Track Guide - Brands Hatch Indy
Of all the tracks in the Motorsport Vision empire, Brands Hatch is certainly the one with the most glamour – or as much as you can expect from a British track and has hosted a few Formula One races in the past. The Indy, despite being fairly small has held a ChampCar race dubbed the ‘London ChampCar Trophy’ and its name even came from a visit from CART IndyCars in the 80s. There is no denying that it is a great place to drive, and a great place to ride.
Paddock Hill
If you have never driven at Brands Hatch before, this corner will take you by surprise the first time you drive it. The exit of the pitlane is in the braking zone and if cars are already on the track you need to be careful not to get in their way by either going too slowly, by hurtling in to the corner too quickly with cold tyres or simply not seeing them as they fly into the right-hander.
It is difficult to grasp just how steep this corner is when you are in the car or watching cars going round the track, the only way to really appreciate it is to get out when the track is closed and walk it. It falls away very steeply – it is not uncommon for single seaters to bottom out when going through the first part of the corner. When you come round to do your first flying lap, try not to brake too early. The crest is blind and you will find yourself braking far too early and scrubbing off too much speed, this is a corner that rewards bravery, you can carry a lot of speed through here.
The braking point for this corner will depend on what car you are in, and the pit straight dips up and down so you will have to try an few different points until you feel comfortable. But unless you are in a racing car, the service road that is used for trucks to cross the track to the paddock is too late – this is where you want to be turning in. You want to hit the apex midway through the corner, which is tricky because you won’t be able to see it when you first turn in, turning in too early is a good way of finding yourself understeering into the deep gravel on the exit of the corner. There is a run -off area just before the gravel, on a track day you don’t really need to use this and the organisers may even put cones out so they don’t have to keep recovering cars all day but if they haven’t and you are feeling brave there isn’t a significant change in grip so you can use it and you get the satisfying rasp of the wheels crossing the kerbing.
Druids
Another very tricky bend to get right, if you watch racing at the track you will often see cars locking their front wheels and swapping paint as they fight for track position. If you are on a track day, you may be on track with racing drivers that are trying to get in some cheaper testing and they may have a different line into this corner as you because delivering a fast lap around this track and fighting with other cars are completely different.
Racing drivers may take a middle-of –the –track entry into druids because it means that other cars won’t be able to overtake them, but if you get your braking wrong it leaves less room to correct yourself before you end up in the gravel. The truth is, there are a number of different ways to approach this corner, but if you have had a wide exit from Paddock Hill, try to straighten the car up as you head under the bridge and into the corner.
Brake in a straight line and turn in late, the apex is about three quarters of the way around the corner. Squeeze the power on but be careful as the run-off on the exit isn’t really a run-off because it is constantly being changed as more and more cars tear up the grass. Getting out onto this will probably unsettle the balance of your car and could even cause a spin which isn’t the most pleasant experience when the other cars start hurtling down the hill with you pointing the wrong way.
Graham Hill Bend
This corner is named after the Formula One legend – because apparently no one could go through it quicker. This is an awkward corner - it has a clumsy entry which is downhill. You need to get over the right-hand side of the track as smoothly as possible but the run down the hill is short and you pick up speed quickly so make sure you don’t leave it too late. You can use the slight kink in the road to help you position yourself for entry into the corner, as when you brake in a straight line, the track will come to you and you will find your turn in point. The exit kerbs are quite high so it is best to avoid them if you can, especially in the wet. A brave approach to this corner is best as the outside tyres will become loaded and grip harder but this is a tricky approach to adopt.
Surtees – McLaren - Clearways
The small straight between Graham Hill and Surtees is deceptive. It may look short but you can really stamp on the power and build up speed along it. Avoid the kerbs in this corner if it is wet as the inside part is quite big and the change in elevation could send you off onto the grass. Brake in a straight line and turn in later than you think you should but not too late as you will end up scrubbing off too much speed. This corner is very steep so you can keep the power on up the hill.
The outside tyres will be loaded when you turn into the first left hand part of the corner which means (in the dry) you can ride the first part of the kerb. McLaren is the first part of what becomes Clearways. With the exit kerbing on the right, Surtees becomes more of a straight line chicane and you will find yourself heading towards the grass on the outside. Brake in a straight line but keep the car wide as Clearways is a very long tight corner and you don’t want to turn in too early.
The kerbing is slightly thicker at one point, this is where you want to aim for but be careful because some parts are bumpy and this part of the track has been recently re-laid - in the wet it can be very slippy. You need to be patient in this corner and when you do get on the power, let the car run wide as you will bring it back round to head back onto the straight, exiting alongside the pitwall. Avoid the temptation to hold the car to the right. Remember the exit to this corner is all about providing you with the best round down the undulating pit straight and back down towards Paddock Hill.
Brands Hatch is a great place to drive and to watch racing. If you get the chance, stand on the pitwall and watch the cars as they fly by. The pit straight is cambered so as the cars sit on the grid they are seemingly at your eye level, it is almost like you are standing on the track. Another good place to watch is on the inside of Druids. On test days and trackdays you should have no trouble getting there – the entrance to the bridge is in the support paddock area and it leads over to a grassy area on the inside of the corner.
