Brands Hatch

Brands Hatch at a glance

Location

Sevenoaks, Kent

Type

road course

Length

3.916 km (2.433 mi)

Turns

9

Direction

clockwise

Surface

asphalt

Opened

1950

Owner

MotorSport Vision (MSV)

Address

London Road, West Kingsdown

Phone

+44 344 225 4422

Website

brandshatch.co.uk

Track map and layout

Brands Hatch sits in a natural amphitheatre carved from Kent farmland, and the terrain does most of the talking: the lap plunges downhill from the start-finish line into Paddock Hill Bend, one of the most photographed corners in British motorsport, before climbing hard into the Druids hairpin. The current Grand Prix Circuit, in use since 2003, runs clockwise over 3.916 km and 9 turns, threading Graham Hill Bend down to Cooper Straight, sweeping through Surtees and dropping through Pilgrim's Drop and Hawthorn Bend before the tightened Dingle Dell leads into Sheene Curve, Stirlings Bend and Clearways. The shorter Indy Circuit (1.944 km, 6 turns) cuts out the Druids-to-Graham Hill loop, keeping only the Paddock Hill plunge and the Clearways run home; it is one of the UK's shortest national circuits, with lap times typically 45-60 seconds depending on car and driver.

Named corners and sections

• Paddock Hill Bend. A dramatic downhill right-hander immediately after the start-finish straight, dropping into the circuit's natural amphitheatre; regarded as one of the most spectacular corners in British motorsport.
• Druids. A tight hairpin at the bottom of a steep uphill braking zone, added in 1954 when the circuit direction was reversed to clockwise; a common overtaking spot.
• Graham Hill Bend. A fast, committed right-hander named after the double World Champion, tightened during the 1988 remodel.
• Surtees. A quick corner onto the back of the circuit named after John Surtees, leading down through Pilgrim's Drop.
• Dingle Dell. A chicane-style complex in the infield, substantially reshaped in 1988 and again for the 2003 GP layout to slow the corner for safety.
• Clearways. The long final corner leading onto the pit straight, taken at speed on both the Indy and GP layouts.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

Brands Hatch's Grand Prix Circuit closes out the British Touring Car Championship season, with the BTCC finale traditionally held in October alongside British GT and GB3 support races earlier in the year. The British Superbike Championship (BSB) visits in October as well, and the circuit's historic-racing heritage is celebrated each autumn at the Formula Ford Festival, which in 2026 runs a centenary edition. As an MSV-owned circuit, Brands Hatch also runs a year-round programme of car and bike track days on both the GP and Indy layouts.

Getting there and parking

Brands Hatch is just off the A20 near West Kingsdown in Kent, around 20 miles south-east of central London and close to the M25/M20 interchange. There is no station at the circuit itself; Swanley is the nearest useful station, roughly 5 miles away with direct trains from London Victoria taking around 30 minutes, and a paid shuttle bus (the 883) runs from Swanley to the main gate on major event days. London Gatwick is the closer of the two main London airports.

• London Gatwick Airport (LGW) · about 38 min drive
• London Heathrow Airport (LHR) · about 72 min drive

Parking

General parking is available in fields around the circuit and is typically included with event tickets; arrive early on major race weekends as the A20 approach can back up.

On BTCC and BSB weekends, book the 883 shuttle bus from Swanley station in advance (around £2.50 each way, free for under-13s) rather than driving in, since approach roads get congested.

Hotels and camping near Brands Hatch

Brands Hatch offers on-site camping for ticketholders on its biggest weekends, letting visitors walk to the gate rather than fight A20 traffic, and pitches for the BTCC finale and BSB rounds are popular enough to justify booking early. Those wanting a hotel bed are best based in Swanley, Sevenoaks, Dartford or Gravesend, all within a 15-20 minute drive, with a scattering of pubs-with-rooms even closer in West Kingsdown and Longfield; rooms across the area tighten up and rise in price for headline race weekends.

Where to look

Swanley and Sevenoaks are the nearest towns with a reasonable choice of hotels, both under 15 minutes' drive; Dartford and Gravesend offer a wider range of chain hotels within about 20-25 minutes, and a handful of pubs and inns in West Kingsdown and Longfield sit within a mile or two of the gates.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

As an MSV-owned circuit, Brands Hatch runs a full calendar of car and motorcycle track days on both the Indy and Grand Prix layouts through MSV Trackdays, alongside third-party organisers who book the circuit separately. The short, technical Indy layout is popular for beginner and intermediate track-day groups, while the full GP Circuit is used for faster, more experienced sessions and for the biggest bike days.

Who runs days here

• MSV Trackdays (car)car
• MSV Trackdays (bike)motorcycle
• Opentrack Eventscar
• Javelin Trackdaysboth
• Circuit Dayscar

Lap records

Spectator guide

The natural bowl around Paddock Hill Bend gives Brands Hatch some of the best free-standing spectator viewing in British motorsport, with grass banking overlooking several corners at once. Grandstands are concentrated around Paddock Hill, Druids and Clearways for close-up views of braking and overtaking, while general admission areas around Hailwood Hill and the Kentagon give a wider view of multiple corners.

Seating

Named grandstands include Paddock Hill, Druids, Pilgrims and Clearways, each looking down into the natural amphitheatre from a different angle.

Best places to watch

The banking above Paddock Hill Bend is the classic vantage point, showing the start-finish straight, the plunge into Paddock and the run up to Druids from one spot.

Weather

• September (British GT): mild, highs typically around 17-19°C
• October (BTCC/BSB): cooler and often damp, highs typically around 13-15°C

History of Brands Hatch

From grasstrack field to Grand Prix venue

Brands Hatch began life in the 1920s as farmland used informally for grasstrack motorcycle racing, and it was a 1947 grasstrack meeting there that became the first motorcycle event televised in Britain. The circuit was properly laid out and opened for car racing on 16 April 1950, drawing around 7,000 spectators to watch 500cc Formula 3 cars on what was then an anticlockwise, roughly one-mile loop. A hairpin named Druids was added in 1954 and the direction reversed to clockwise, and by 1960 the track had been extended into a full Grand Prix-length circuit.

Twelve British Grands Prix

Brands Hatch alternated with Silverstone as host of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix from 1964, staging twelve runnings of the race between 1964 and 1986, plus European Grand Prix races in 1983 and 1985. Ayrton Senna took his first single-seater win at Brands Hatch in a Formula Ford race in 1978, and Nigel Mansell's breakthrough maiden Grand Prix victory came at the 1985 European Grand Prix on the old, longer GP layout. The 1982 British Grand Prix, won by Niki Lauda, was voted the best race of the season by the Formula 1 Constructors Association. Brands Hatch lost its place on the F1 calendar after 1986 as Silverstone became the British Grand Prix's permanent home.

Reshaping for safety, and life under MSV

John Foulston bought Brands Hatch along with Oulton Park and Snetterton in 1986, and the following years brought repeated remodelling for safety: Dingle Dell corner was chicaned and Westfield and Graham Hill Bend tightened in 1988, and the circuit was reprofiled again in 1999-2003, when Dingle Dell was reshaped once more into the layout still used today. MotorSport Vision has owned and run Brands Hatch since January 2004, developing it into the finale venue for the British Touring Car Championship and a fixture on the British Superbike, British GT and historic racing calendars, alongside a year-round programme of track days across both the Indy and Grand Prix layouts.

Frequently asked questions

Other tracks nearby

• ExCeL London Circuit · 23 km · street circuit
• Battersea Park Street Circuit · 32 km · historic circuit (defunct)
• Brooklands · 50 km · historic circuit (defunct)
• Goodwood Motor Circuit · 90 km · road course
• Bedford Autodrome · 110 km · road course
• Silverstone Circuit · 119 km · road course