HSCC Autoglym Historic Festival at Brands Hatch
One of the biggest events on the Historic Sports Car Club's racing calendar will be the HSCC Autoglym Historic Festival on the Grand Prix circuit at Brands Hatch on 28/29 June.
With over 450 entries for the 15-race weekend and headline races for the FIA Historic Formula One Championship and the Orwell Supersports Cup, the meeting promises to be one of the highlights of the historic racing season.
Fittingly, for a track that was so significant for Grand Prix racing in Britain through the Cosworth DFV era, the meeting is topped by round four of the FIA Historic Formula One Championship, the most important historic racing championship in Europe.
The F1 cars will arrive at Brands after races at Hockenheim, Spa-Francorchamps and Monza, with an entry headed by 2008 race winners Peter Sowerby (Williams FW07C) and Joaquin Folch (Brabham BT49C), as well as leading British contenders Richard Eyre (Williams FW08), defending champion Steve Hartley (Arrows A6) and Peter Meyrick (March 761). Hoping to make his Formula 1 debut will be HSCC racer Daryl Taylor in the ex-Graham Hill Shadow DN1, following the car's rebuild.
The only British races of the season for the Orwell Supersports Cup will make a stunning spectacle on the Grand Prix circuit, with the sensational Can-Am and sports-racing cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Four of the magnificent 8-litre McLarens will take on the 8-litre March of veteran Brands racer Frank Bradley as well as a gaggle of rapid 2-litre cars in a double-header.
Aside from the F1 and Supersports races, Formula Junior will be one of the star attractions at Brands as the category's 50th anniversary World Tour celebrations are marked in Britain.
Duncan Rabagliati of the FJHRA had an ambition to get a record-breaking 100 cars entered for this event and has more than achieved that with 110 cars entered across three races on Saturday to ensure a sensational event. Entries have come from all over Europe, including a gaggle of drivers from Scandinavia, and a number of drivers have taken the opportunity to enter more than one car.
More overseas visitors will be on the over-flowing grid for the pair of Derek Bell Trophy races as five Formula 5000s arrive from New Zealand as part of a summer tour. Making the trip are Lola T332s for Stan Redmond, Sefton Gibb and Russell Greer, a McRae for Stuart Lush and a Lola T142 for Steve Ross.
They will be joined by a fine field of UK-based Formula 5000s in a 20-strong F5000 contingent, to race alongside the regular Formula 2 and Formula Atlantic entries.
The weekend is also about all of the HSCC championships having a round on the Grand Prix circuit and huge entries will line up for all of the races, with reserves for several races such has been the demand for entries.
Away from the fabulous line-up of historic racing, The Autoglym HSCC Historic Festival will have a major presence from the UK’s classic car clubs, lunchtime track demonstrations and drifting displays as well as the Kids' Super Inflatable Fun City, featuring the largest fun inflatable in Europe.
On Saturday, qualifying starts at 9am and the first of six races is at 1.40pm.
On Sunday, qualifying starts at 10am and the first of nine races is at 1pm.
