Brands Hatch Masters Festival Ready For Action

The Brands Hatch Masters Festival is bigger and better than ever this year. Three days of action are set to use the Grand Prix and Indy circuits with a whopping 22 races over the three days of May 23rd, 24th and 25th. The FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship and FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship headline the programme, along with Masters favourites Gentlemen Drivers Pre-66 GT cars and Pre-66 Touring Cars. The Masters categories are joined by the Super Touring Car Challenge for recent 2-litre touring cars of the 1990s, the Woodcote Trophy for 1960s sports cars, Classic Formula Ford 1600s and the Dutch NKHTGT series for pre-66 GT and touring cars. The Dutch series, along with the Super Touring cars, will race on the Indy circuit on Monday as well as the GP circuit, where they will be joined by the Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship and Cannons Tin Top series. It makes for a weekend full of action. Fabulous F1The FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship will make a fabulous spectacle on the Grand Prix circuit with a magnificent entry ready to do battle. Andy Wolfe and Greg Thornton head the Post-1978 category, Thornton’s ex-Elio de Angelis Lotus 91/5 having scored a race win in Barcelona last time out, while Michael Lyons heads the Pre-1978 division in his Hesketh 308E and could well be challenging for overall honours. With Arrows, Williams, Fittipaldi, Tyrell, Hesketh and Lotus among the constructors represented, a fascinating snapshot of the Cosworth DFV era of Formula One will be on display. The cars will qualify on Saturday morning (1130) and race on the Grand Prix circuit twice: once on Sunday morning (1150) and again on Sunday afternoon (1615) and more details of the entry will come soon. Sports Car HeavenA mighty grid of FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship runners will make Brands Hatch shake as the Le Mans-style pre-1974 cars have two 30-minute races, one each on Saturday (1505) and Sunday (1410) on the Grand Prix circuit. Jason Wright’s Lola T70 Mk3B was victorious in Barcelona but expect Simon Hadfield/Leo Voyazides to be bidding for honours, with a host of battles in the classes. Touring Car LegendsDouble British Touring Car Champion John Cleland heads the impressive Super Touring Car Challenge entry, the 1989 and 1995 champ in his 1998 Vectra in which he squares up against local ace Patrick Watts in his Peugeot 406. Father and son Graeme and James Dodd will be front-runners in their Honda Accords, as will Stewart Whyte in his ex-Tom Kristensen Accord. With Simon Garrad’s Opel Vectra from the German STW championship, a host of Nissan Primeras and Ford Mondeos, there will be two spectacular races. The first is on Sunday at 1455, the second on the Indy circuit on Monday at 1720. Don’t miss them! Local AcesA number of local drivers will be competing at the Brands Hatch Masters Festival and two of them go head to head in the FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship. Garage owner Richard Barber from Sandwich takes on Dunmow’s Simon Fish in what should be a great shoot-out as Barber’s Williams FW08C and Fish’s Ensign N180 fight it out.


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