BRANDS HATCHThe definitive history of Britain's best loved motor racing circuit

CHAS PARKERForeword by Bernie Ecclestone

Publication: Out Now, RRP: £30.00, Format: Hardback, ISBN: 978 1 84425 334 0"I've always thought that Brands is one of those magical places and I think that this comprehensive account, packed as it is with fascinating illustrations, helps to capture some of that magic."Bernie Ecclestone

Brands Hatch is Britain's best-loved motor racing circuit. Nestling in a natural valley in the Kent countryside, its undulating track provides a real challenge for drivers and unrivalled viewing opportunities for spectators.  The circuit is a motorsport mecca, and was once the busiest motorsport venue in the world, witnessing some of Britain's greatest Formula One and sports car races, as well as numerous other international, national and club events.

This definitive history of Brands Hatch has been written using extensive interviews with people who have worked, raced and marshalled there over the years. With an emphasis on the circuit and the people who helped to make it one of the world's greatest motor racing venues, the engaging text, complemented by glorious archive photography, also details the breadth of racing that has taken place at Brands Hatch, including the early off-road motorcycling events, club racing, Formula Ford and Formula 5000 (both innovations of former Managing Director John Webb), truck racing, rallycross and, of course, International Formula One and sports car racing events.

Here is a fascinating story, charting the transition of what was originally a steeply sloping mushroom field, first used by cyclists in 1926, through its growth as a motorcycle grass track and subsequent motor racing road course, to its heyday as a fully-fledged international Grand Prix circuit. Changes of ownership and a period of decline have been followed by the recent re-emergence of Brands Hatch as a major sport venue.

With contributions from riders and drivers such as Sir Stirling Moss, Nigel Mansell, John Surtees, Jody Scheckter and Johnny Herbert, along with the people who operated and ran the circuit, from John Webb, through Nicola Foulston to the current owner, Jonathan Palmer, the story of each decade of the circuit's history is told - not only the great races that took place at the track, but also the politics and intrigue behind the scenes.

Author Chas Parker began his working life in the field of astronomy, eventually becoming press officer for the Royal Greenwich Observatory. He left the scientific community to pursue a writing career, particularly in the field of motor sport, for which he has had a passion since his teens. He has worked as a freelance sub-editor and occasional contributor on publications such as Autosport and Motorsport News for a number of years. He lives in Hooe, East Sussex.