OFF TOPIC - Brands Hatch Bids to Secure British GP :-)

"Brands Hatch Bids to Secure British GP Leisure plc yesterday announced that it has formalized an offer to Bernie Ecclestones F1 Administration company to host the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch in 2002 and beyond in the event that it does not acquire Silverstone. The current contract for the British GP at Silverstone expires in 2001 and its owners, the British Racing Drivers Club, have yet to obtain a renewal of that deal. Brands Hatch previously alternated with Silverstone in staging the grand prix from 1964 to 1986, when it switched to the Northamptonshire circuit on a long-term basis." Alan Henry, RACER Magazine! http://www.racer.com/formula1.htm#Brands Cool, it's time for a change :-) Cheers, Paul

I think Brands (without seeing it or driving in real life) is one of THE coolest tracks around... seems like a blast with all the ups and downs. Like Paul says, a welcome change. --Dave

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> "Brands Hatch Bids to Secure British GP > Leisure plc yesterday announced that it has formalized an offer to > Bernie Ecclestones F1 Administration company to host the British Grand > Prix at Brands Hatch in 2002 and beyond in the event that it does not > acquire Silverstone. > The current contract for the British GP at Silverstone expires in 2001 > and its owners, the British Racing Drivers Club, have yet to obtain a > renewal of that deal. Brands Hatch previously alternated with > Silverstone in staging the grand prix from 1964 to 1986, when it > switched to the Northamptonshire circuit on a long-term basis." Alan > Henry, RACER Magazine! http://www.racer.com/formula1.htm#Brands > Cool, it's time for a change :-) > Cheers, > Paul

-- Dave Schwabe The Aussie Toad -- Grand Prix Legends & Brabham site http://users.wi.net/~schwabe

Indeed Brands Hatch is a superb circuit. When racing is held on the short (Indy) circuit, about 3/4 of the track is visible from many places. This gives much better value than that bland airfield up the road, littered as it is with buildings and all manner of obstructions on the infield. I for one would love to see a GP there again. Brands would need about 9 million spending to get it up to modern f1 requirements. There is no room to swing a cat in the place and the paddock is a joke at club meetings. I drove the place a few years ago in a BMW saloon and formula ford. I can vouch for the place being a real drivers circuit. Paddock bend is absolutely terrifying the first time at speed. The apex is not visible because of the steep drop and the camber is wicked. Oh well, enough of my ramblings....just getting exited here. I'm off to Brands on monday for the Boss F1 racing :-) Mark

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>I think Brands (without seeing it or driving in real life) is one of THE >coolest tracks around... seems like a blast with all the ups and downs. >Like Paul says, a welcome change. >--Dave >> "Brands Hatch Bids to Secure British GP >> Leisure plc yesterday announced that it has formalized an offer to >> Bernie Ecclestones F1 Administration company to host the British Grand >> Prix at Brands Hatch in 2002 and beyond in the event that it does not >> acquire Silverstone. >> The current contract for the British GP at Silverstone expires in 2001 >> and its owners, the British Racing Drivers Club, have yet to obtain a >> renewal of that deal. Brands Hatch previously alternated with >> Silverstone in staging the grand prix from 1964 to 1986, when it >> switched to the Northamptonshire circuit on a long-term basis." Alan >> Henry, RACER Magazine! http://www.racer.com/formula1.htm#Brands >> Cool, it's time for a change :-) >> Cheers, >> Paul >-- >Dave Schwabe >The Aussie Toad -- Grand Prix Legends & Brabham site >http://users.wi.net/~schwabe

Hmm - me too! -- Cheers! Graeme Nash http://www.karisma1.demon.co.uk ICQ# 11257824 ________________________________________________________________________________ "I liked things better when I didn't understand them" (Calvin & Hobbes)

Damn right. Silverstone is a great facility but Brands has soooo much more character. And the fact that you can see half the circuit from the main straight grandstand is a plus. Of course, the fact that I live 20 minutes away is a good thing too :-) -- Cheers! Graeme Nash http://www.karisma1.demon.co.uk ICQ# 11257824 ________________________________________________________________________________ "I liked things better when I didn't understand them" (Calvin & Hobbes)

Get the beers in then Graham. I'll be in the Kentagon afterwards :-)

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>>I'm off to Brands on monday for the >>Boss F1 racing :-) >Hmm - me too! >-- >Cheers! >Graeme Nash >http://www.karisma1.demon.co.uk >ICQ# 11257824 >___________________________________________________________________________

_____ > "I liked things better when I didn't understand them" > (Calvin & Hobbes)

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> Indeed Brands Hatch is a superb circuit. When racing is held on the short > (Indy) circuit, about 3/4 of the track is visible from many places. This > gives much better value than that bland airfield up the road, littered as it > is with buildings and all manner of obstructions on the infield. I for one > would love to see a GP there again. Brands would need about 9 million > spending to get it up to modern f1 requirements. There is no room to swing > a cat in the place and the paddock is a joke at club meetings.

But they've got the new race control stuff in the err.. Nigel Mansell Centre. Completely terrifying. I had seen quite a few races live there and seen Paddock both from the bottom of Halewood Hill and from the Paddock bend grandstand. I'd also seen it from numerous tv events. But when I first drove it the steepness really stunned me. You just don't appreciate the gradient until you drive it. Add that to the adverse camber and the fact that it's a really fast band. What a pity that the '67 GP was held at Silversone or else we would all have a chance to kill our virtual selves at Paddock in GPL. '68 was at Brands, I believe as was Rouen. Cheers, Paul

Shame some idiots destroyed Graham Hill bend.... Z.

> > Indeed Brands Hatch is a superb circuit. When racing is held on the short > > (Indy) circuit, about 3/4 of the track is visible from many places. This > > gives much better value than that bland airfield up the road, littered as it > > is with buildings and all manner of obstructions on the infield. I for one > > would love to see a GP there again. Brands would need about 9 million > > spending to get it up to modern f1 requirements. There is no room to swing > > a cat in the place and the paddock is a joke at club meetings. > But they've got the new race control stuff in the err.. Nigel Mansell Centre. > > I drove the place a few years ago in a BMW saloon and formula ford. I can > > vouch for the place being a real drivers circuit. Paddock bend is > > absolutely terrifying the first time at speed. The apex is not visible > > because of the steep drop and the camber is wicked. > Completely terrifying. I had seen quite a few races live there and seen Paddock > both from the bottom of Halewood Hill and from the Paddock bend grandstand. I'd > also seen it from numerous tv events. But when I first drove it the steepness > really stunned me. You just don't appreciate the gradient until you drive it. > Add that to the adverse camber and the fact that it's a really fast band. What a > pity that the '67 GP was held at Silversone or else we would all have a chance > to kill our virtual selves at Paddock in GPL. '68 was at Brands, I believe as > was Rouen. > Cheers, > Paul I live about 3 miles from Brands, and so go there whenever I can (my brother was working there when Williams - still with Mansell onboard - did some testing there a few years back - git!). Paddock is always one of the best places to watch from if you want to see a crash. The two most memorable ones I saw were: 1) watching bikes from the fence on Paddock itself, as 2 bikes left the track simultaneously (possibly due to the small bump in the track when they first put the second pit-tunnel in under Paddock Hill bend! :) ). The bikes both merrily skipped across the gravel traps into the tyre wall, throwing copious amounts of gravel at the advert boards, carefully put at 45degrees to the vertical, to send the gravel flying up through the catch fence at the spectators! 2) Watching the "Big Boys Toys" Beetles there about 3 or 4 years ago. Due to the marvellous layout of the beetle (rear-engined, rear drive, all weight in the back, sod all in the front!), when one of the first cars entered Paddock on the second lap, he lost the back end. The driver then performed a very impressive power-slide around the bend, until he ended up halfway down the hill, facing back up it. As all the following pack suddenly encountered a stationary car immediately after one of the hardest corners on the circuit, a considerable number of them had to swerve ***ly, and so also lost control of their cars. The most amazing thing was that even though the pack had been quite tight when it happened, there were no collisions in the incident whatsoever. I counted at least 5 or 6 cars spinning off the circuit in various directions, some of which got caught in the gravel traps, plus more almost losing it on the track, but there was no contact, not even with tyre-walls. Incidentally, the guy who caused the whole thing managed to turn around and drive away in the mid-field, while all the cars that tried to avoid him were finding their way back on the circuit Please, someone, give us a working GPL track editor! Brands Hatch in GPL would be way beyond cool! Mike West 3DNow! UK: www.3dnow.freeserve