Brands Hatch

Always popular with car and bike trackday-goers, Brands Hatch offers two different experiences on the Indy and Grand Prix circuit layouts.

The 1.2 mile Indy circuit is the most commonly used, and is a short and demanding circuit with plenty to challenge the rider or driver. It features the legendary Paddock Hill Bend, which drops away at a rate which alarms many. It is a difficult bend to master but is fantastic when taken on the correct line.

The approach to Druids is steep uphill, and the corner itself is a wide hairpin on a slope - uphill on the way in, downhill on the exit. Speed builds rapidly back down the hill to Graham Hill Bend, which must be taken with precision to carry as much momentum as possible onto the Cooper Straight. Surtees and McLaren form a right-left combination, again requiring accuracy, then it is straight onto the brakes for Clearways and Clark Curve. Here, getting the power onto the track is the challenge, especially in the wet. The Brabham Straight is short and undulating, then it is time for a deep breath before plunging down Paddock Hill again!

The 2.6 mile Grand Prix circuit is used only a few times each year, and therefore trackday places are highly sought after - we recommend you book early. The circuit is the same all the way to Surtees, but the track keeps turning left and climbing, taking you through a kink onto a long straight, plunging down Pilgrim's Drop, up Hawthorn Hill and into the fast, blind Hawthorn Bend. After exiting that corner (and almost invariably kicking yourself for not carrying more speed into it) a short straight leads to Westfield. Here, the turn-in is blind and earlier than you think (and you exit almost invariably kicking yourself for carrying too much speed in!). Again, the track drops away, then rises at dingle Dell, leading to Sheene Curve (replacing the old Dingle Dell Corner). Again, the turn-in is early and blind, the there is more track on the exist than you expect. Stirling's is tighter but with a lot of positive camber, and lots of exit speed is required to carry you down the straight to Clearways, where it is very easy to outbrake yourself and sail into the gravel trap. Clearways/Clark Curve is quick, allowing you to carry a lot of speed onto the start/finish straight.