When I first attended Brands Hatch I was never sure what to
expect, other than for it to be busy. It has its good points and some areas
where there is room for improvement. However, I would 100% recommend it as one
to go to.
It is not too hard to find, clearly signposted and there is
always someone around to guide you to the right place. Immediately as you walk
through the gate you can see part of the track and one of many stands. As you
follow the road/path around, you pass all these stands full of merchandise from
all categories. One stand which one of my friend loves is one with screws and
locks and all sorts of bits and bobs, once we get there we leave him and come
back half an hour later to collect him! Once you find your way out of that
stand you get to the funfair section. It has a few rides and obviously bumper
cars so we can imitate some drivers driving skills (or lack of). For the
younger children, there is a digger they can play on, slightly envious I am too
big to have a go! There really is something for everyone.
If you survive the bumper cars and look behind you, you can
find most BTCC teams awnings and hospitality units. You can walk along and
sometimes catch a glimpse of a driver or two! However, some teams like Team
HARD for example, set up their hospitality in the support series’ paddock. Which
actually has many benefits as I find they are one of the friendliest teams, you
can go up to them and have a chat with anyone that’s associated with the team,
they are always willing to say hello and spend some time where they can, that’s
including drivers and the busy man himself Tony Gilham! But in all fairness,
most if not all teams are friendly and approachable. So, if you see anyone you
want to talk to or ask a question don’t be shy. Also, the awnings is the place
where you can buy a team’s merchandise or a couple of stands will sell them
too.
The track has many good viewing points. If you want to
guarantee yourself a good seat and it’s not raining you can pay that little bit
extra for a grandstand seat. However, I would suggest if you’re just going for
one day to walk around and watch from as many different view-points as
possible. Even if it means getting your new trainers all muddy! I am speaking
from experience, the other views are worth it (and you get a funny story about
nearly falling into mud). If I go for the weekend I tend to walk around as much
as possible on the Saturday and see what I can but then relax a bit more on the
Sunday and stick to one good spot. Normally because my legs ache from the
previous day and because there is always so much exciting racing going on I don’t
want to miss a single thing!
I personally think it is a very good track if you don’t mind
hills but watching a BTCC or a F4 or any of the other cars go down the hill then
up towards droids after the first corner is something I love. The anticipation
of waiting to see who completes a move, who thinks they’re in the bumper cars
and who is going to go that bit wide and kick the dust up. However, saying
that, droids is also a very good action zone. They have made it easy for those
visiting the circuit to get good views and those excellent pictures too!
I do really enjoy Brands, it is a well chosen circuit to
have the first and last rounds of BTCC, although the only criticism is that you
cannot access the paddock without a pass due to the entrance being through a
tunnel. But that is more for safety as all the support categories drive through
that tunnel so they do need to restrict that! So, if you want to meet the
drivers its best to get to the track early Sunday and get in the queue for the pit walk
(which I have done and I must admit had a lot of fun doing) and hanging around
the awnings between races and drivers always make an appearance in hospitality
to greet their VIP’s.
I try and go Brands Hatch for BTCC as much as I can, I went
for the season opener and finale last year and both were highly entertaining
and fun (despite the cold). I am hoping to expand it this year as looking at
their calendar Brands Hatch is hosting a lot of great racing in 2019. I cannot
wait for my visit next week for media day and then at the start of April for
round 1 of BTCC and the season officially getting underway!
