Launched to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Brands Hatch, the London Historic Trophy will debut next summer, 19th-21st June. The event, alongside the new Trophées d’Auvergne at Charade, France and the Donington Historic Festival, forms a triumvirate of Motor Racing Legends headliners in 2026.
It is not often a storied British racing venue turns 100, and celebrating the auspicious occasion is at the core of this new Brands Hatch event. 10 race series will feature, highlighting cars from the 1920s through to the 1990s, as well as demos and car displays marking a significant anniversary in British motor racing.
As well as being a regular Grand Prix venue through the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, Brands Hatch has also been home to epic battles in endurance racing. Group C drew huge crowds in the 1980s and will be celebrated with high-speed demonstration runs, whilst racing from 2-Litre Sportscars will reflect the frenetic action typical of the BOAC 1000kms in period.
British Touring Car memories will be stirred, too. Among the Motor Racing Legends contingent, the mighty Historic Touring Car Challenge highlights the 1980s peak that featured the Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 and BMW E30 M3. Two HRDC grids focus on tin top brilliance, too. Top Hat evokes a 1960s spirit with Ford Cortinas and Mini Coopers racing door-to-door, whilst the Gerry Marshall Trophy is home to the hairy chested bruisers from the 1970s. Look out for the likes of the Rover SD1 and Ford Capri.
Some of the most beautiful racing cars ever made, meanwhile, race in the combined Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy and Stirling Moss Trophy. Sports cars from the early 1950s, like the Jaguar C-Type, join in the Woodcote Trophy, with pre-’61 machines like the Lister Knobbly in the Stirling Moss Trophy.
Motor Racing Legends’ new Pre-’66 GT Sprint grid will debut at the London Historic Trophy. The race is an intense 60-minute contest for, as the name suggests, pre-1966 GT cars, joined by sports racers of the late 1950s. Pre-War Sports Cars will bring its unique vintage flavour, bringing a grid stacked with famous marques like Bentley, Bugatti and Frazer-Nash.
Off-track, Motor Racing Legends’ curated paddock, with bespoke tents designed to allow excellent facilities for entrants whilst offering unrivalled viewing access for spectators, is central to the event’s concept. Alongside this, visitors can look forward to displays of cars significant to Brands’ storied history.
Entries for the Motor Racing Legends season, including the London Historic Trophy, will open shortly. Spectator ticket sales will similarly open before Christmas.
Image: Jaguar XJR9 © MRL
