TRACKDAY BRIEFING: Brands Hatch (Kent)

Equipment that may be needed plus general information on track days.
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casey
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TRACKDAY BRIEFING: Brands Hatch (Kent)

Post by casey »

All information in this thread is provided for helpful guidance only. The author and club will not accept any responsibility for errors or omissions. Trackdays are for fun and enjoyment of your car, but is a form of motorsport and, although strict safety rules are applied, all motorsports can be dangerous. Damage to cars is rare, injuries even rarer.

SPECIAL NOTES (Naz Corner)
Very unusually, this track has more car "offs" than most! In 2012 we had two (yes TWO) serious “off track” excursions at roughly the same part of the circuit - Clearways/Clarke Curve. Both cars drifted onto the gravel and ended up with extensive bodywork damage after collisions with tyre walls. Therefore, please exercise EXTREME caution on this part of the circuit in particular. It is an area of the track where you are trying to accelerate as quickly as possible to maximise speed onto the main straight, but you’ll still have some steering lock on, it’s slightly off camber and, in winter months especially, is likely to be very greasy off line. This part of the circuit is known as “Naz Corner”, as Naz did much the same thing a few years back, but got away with very minor damage!

NOISE LIMITS
Static: The standard static noise limit for Brands Hatch is 105dB(A), but note evening sessions operate to a 102dB(A) limit and some events run with a 98dB(A) limit. EVERY car’s noise level WILL be measured at the start of the day and any car that fails the test will NOT be allowed on circuit. A sticker will be applied to your windscreen to confirm your exhaust has passed the test. Standard RX-8 exhausts, and most popular cat-backs will have no problem with the noise regulations, but some may have issues if de-catted. Cheap noise meters - make sure they measure dB(A) - can be bought for ~£15 from Amazon or ebay and are reasonably accurate.
Drive-by: In addition to the initial static test Brands Hatch have a continuous automated 'drive-by' meter operating to ensure vehicles continue to adhere to the noise restriction in place. If the results of the drive-by monitoring show that a vehicle is exceeding the drive-by then it will be called into the pit-lane to address the noise level being generated.
The standard drive-by limit is 92dB(A), but evenings events operate to a 98dB(A) limit. Events with a static 98dB(A) operate a 88dB(A) drive by limit.

GETTING THERE:

Brands Hatch Circuit
Fawkham,
Longfield,
Kent DA3 8NG
Tel: 01474 872331
Fax: 01474 874766

Entry to the pit garages is either via a tunnel under the end of the main pit straight or, if the track is closed (early, lunchtime and end of day) you can drive across the track at the end of the pit straight.

FACILITIES:

Garages are available, usually £30 to book in advance. Each garage will fit 2 cars and there is plenty of room on both sides of each garage to park additional cars.

The main office (Race Control) for signing on is under the control tower. The safety briefing takes place in a room between garage one and the food outlet.

No fuel pumps are available at the circuit. The nearest garage is ~0.5 miles away, a Texaco selling unleaded and super unleaded. To get the the fuel station, turn left out of the main gate onto the A20 and the fuel station is easily spotted on your left hand side, about 100metres after the 40mph limit sign.

There is a food outlet selling hot & cold drinks, burgers and the like, conveniently close to the pit garages, but with only outdoor seating. There is also the "Octagon" restaurant, usually open for lunch, which serves main hot meals and has plenty of indoor seating.

Toilets are situated under the tower, near Race Control.

CIRCUIT HISTORY:

First used for grass track bike racing in 1926, Brands Hatch is a firm fans' favourite and has been the scene of some momentous occasions in motor racing history - from Ayrton Senna's first ever car victory and Nigel Mansell's first Grand Prix win, to the first-ever British Touring Car race.
The likes of Stirling Moss, Jim Clark and Emerson Fittipaldi are among the many drivers to have raced and won at Brands Hatch over the years and the circuit is as popular today as anytime in its illustrious past. This was emphasised by a crowd of 30,000 people flocking to the final round of the British Touring Car Championship in 2009.

TRACK DESCRIPTION:

Brands can operate with two track configurations. The longer (GP) circuit is only available for trackdays on a few days each year and is very expensive. The following information refers to the shorter (Indy) circuit.
bh_pdf_map2-e1405332266152.png
bh_pdf_map2-e1405332266152.png (297.96 KiB) Viewed 148 times
Length: 1.2 miles
Direction: Clockwise
Corners: 6

CIRCUIT CORNER GUIDES (INDY):

Here are a series of corner-by corner guides in PDF format. Beware they were published in 2002, but nothing much has changed on the Indy layout since then, so they are worth a read to get the best from your time on track;

Circuit Overview
Paddock Hill Bend
Druid's Hairpin
Graham Hill Bend
Surtees
McLaren/Clearways

CIRCUIT VIDEO (INDY):

A two lap video to show that sub 60 second laps are possible with a standard weight, 11 year old RX-8, with a standard 231 engine (albeit with suspension mods and Federal 595RSR tyres) - a cold track though :D

Click on the gearwheel and select 1080p when running for best quality.

[youtubewide][/youtubewide]
Essex Rotary Full Bridgeport
Seibon Carbon Fibre Bonnet, "Racing Brake" front calipers, Racing Beat (RB) ARB's F&R, RB REVI intake, full RB Stainless Steel Exhaust & Mani, 20mm Eibach spacers, KOYO Ali Rad, Lightened Fly, Tein MonoFlex coilovers & strut brace, Axial short-shifter, BHR Coils & Engine Mounts, Greddy Sump
Federal 595RS-R or Rainsport 3
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casey
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Re: TRACKDAY BRIEFING: Brands Hatch (Kent)

Post by casey »

Failed links fixed.
Video replaced with more recent one.
Please PM me with any comments, questions, or if you spot any errors :D
Essex Rotary Full Bridgeport
Seibon Carbon Fibre Bonnet, "Racing Brake" front calipers, Racing Beat (RB) ARB's F&R, RB REVI intake, full RB Stainless Steel Exhaust & Mani, 20mm Eibach spacers, KOYO Ali Rad, Lightened Fly, Tein MonoFlex coilovers & strut brace, Axial short-shifter, BHR Coils & Engine Mounts, Greddy Sump
Federal 595RS-R or Rainsport 3
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