Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch’s history as a speed venue dates back to 1926 when a group of cyclists led by Ron Argent, then an engineering apprentice and later a wealthy businessman in the Maidstone area, stopped to investigate a mushroom field at Brands Hatch Farm. (“Hatch” the old English for “wattle gate”) A natural “bowl”, it was ideal for cycling and pace-making and, with the farmer’s approval, quickly developed into a popular venue. Teas were served from an old army hut (a relic of World War 1) on Sunday afternoons.
Motorcycling enthusiasts, who had previously used the surrounding woodland for scrambles, took their turn to raise the chalk dust in 1928. First a straight line strip was laid out corresponding approximately to what became Bottom Straight, next the whole field was utilised and a three-quarter-mile circuit mapped out for grass-track racing.
In 1932 the Bermondsey, Owls, Sidcup and West Kent clubs joined forces to become the original Brands Hatch Combine and this was the first real sign of organisation at the circuit. On March 28, their first meeting showed a profit of nearly £10.00.
During 1936 the grass track was extended to one mile. During the thirties, crowds in excess of 30,000 enjoy regular events that make heroes of Jack Surtees (father of John, who will later become the only man ever to win the bike and car World Championships), Eric Oliver (later four-times World Sidecar Champion), and Harold Taylor, a demon one-legged sidecar racer.
The Army returned to occupy Brands Hatch during World War 2, but no sooner had the sirens stopped and fuel could somehow be found than the motorcyclists returned.
In 1946 legendary match races between British and Irish teams, result in the first obvious advances to motorcycle manufacture being directly developed from racing - an example being the revolutionary spring frames, invented by brothers, Rex and Cromie McCandless.
The 500cc Club is formed, to look after the interests of both car racers and motorcycle road racers, and in particular, to encourage the building and racing of affordable racing cars, using bike engines and tyres.
In 1947 Brands Hatch Stadium Ltd was formed with Joe Francis as the managing director. He soon became involved in negotiations to invest, together with the owners, the not inconsiderable sum of £18,000 on a tarmac surface.
During September of 1947 Joe Francis persuaded the BBC to televise a grass track meeting at Brands Hatch and this was the first motorcycle event to be seen on British screens.
In 1948 a cinder track surface was overlaid on the grass.
Photograph of motor cycle riders taken at Brands Hatch in 1948
In 1949 the most important competition in International Moto Cross takes place in the woods at Brands, the 500cc Moto Cross des Nations.
Led by Harold Lines, the British team narrowly beats the teams from Belgium and Sweden, a feat they are to repeat in 1952 and 1957.
March 1950 saw the first bike event on the new tarmac - over 150 riders compete in a 29-race programme - and finishing third, in the first-ever race, was John Surtees, on a Triumph.
Car racing, on tarmac, began at Brands Hatch on 16 April 1950 when a 1-mile kidney-shaped oval, raced anti-clockwise, was home to 500 cc Formula 3 single-seaters. The honour of Brands Hatch’s first victory went to Don Parker, whose JAP engined Parker Special easily won the 10 Lap event for amateur built cars. The main events were won by Ken Carter, and Bill Whitehouse, both successful bike racers. A seized piston in the heats stumped one of the youngest drivers, twenty-year old Stirling Moss.
During the meeting held in June of that year Stirling Moss won all five races that he started and set a new lap record. The first-ever sports car race took place in November. Won by Autosport's chief photographer, George Phillips, in an MG TC, it also marks the first time the circuit was used in a clockwise direction, albeit as an experiment.
The last race of the year, a 500cc 'Ladies' race, was won by Elizabeth Store, from a start on the back row of the grid.
During 1951, in order to stop reckless driving, the Half-Litre Club, later to become the British Racing and Sports Car Club, devised a “no spin” rule for the meeting to be held that September. Anyone who spun more than 180 degrees or completely left the track was automatically disqualified. One of the first to suffer under this rule was Mr. Bernie Charles Ecclestone. Bernie, who was already an experienced bike-racer, had the consolation of winning seven car races at Brands in 1951, making him the third most successful driver of the year.
In February, the Aston Martin Owners' Club (the club who in the same year ran the inaugural race event at Snetterton) hire the track to test their endurance sports cars - not just running clockwise, but practising pit-stops, and running in the dark, with headlights.
In May there was a race for Edwardian racing cars, the fastest being the 1908 Grand Prix Italia of Bob Hewitt, the first Grand Prix car to compete at Brands.
The track was completely re-surfaced over the winter, and consequently muck quicker. In order to combat the alarming amount of bike accidents at Paddock Hill Bend, it was decided from the beginning of July 1952 to run all bike races in a clockwise direction. John Surtees won the last-ever anti-clockwise bike race
In 1953 Don Parker wrapped up the National Formula 3 Championship, for the second year in succession, losing out to Les Leston in the Coronation Trophy, but beating both Les and young Stuart Lewis-Evans, in front of a record 50,000 crowd, to win the Daily Telegraph International Trophy.
September saw the debut of one of the future greats of bike racing - Derek Minter finishing fourth on a BSA.
In the winter of 1953 the Druids loop was added and consequently Bottom Bend, extending the circuit to 1.24 miles. Raised spectator protection banks, making it according to Autosport "the safest of all circuits", also surrounded the circuit.
In 1953 the Universal Motor Racing Club was formed which was the forerunner of the racing schools of today. This was operated at the circuit on Wednesday afternoons and gained some 350 members. The cost, four laps for £1.00. Graham Hill took the course and a job as the schools mechanic. Unfortunately with financial problems the school stopped operating at the end of the year.
A backer was found by Graham Hill and The Premier Motor Racing Club was formed with Graham as both chief instructor and mechanic.
In 1954 racing was run clockwise so that Paddock Hill Bend became a daunting, downhill sweeping right-hander that was to become the stuff of legends and the circuit was widened by 5ft to 35ft. Although most races were still run for the 500’s, bigger cars began to share the circuit. First small and medium capacity sports machinery and then out and out Formule Libre cars.
The first winner on the new circuit is in a sprint, not a race - taking fastest time of the day was 19-year old Jackie Epstein, in a borrowed 2-litre Alta sports car.
500cc Formula 3 is still the heart of car racing, and works supported Cooper driver, Stuart Lewis Evans wins the first proper race, and the final at the new Brands, but it's a novice driver who catches the eye- racing school mechanic Graham Hill, has never even seen a race, let alone competed, but still picks up second in his heat and fourth in the final.
Sports cars become fixtures on the bill - the Lotus of Peter Gammon, and that of Colin Chapman, regularly battle with the Lister of Archie Scott Brown.
A 45,000 crowd turns out to see bikes race for the first time on the new circuit-John Surtees wins four race finals.
Norfolk's Jim Russell wins the top 500cc race of the year - the fifth running of the Daily Telegraph International Trophy.
Another innovation in 1954 was the first Boxing Day race meeting when some fifteen thousand spectators attended. This developed from an idea discussed by Christopher Jennings, the then editor of Motor, and John Webb a 23-year-old press and public relations consultant who had just become the circuits’ first press officer. While colleagues laughed at the idea Webb put it to John Hall, then Managing Director of Brands Hatch
who in turn asked the BRSCC for their views. The result was a seven race meeting in the festive spirit with ox roasting and Stirling Moss dressed up as Father Christmas.
Plans, initially discussed as early as 1951, are announced for another extension to the circuit, to increase the distance to 2.5 miles.
In 1955 a grandstand was erected, at that time the only permanent one built at a British circuit. It was second hand having been purchased from the defunct Northolt pony-trotting course, dismantled and transported to its’ new home.
Jim Russell dominates the 500cc National Championship and John Surtees continues to dominate on two wheels, whilst Bill Boddice is king of the sidecars.
The great Geoff Duke makes his first and only appearance on a bike at Brands, during October on a Gilera 500-4.
During the now traditional Boxing Day event, Tony Brooks runs 'demonstration' laps in his Formula 1 Connaught B-type, fresh from his win in the Syracuse Grand Prix, the first victory for a British car in a Grand Prix since 1924.
During 1956 a telephone system linked Race Control and all the marshals’ posts and a modern trackside hospital was completed with a fitted out operating theatre.
Sports car racing is now firmly established alongside the single-seaters, with an intense rivalry developing between the works Cooper and the Lotus teams. For the first time, saloons get to race; another Anglia and a Ford Prefect follow the Ford Anglia of Derek Hayles across the line!
On October 14th, Brands Hatch hosted its first Formula 1 race. It was a non-Championship round but attracted a strong entry, particularly from Connaught and Maserati. Young Stuart Lewis-Evans, making his Formula 1 debut, joins Archie Scott Brown and Les Leston in Connaughts. Lewis-Evans was on pole but slipped to fifth as the Maserati of Roy Salvadori got a better start. Archie Scott Brown takes Salvadori and the win while Lewis-Evans recovered to second. Roy Salvadori was third ahead of Les Leston.
The Suez crisis brought petrol rationing and the cancellation of the Boxing Day meeting.
Despite the gloomy forecasts the fuel crisis abates and the1957 season ran according to schedule.
Car events now regularly present a mixture of 500cc single-seaters, sports cars, productions sports cars and saloons.
Derek Minter wins more bike races than any other rider during the year, but September was notable for a debut major race win, on a 175cc MV, by 17-year old Mike Hailwood, later to win nine World Championships.
Formula 2 is introduced, and as the name suggests, offers more power to single-seater drivers, bridging the gap between Formula 3 and Formula 1. It is immediately popular, and soon attracts drivers who wish to progress from the little 500cc cars.
Almost unbeatable at Brands in Formula 2 is Australian Jack Brabham. Jack displays phenomenal car-control, honed on the cinder tracks of Australia, where he'd won four Championships, racing 'Midgets', and the 1953 Hill-Climb Championship. After one-off drives in the British Grand Prix in '55 and '56, he teams up with John Cooper.
It's the perfect team. The tough, aggressive, brave Australian, and the decade's most successful manufacturer of Formula 3 and Sports Cars.
Brabham carries all before him in Formula 2 at Brands, winning all the major races, and still finding time to take part in six Grand Prix. He finishes the Monaco Grand Prix with no petrol in his Cooper T43, just claiming sixth place, when he gets out and pushes the car across the line.
At the Brands Boxing Day event, Jack wins in a Rob Walker-run Cooper T43, and, a few days into the new year, that very car gives the Cooper Team its first Grand Prix win, in Argentina, driven by Stirling Moss.
In 1958 another name crops up regularly in the late fifties - Frank Sheene, father of Barry, competes successfully in the newly-introduced 50cc category, and is soon hailed as one of the best tuners of the little bikes in the country.
This is also the year that saloon car racing comes of age. It is now so popular that the BRSCC organise a championship, with four classes to cater for differing engine capacities. At the end of a highly competitive year there is a tie between the Jaguar 3.4 of Tommy Sopwith, and the Austin A105 Westminster of Jack Sears.
Two identical Riley 1.5s are provided for a head-to-head shootout over two races at Brands Hatch. In the end, just 1.6 seconds is the margin that sees Jack Sears crowned as the first-ever Touring Car Champion.
Huge crowds turn out to see the first-ever running of the 'Kentish 100', a two-heat event for Formula 2 cars.
These are the days when Formula 1 drivers regularly take part in Formula 2, sports car, and even saloon races, and an impressive entry for the most important Brands Hatch race to date boasts Brabham and Moss being joined in Coopers by Bruce McLaren, Roy Salvadori, Jim Russell, Stuart Lewis-Evans, Carroll Shelby, Harry Schell and Maurice Trintignant.
Graham Hill and Les Leston, supported by Cliff Allison and Ivor Bueb, head the Lotus challenge.
Brabham takes the first race from Moss, but the order is reversed in the second, and the lap record and 'Kentish 100' win goes to Stirling.
Stuart Lewis-Evans had to settle for third but in this year triumphs in the Daily Telegraph International Trophy, after Jim Russell crashes out at Druids.
The Boxing Day meeting provided the first race at Brands Hatch for Jim Clark, the 22-year-old farmer made the journey to Kent to drive a Lotus Elite for the Border Reivers team. In the sports car race a spinning back-marker holds Clark up and Colin Chapman passed him for the win.
In 1959 Jack Brabham wins the 'Kentish 100' from Graham Hill and Stirling Moss. He has a dominant year, winning his, and Cooper's, first World Championship, and sounding the death-knell for front-engined Grand Prix cars.
A new category appears - Formula Juniors. These affordable little single-seaters have production engines up to 1100cc, and effectively end the reign of the 500cc cars, as the basic beginner's single-seater racing car.
Graham Hill establishes a lap record at Brands Hatch that is likely never to be beaten - he laps at an average speed of over 24 mph in a 125cc Vespa-engined bath!
Ten years after car racing started at Brands Hatch, Kent County Council gave planning permission for an extension to be made to the circuit. This extension would follow existing rides through the woods and would double the length of the racetrack offering a choice of long or short circuits on which to race. The Grand Prix circuit was opened in 1960 and this brought a new dimension to Brands Hatch. Kidney Bend became South Bank Bend, an uphill left-hander and there followed a long straight, dipping into and out of the next valley to Hawthorne Bend. The Portobello Straight followed this right-hander to Westfield Bend, another right-hander that led to the dip to Dingle Dell, Dingle Dell Corner and then the difficult left-hander, Stirling’s Bend. A short straight then brought the drivers to Clearways at a much higher speed than before.
There was then a Grand Prix specification circuit just twenty miles from London.
Racing on the original 'club' circuit continues as usual, starting in March, when David Piper wins the first Sports car race of the year.
In April, the opening event of the bike season saw wins for Derek Minter, Mike Hailwood and 'little' Bill Ivy.
On July 9th 1960, 40,000 people gathered to watch the inaugural International event on the new Grand Prix circuit. Mike Hailwood, who switches between a Ducati, an AJS and a Norton, to win all four solo races, dominated it.
Attention is focused on August 1st, when a huge entry of Formula 1 teams, both works and private, turn out to compete on the Grand Prix circuit for the first time. It doesn't count towards the World Championship, but the Cooper, Lotus, Ferrari and BRM works teams are all there, along with a vast crowd.
Jim Clark's Lotus 18 is on pole, and spends 22 laps with Jack Brabham's Cooper T53 in his mirrors. Clark's gearbox eats itself, putting an end to a superb battle, and Brabham takes the win by just over 4 seconds, from the BRM P48 of Graham Hill.
The 'Kentish 100' is the second major car event on the Grand Prix circuit, and this time victory goes to Jim Clark, by just over 0.4 seconds, from the similar Lotus 18 of Dan Gurney, while Stirling Moss wraps up an excellent GT race in a Ferrari 250GT.
Boxing Day on the club circuit, and it's once again Jim Clark winning, this time in a Formula Junior Lotus.
A successful investment and construction programme has its reward - a superb season's racing, heralding an amazing decade that will see Formula 1 Grand Prix Racing arrive at Brands Hatch.
The 1961 acquisition, by Grovewood Securities, heralded major circuit improvements and a circuit of international standard. Appointments to the Board included Lord Gainsborough as Chairman and John Webb and it was Webb who had initiated and negotiated the take-over. Inevitably rumours spread that the circuit would become a housing estate but these were stopped when at the end of 1961 a 10-point improvement scheme was revealed. This included plans for a 300 seat restaurant behind the main grandstand together with a 100 seat restaurant in the paddock; a start line control tower and winner’s gallery; modern toilet blocks; a television tower; the grass paddock to be surfaced; 12 lock-up workshops and six lock-up shops.
Finally a paddock testing circuit/kart track and the strengthening and raising of safety banks all around the track.
This was the great era for bike racing - Mike Hailwood, Phil Read, Jim Redman, Bill Ivy and Chris Vincent are all winners, but the unofficial 'King of Brands' is Derek Minter.
Derek wins more major titles at Brands than any other rider - it is his local circuit, and he loves it. It's fair to say that Derek trades almost certain International success to ride 'down the Hatch'.
Formula 1 now adopts the new 1.5 litre cars, and, on June 3rd, the Silver City Trophy race sees entries from all the top British drivers and teams.
John Surtees, having won three consecutive 500cc World Championships, turns to car racing. Indeed in 1960 he won his first ever race, at Goodwood, in a Formula Junior run by Ken Tyrrell.
John's Cooper T55 now leads the first third of the race at Brands, but is demoted by the Lotus 21 of Jim Clark, before dumping it in the bank at Stirling's Bend. For more than 20 laps, the Lotus 18/21 of Stirling Moss, who eventually takes a brilliant win from Clark and the third-placed BRM P57 of Tony Brooks, pressures Clark.
The Guards International Trophy on August 7th was for the now-defunct 2.5 litre Formula 1 cars.
The gearbox of Moss's Cooper T53 fails after 23 laps and Jack Brabham, recovering from an awful start in his Cooper, takes the win from Clark's Lotus 18, and the BRM P57 of Graham Hill.
On the Club circuit, the new stars are the Mini racers, beginning a 40-year love affair with the racing public. These baby saloons help attract more women into racing, and one of the most successful is Christabel Carlisle, a regular race-winner.
Grovewood were so much encouraged by the success of their first season that in 1962 they bought Mallory Park, Snetterton in 1963 and in 1964 Oulton Park. John Webb became Executive Director of Brands Hatch and was joined in 1964 by Chris Lowe as the General Manager of the four circuits with special responsibilities in motorcycle racing. In 1962 the longest race ever to be held at Brands Hatch to date, was run on 1 October, the Motor 6-hours for saloon cars. On February 9 1963 with severe weather leading to the cancellation of many football matches there was a pioneer rallycross-type event with rally cars racing round the slush-covered car parks at Brands Hatch in front of television cameras. Raymond Baxter of the BBC and the London Motor Club had fixed this at very short notice.
|
|
The fixture list grew; from eight-car and eight-motorcycle events, and in 1964 the star attraction was the circuit’s first Formula 1 World Championship event. Awarded the status of European Grand Prix, on 11 July Jim Clark, driving his works Lotus 25-Climax, provided a rousing home victory. |
The success of the Grand Prix was followed by an agreement with the RAC for Brands Hatch (replacing Aintree) to alternate with Silverstone as the venue for the British Grand Prix. The first RAC British Grand Prix held at the circuit was on the 16th July 1966. The arrangement for the running of Grands Prix continued right up until 1986.
There being no Grand Prix in 1965 the circuit hosted the first Daily Mail backed Race of Champions. Mike Spence won this non-championship event and Jim Clark recorded the first 100-mph lap of the circuit.
By the end of the 1960’s the circuit was running over 30 meetings a year for cars plus a full quota of bike events. The leading four-wheeled events were the BOAC 500, the Race of Champions, the Guards Trophy and the Motor Show 200 and of course the two-yearly British Grand Prix. In addition there were national and club championship events. In 1969 John Webb and Nick Syrett, the then Executive Director of the BRSCC came up with Formula 5000 and Easter Monday saw the first outing of this new powerful formula. In 1969 fog caused the cancellation of the Christmas meeting and it was cancelled again in 1970 as it snowed.
Before the 1972 season commenced a major programme of improvements was completed. This was aimed at providing greater safety for the drivers and improved viewing for the spectators. It comprised the facing of the protective banks with wooden sleepers, extensions to the guard rails, more extensive run-off areas at vital points and the marshals’ posts were re-sited to make them less of a danger to a driver in difficulties. There were also new graded viewing areas along the Top Straight and at the bottom of Paddock Hill.
The biggest news for 1972 was the Rothmans 50,000. The cigarette company had agreed to sponsor what was to be the richest race in Europe. This was to be for an event over 500km for any type of racing car with a purse of £50,000.
Early in 1975, Silver Jubilee year for the circuit, Brands Hatch was given a tarmac facelift and in 1976 £100,000 was spent on track and safety work. Paddock Hill Bend was realigned, slightly shortening the circuit as the apex was moved in order to reduce the risk of cars hitting the outside bank. The old part of the track was left as a runoff area. Bottom Straight was realigned making it straighter and safety improvements included more armco and catchfencing, the marshals’ posts were re-sited again. That was Phase 1 of a total programme which would amount to the investment of £300,000.
A new pits complex, a special Formula 1 paddock, extended paddocks for the supporting races, a new resited control tower and timing box and improved spectating facilities. As the circuit changed so did some of the names, Pilgrims became Hailwood Hill, Bottom Bend became Graham Hill Bend and Bottom Straight became Cooper Straight.
|
|
In 1977 despite the absence of the Grand Prix the circuit crammed in 72 days of racing and qualifying. The calendar showed no less than 8 visits by Formula 1 with the Shellsport Championship now open to Group 8 machinery: 5000’s and Formula One cars alike in a new anything goes series. In 1978 the circuit hosted both the Grand Prix and an Indycar meeting and the new Kentagon was completed just in time for this, a £140,000 club, bar and conference centre open to the public throughout the week and at race weekends. |
Brands Hatch went into the eighties with more capital put back into the circuit in order to make improvements in line with modern day requirements. A £50,000 medical centre right on the edge of the track complemented a £30,000 administration block. In 1980 motor racing history was made at the circuit when Desire Wilson became the first lady to win a Formula 1 race.
The Brands Hatch Racing Club was formed over the winter of 1981 and would promote its first race meeting in April 1982 giving the full time staff at Brands Hatch an insight into the organisation, planning and running of a race meeting.
Having hosted the Grand Prix of Europe in 1983 and 1985, Brands Hatch gained the honour of an unprecedented five Grands Prix in succession. In his first season with Williams-Honda, Nigel Mansell scored the first of his 31 Grand Prix victories at Brands Hatch in 1985, and returned to win the British Grand Prix in 1986.
In October of 1985 rumours were circulating in the city about the possible sale of Motor Circuit Developments, the operating company of Brands Hatch, after Eagle Star Holdings had been sold to BAT. Eagle Star Holdings owned MCD and there were fears that they would have to accept a bid from an un-named supermarket chain that would have jeopardised the motor racing activities at Brands Hatch. John Webb was again given the authority to find a backer. Enter John Foulston, Chairman of Atlantic Computers plc and staunch Historic and Thundersport racer. His £5.25m secured the future of Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Snetterton for the ‘foreseeable future’. Early in 1987 he added Cadwell Park to the Brands Hatch Leisure Group.
|
|
Always a favourite with the British public, this booklet published by Brands Hatch Publications, details the story of the British Grand Prix in 1986. |
On September 29, 1987 John Foulston was tragically killed while testing his 1970 USAC McLaren-Offenhauser M15 at Silverstone. His family was left to run Brands Hatch.
In September of 1989, Nicola Foulston, the daughter of John, took on the role of Commercial Director and then in March of 1990 was appointed as Managing Director.
In April 1995 the ownership of Brands Hatch and its’ three sister circuits changed hands for £15.5 million. Apax Partners, a London based venture capitalist, joined forces with former racing driver Adrian Chambers and racing enthusiast Peter Rickitt to take control of 90% of the equity of Brands Hatch Leisure Group. Nicola Foulston, the former owner sort the help of this group to strengthen the Leisure Group’s commercial future and along with her role as Chief Executive holds a 10% share in the new group. Adrian Chambers at the time becoming a non-executive chairman of the group.
Renowned for pace-setting innovation as much as the venue of numerous history-making events - it was after the legendary visit of the USAC Indycars, in 1978, that the club circuit was renamed Indy. The Hall of Fame includes such resounding successes as the UK v USA Transatlantic Motorcycles, Powerbikes and Superbikes, World Sportscar Championships, Formula 5000, Formula Ford, British Rallycross GP, Free Racedays and Air Displays. When the Foulston family bought Brands Hatch in 1986, a fresh stage of development and investment began in order to prepare the circuit to fulfil the demands of an ever-changing business climate and to build towards a new era of enhanced leisure activity.
In May of 1999 it was announced that the British Grand Prix would be returning to the Kent circuit in 2002. Brands Hatch Leisure confirmed that the circuit had signed an exclusive contract with Formula One Administration Ltd. to host the race. BHL's Chief Executive Officer Nicola Foulston agreed the five-year deal with Bernie Ecclestone's organisation and the contract included provisions for a £20 million overhaul and revision of the circuit.
At the end of November in a press release Brands Hatch Leisure gave further details of the proposed developments with the main changes being:
Levels, gradients and some bends on the circuit would be changed to maximise the racing line and to ensure safety.
Whilst the general shape of the track remains largely unchanged, particular changes are shown at Hawthorne Bend, Stirlings and Clearways.
A state of the art pit and paddock facility is proposed in the prime location on the start/finish straight.
A new 15,000 seater grandstand is proposed banked two ways to overlook the pits and to overlook the Indy Circuit. The existing main Grandstand would be demolished.
A comprehensive safety strategy includes new service roads, guard rails, kerbing and extended gravel traps.
A new connector loop is proposed to enable separate use of the Grand Prix loop and the Indy Circuit.
In December it was announced that Brands Hatch was to become part of Octagon Motorsport, the specialist division of Octagon.
Octagon is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies offering a fully comprehensive global sports and entertainment service.
Octagon Motorsports is a leading owner and manager of International Motorsports Series, including the Superbike World Championship.
The press release stated that Nicky Foulston, Chief Executive of Brands Hatch Leisure would join the management group of Octagon and the Board of Octagon Motorsport.
On the 11th January 2000 Brands Hatch Leisure plc announced that Nicola Foulston had resigned as Chief Executive of Brands Hatch Leisure plc and as Chairman of the Brands Hatch Leisure Group. Miss Foulston also confirmed that she would not be taking up the position offered by the Octagon Group to become their Director of Motorsport.
Rob Bain, who joined BHL PLC in March 1998 as the Group Finance Director, was appointed Chief Executive in December 1999. Miss Foulston departed the Group on 12th January 2000.
As one chapter in the history of Brands Hatch closed, another started as the circuit worked towards hosting the British Grand Prix in 2002.
A long period of negotiation and speculation about Brands Hatch, Silverstone and the British Grand Prix was finally brought to a stop with an announcement on the 18th December 2000.
The news release of that date read:
Frank Lowe, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Octagon and Jackie Stewart, President of the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) Announced today that the agreement reached between their respective Boards to run the FIA Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone for the next fifteen years has been approved by the BRDC membership.
It was therefore confirmed that a 15 year lease has been agreed for Octagon to manage the Silverstone circuit, with a view to significantly develop corporate hospitality and racing school activities at the circuit.
A major development programme will see vast improvements in the facilities at the circuit, not just for the benefit of Formula One, but for all the motor sport related activity at Silverstone.
Frank Lowe commented, "On behalf of Octagon, may I say how pleased I am that the BRDC have ratified the agreement between ourselves and Silverstone. Our management team headed by Rob Bain will now move forward with our plans that will see Silverstone full developed as the finest Grand Prix venue in the world, and truly the home of British motorsport.
Added Jackie Stewart, "The Club is delighted to have in place a structured partnership with Octagon that ensures Silverstone circuit remains the centrepiece of British motorsport and secures Britain's place as a world capital of motorsports. We are determined that Britain retains the pre-eminence in the sport that has seen British based teams and cars win 19 of the past 20 FIA Formula 1 World Championships. We are proud that our industry has united in promoting a great British success story. We hope that the Government will join the industry, uniting all those interested in sponsoring the success of a great future for British motorsport."
After months of speculation about the future of Brands Hatch, on the 5th January 2004 the following press release was circulated -
MotorSport Vision Limited announces today that it has agreed to purchase the four race circuits owned by Brands Hatch Circuits Limited: Brands Hatch, Cadwell Park, Oulton Park and Snetterton, for an undisclosed sum.
MotorSport Vision (MSV) is a new company, led by former Formula 1 driver Jonathan Palmer, which has been established for the purposes of owning and developing the four circuits. The company will complement PalmerSport at Bedford Autodrome, whichprovides prestige motorsport events for the corporate market.
Jonathan Palmer and two partners, John Britten and Peter Ogden, will own and control MSV. John Britten founded and developed the Morse computer group as well as being a sportscar motor race team owner. Peter Ogden was formerly Managing Director of Morgan Stanley and founded Computacenter in 1983.
Johnathan Palmer, Managing Director of MotorSport Vision, commented: "Race driving, commentary and the motorsport business have dominated my like and I am thrilled to have been successful in acquiring four of the most famous motor racing circuits on Britain. We are totally committed to developing motorsport at the MotorSport Vision circuits and believe that through innovation and quality enhancement we can revitalise on of the UK's most exciting sports.
"The future of these historic venues as motor racing circuits is now assured. Central to our plans is continued ownership of all four circuits and development of the motorsport business at each of them in accordance with their character and opportunities they present. In four years Bedford Autodrome has become the most successful corporate motorsport venue in the country, though it was never designed to hold motor racing events. The addition of these four major circuits provides a most valuable complementary portfolio of venues.
There is clearly a great deal of work ahead and the challenge of successfully developing the new business is substantial. However I am very excited about the prospect of providing spectators withmore entertaining motor racing and competitors with circuits that become even better to race at.
Joh Britten added "As driver, sportscar garage owner, Le Mans team owner and enthusiast I too have been involved with motorsport all my life. When I drove my Morgan and MGs around these famous circuits all those years ago, I never dreamed that one day I would be a circuit owner. But that day has now arrived and I am so happy to be workig towards a better future for British motorsport.
In taking over the reins of the four circuits, we intend to build on the considerable effort and investment that InterPublic Group and their staff have put into British motor racing to further improve spectator facilities, entertainment and service for our competitors.
It is planned that MotorSport Vision will take control of the circuits from Monday 12th January.
