www.theblisspages.com - Historic Superprix 2004
www.theblisspages.com - Historic Superprix 2004The signs were not good for my second excursion to Brands Hatch this year (see CSMA Classic Festival at Brands Hatch). The skies were lowering and the air damp.
The extended Grand Prix circuit was used today, rather than the smaller Indy circuit. See a map of the circuit here.
We set out at 07:30 to avoid the crowds, and as we left, the heavens opened. As we drove over the downs, the mist closed in, reducing visibility to a hundred metres or less, but the weather improved as we drove up the M23 onto the M25 and met little traffic. We entered the circuit via the South Bank entrance, paying a two-pound supplement, and parked behind Druids Bend.
The weather was unsettled, and I was grateful for my waterproofs several times, especially when riding the go-karts in the rain, on a very wet and somewhat muddy track. Great fun though, I thought, and at only a fiver, quite a bargain.
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This being one of the few occasions annually when the larger Grand Prix circuit was being used, we decided to take advantages of this, and walked round the entire track. I think we walked about six miles during the day so it certainly wasn't a sedentary day.
I was surprised to see just how close houses are to the circuit. I hope the owners were motor-racing enthusiasts!
Watching the cars power down Pilgrim's Drop and accelerate up Hawthorn Hill reminded me of the time - about thirty years ago - when I had been awed by the speed, spectacle, and sheer noise of Formula One cars shooting past me during a Grand Prix - vastly more exciting as a spectator than the rather flat and boring Silverstone circuit.
The morning was devoted to practice and qualifying, with all the races after lunch.
Wandering round the Grand Prix circuit was like visiting an old friend. Dingle Dell has an almost magical sound to it, and watching spectators chatting to the marshals brought home the camaraderie inherent in the sport - well, for most anyway - there is perhaps too much at stake at the upper levels.
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We wandered around the paddock and chatted to a few drivers and teams. It makes the racing vastly more exciting when you know, however superficially, the players.
On to the racing, and there were some very different cars racing today, from Ford Anglia 105s to eight litre Can-Am cars, growling thunderingly around the circuit.
I was surprised to see that all the races today were run to a duration - twenty or thirty minutes - rather than a number of laps.
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The first race was for classic sports cars built before 1965, and as the Lotus Elan 26R rocketed away from all the Marcos 1800GTs, one just marvelled at all the varied shapes, sizes and noises of the very different cars.
Formula Ford was next, and was entertaining. The cars were from 1968-71. We watched most of this whilst wandering round the Grand Prix part of the circuit, so it was difficult to know who was winning, or indeed who won. But to us, it didn't matter. The spectacle was all.
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The Group C and GTP cars were next, and they were awesome. Ranging from the winning Jaguar XJR11, through the growling 6.3 litre Argo Chevrolet JM20C, to the 'Yellow From A' Nissan R90CK, they were exciting to watch. I missed the incident that led to the safety car escorting them round, but watched the rest of the race spellbound.
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Then, the Can-Am cars - McLaren, Lola and March - magical names, with engines up to 8800cc, but they weren't as fast as some of the 2000cc cars - or as loud! A sudden downpour and rush for shelter meant I missed the end of this race, but more races were to come.
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To me, the Derek Bell Trophy race was one of the best of the day, on a drying track. Most of the drivers were on wet tyres, but F5000 driver Simon Hadfield, in a Chevron B37, decided to go with slicks - his last-minute decision meaning he had to start from the pit lane. His subsequent race through the field and final second position, was thrilling to witness.
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The next race was for historic sports cars built between 1954 and 1960, and John Harper's Cooper Monaco dominated this race. A Jaguar XK120 was pushed off into the gravel trap at Paddock, necessitating a restart from the back of the grid. He recovered to finish fifth, after the Lister Corvette.
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The penultimate race was even more exciting, with a Ford Anglia 105E fighting off a Ford Falcon Sprint and Ford Mustang. They each had three times the engine capacity of the Anglia, and first position swapped a couple of times, before the underdog consolidated his position. I declare an interest, as I used to race a grey Anglia estate many years ago, and it was always very entertaining.
The final race featured some more classic racing names: Brabham, Cooper, March, and Lola, to name but a few.
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The number of spectators was much smaller than at the recent CSMA meeting, and the event was vastly less popular than the recent Silverstone Grand Prix. But why? The event was exciting with good racing, there was a great atmosphere but not too many crowds and it cost eight pounds against £240 for the Grand Prix.
updated Sun 18 Jul '04 give feedback...
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: © Mike Bliss 2009