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Brands
Hatch has a long and
exciting history that is about to gain another chapter as the FIA World
Touring Car Championship takes over the iconic paddock for the FIA WTCC Race of the UK, presented by "Courtyard by Marriott" this weekend.
Grass
track bikes were the
first to compete at the Kent circuit in 1926 and since then all forms
of vehicles have raced there including World Superbikes, Trucks, A1
Grand Prix
and 13 Formula One Grand Prix.
The
varied racing has
brought a prestigious list of famous drivers to the famous twists and
turns including Stirling Moss, John Surtees, Jim Clark, Ayrton Senna
and
new-boy Lewis Hamilton to name but a few, and of the WTCC drivers
competing this weekend only a handful will be making their debut.
Britain’s James Thompson almost certainly knows the circuit better than most, having spent 11 years in
the British Touring Car Championship. “This
is probably the first time all year
I’ve had the advantage in terms of track knowledge!” said the
33-year-old N.Technology Alfa Romeo driver, from Harrogate. “Most
of the year it’s the other way around! I’ve had some great races here,
not least when I won a BTCC race from the back of the grid! I
really enjoy the circuit, it’s fantastic.”
Another WTCC driver with
fond memories of Brands Hatch is BMW’s Jörg Müller, who says it was the scene of one of his most seminal racing
experiences.
“Brands
Hatch
Festival, Formula Ford!” said the 37-year-old. “It was the most
exciting racing I ever did. Two-hundred cars racing each other! I never
went there one year without a crash! But it was no wonder, because by
testing there was already a big fight!
“The
Nürburgring is the most exciting circuit in the world and Brands Hatch
is like a little Nürburgring with its ups and downs and very special
corners, like Paddock Hill Bend. It’s a blind corner, going downhill.
There’s nothing like that in the world. It’s one of the
most exciting and difficult-to-drive corners.”
Paddock Hill Bend may be a
source of motivation for Müller, but Britain’s reigning World Champion, Andy Priaulx, does not feel the same.
“My
car
doesn’t like Paddock Hill Bend for sure!” said Priaulx, referring to
his premature exit from last year’s race in the pouring
rain at the tricky corner. This season, his ’06 BMW is being driven by
Mat Jackson in the British Touring Car Championship, and only last
month took a nose-dive in exactly the same place.
“Last
year it was
wet for the UK round,” continued Priaulx. “There was a safety car and I
aquaplaned and went straight on. The previous year at
Silverstone I was leading and had a puncture. You have to go back to
Donington Park and the European Touring Car Championship in 2004 for my
last win
in front of a home crowd!
“Hopefully I can
come here and take a win this weekend because that means a lot for me. I hope that Brands Hatch can be the best-ever race in my
career.”
Adult
admission to
Brands Hatch on Sunday 23 September costs £30. Children aged 12 and
under go free. Grandstand seating starts at £5 and the Race Day Pit
Walkabout, which opens at 09:00 on Sunday, costs £12.
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