not good value for money. It is also of the same quality as the mobile outlets that are cheaper as well.

The mobile food outlets near the circuit sell chips, burgers, baguettes, hog roast, banger stop and jacket potatoes, as well as soft drinks and tea and coffee. Refreshments are expensive (chips start at £2.00 for a very small portion and a small coffee is £1.75), although it is cheaper than eating in the restaurant.

There is a campsite right beside the circuit for those wishing to stay the weekend, and believe me you need to camp in order to fully experience the atmosphere. The Friday and Saturday nights are crazy with lots of drink and live entertainment. It is not suitable for families, although many parents do take their children for the whole weekend (children under 12 are free for the whole weekend).

If you are prepared to ‘rough it a bit’ the facilities on the campsite are more than adequate and include portable toilet blocks and showers, many wheelie bins and cold taps. There are more than enough facilities to deal with the amount of campers and the toilet and shower blocks are cleaned on a regular basis, as well as being regularly stocked up with soap, hand towels and toilet roll.

As with all circuits the pits are off limits throughout most of the weekend, however, there are times when the pits are open so the spectators can go and meet their heroes and see the bikes up close. In order to get remotely close to a racer or the bike you have to be first in the queue. There are usually so many spectators that it is almost impossible to get near the front of the queue during the pit lane walkabout.

Getting off the car park is a nightmare. Whilst the marshals are on hand to show you where to park, they are not on hand to direct the traffic off the car park and with hundreds of cars all trying to squeeze in to one lane it is a bit of a free for all. At the last round of the Superbikes it took me three and a half hours to get off the car park and I was less than 100m from the road. I was boxed in and could not move my car for the first hour. Although this is most frustrating and at the time you get really annoyed, it is all part of the race day experience.

Once on the road the traffic is usually backed up to the M25. I live in Norfolk and have to go under the Dartford Tunnel in order to get home and I usually find that the roads are busy right up to Dartford. I cannot comment on if it is the same going the other way around the M25.

Conclusion

Brands Hatch is my favourite circuit and it is a real treat going there. Ever since I saw Giancarlo Falapa ride the Ducati 888 Strada to victory in the monsoon conditions in the World Superbike Championship of 1993 I was hooked on the place.

The atmosphere is electric and second to none and the fact that it is possible to see the racers round almost all of the circuit is great. You never miss any of the action.

The downside is getting out of the circuit but this applies to all events where there are thousands of people. It is a case of put up and shut up.

(Originally posted on Dooyoo under the name of Yackers1)