Brands Hatch offers two configurations. The 1.198-mile (1.928 km) Indy Circuit occupies the natural bowl at the heart of the site and is used for the majority of race meetings. The 2.433-mile (3.916 km) Grand Prix Circuit extends beyond the bowl with a loop through woodland and past some of the circuit's most challenging corners. Noise restrictions and proximity to residential areas limit Grand Prix Circuit events to a small number of meetings per year, typically the highest-profile championships such as the BTCC and BSB.
The site traces its motorsport roots back approximately 100 years, beginning with grass-track cycle racing held in an anti-clockwise direction on the natural hollow — subsequently reversed in 1954. The area was used as a military vehicle park during the Second World War and required substantial work before it could become a professional racing circuit. Motorcyclists began using the circuit in the early years, exploiting the natural arena formed by the valley adjacent to the A20 road.
Brands Hatch hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986, alternating the event with Silverstone for much of that period. The circuit's Formula One history includes races featuring Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Jack Brabham, Ayrton Senna, and Lewis Hamilton among its winners.
Nigel Mansell claimed his first Formula One Grand Prix victory at Brands Hatch in 1985. He won again at the circuit in 1986, taking the final Formula One World Championship race ever held at the venue.
Following the end of Formula One visits, Brands Hatch became a focal point for the World Superbike Championship through the 1990s and 2000s, drawing large crowds and establishing itself as the spiritual home of the series in Great Britain. Carl Fogarty's double win in 1995 was particularly celebrated, with the home crowd filling the grandstands to support the British champion.
In 2005 Brands Hatch hosted the first ever A1 Grand Prix race. The circuit's Formula Ford Festival has featured notable winners including Jenson Button, who would later become Formula One World Champion. In 2012 the Grand Prix circuit hosted road cycling events as part of the London Paralympic Games; Alex Zanardi's performances at those events were later voted the number one moment of the entire Paralympics by the International Paralympic Committee. In 2013 Brands Hatch became one of only a handful of circuits in the world to have staged Formula One, IndyCar, and NASCAR events, when the NASCAR Euro Series made its debut at the American SpeedFest.
The circuit's current major championships include the British Touring Car Championship (which uses Brands Hatch as its season finale venue), the British Superbike Championship, the GT World Challenge Europe, and the British GT Championship. The GB3 single-seater series and historic racing events including the HSCC Legends of Brands Hatch Superprix are also regular fixtures. The American SpeedFest brings NASCAR Euro Series racing to the calendar annually.
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