Changes to Brands Hatch Indy Circuit

**Stephen Green** · 1 Feb 2005, 12:57 (Ref:1214584)

Guys, if you pop over to the MSV website www.motorsportvision.co.uk you will see the new run off areas at Druids Hairpin and the exit to Graham Hill.

The work is being done to minimise accidents and damage to competitors cars. I have to say it looks good to me and certainly the extended run off on the exit to Druids should lower the numbers of red flags due to stranded cars?

pitcrew · 1 Feb 2005, 13:25 (Ref:1214610)

wooo looking good now, will definatly help the flow of races!!

**Stephen Green** · 1 Feb 2005, 13:28 (Ref:1214611)

All we need now is something to prevent you from out braking yourselves on the entrance to Druids

ActiveMS · 1 Feb 2005, 13:32 (Ref:1214622)

Looks good. The arial shot of Graham Hill looks confusing. Guess will see it for myself in April.

Funnily enough, most 'offs' Ive seen at Druids happen when cars lose it on the exit (between kerb and barrier) and spin back across track into the inside barrier not the outside.

Looking forward to driving the GP layout in April.....yeeeha.

**Peter Mallett** · 1 Feb 2005, 13:32 (Ref:1214624)

Lol.

Remember chasing a certain Capri up the hill. This particular car had used me as a brake twice at Snetterton four weeks previously. I left my braking really late because I could see the drivers eyes in his rear view mirror. Funnily enough just as I braked and turned in he saw the corner. Exit one red Capri 2.8i.

I can be really evil when I want to be.

jonbryant · 1 Feb 2005, 13:33 (Ref:1214625)

More from a marshal's point of view it gives us that bit more to play with on the exit of Druids although I bet they've done nothing about being able to get to Post 4a... Sigh. Can't have everything!

**Peter Mallett** · 1 Feb 2005, 13:34 (Ref:1214627)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ActiveMS

Looks good. The arial shot of Graham Hill looks confusing. Guess will see it for myself in April.

Its actually the barrier on the left at the exit that is being moved back.

jonbryant · 1 Feb 2005, 13:35 (Ref:1214630)

And they moved the barrier on the inside of Druids last year. Much fewer hits this year if I remember.

**Stephen Green** · 1 Feb 2005, 13:36 (Ref:1214632)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ActiveMS

Looks good. The arial shot of Graham Hill looks confusing. Guess will see it for myself in April.

Funnily enough, most 'offs' Ive seen at Druids happen when cars lose it on the exit (between kerb and barrier) and spin back across track into the inside barrier not the outside.

Looking forward to driving the GP layout in April.....yeeeha.

They have moved the barrier back as you exit the bend on your left (as you drive the circuit), opposite the rear entrance to the pits. Basically, if you look at the picture you can see where they have excavated some of the banking away at South Bank to extend the run off area a little.

**Tim Falce** · 1 Feb 2005, 13:42 (Ref:1214642)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephen Green

They have moved the barrier back as you exit the bend on your left (as you drive the circuit), opposite the rear entrance to the pits. Basically, if you look at the picture you can see where they have excavated some of the banking away at South Bank to extend the run off area a little.

Hmmmmm, shame that wasn't done last year, it would have saved ecktic stuffing my D-type into the bank, that isn't there any more.

**Stephen Green** · 1 Feb 2005, 15:26 (Ref:1214690)

Exactly! See, JP is thinking of your repair bills

graeme · 1 Feb 2005, 15:39 (Ref:1214694)

Good on JP - but won't we all just run wider out of Druids on purpose? When it's dry, I'm often not back on tarmac until after the service road, halfway to Graham Hill Bend...

**Stephen Green** · 1 Feb 2005, 15:41 (Ref:1214699)

The 'service road' is in fact the entrance to the rallycross part along the knife edge! If they make the extra run off area a gravel trap and not tarmac, you will be requiring my services on a more regular basis

Elio · 1 Feb 2005, 15:43 (Ref:1214700)

Will be interesting to see whether spectators have to crawl through overhanging trees to walk behind post 6 or whether there will be adequate provision of banking and walkways. (ie. compare to the walk between Sheenes and Stirlings entrance on GP loop). I presume the trees behind post 6 are as "protected" as the trees on the GP loop so I don`t think they can be removed.

graeme · 1 Feb 2005, 16:00 (Ref:1214714)

I hadn't even considered the extra run-off would be tarmac - noooo! Grass is okay, gravel better - there has to be some penalty for going off circuit! Can I start a campaign for the re-introduction of catch fencing!?

**Stephen Green** · 1 Feb 2005, 16:16 (Ref:1214721)

I know there are thoughts about having tarmac run off areas as they cause less stoppages for recoveries than cars stranded in gravel.

Elio · 1 Feb 2005, 16:17 (Ref:1214723)

I hope you mean that dodgy stuff that used to be held up by wooden posts and not the spectator stuff (which I already have a personal partial-campaign against!). It`s alright for you tin-toppers I guess - weren`t there a lot of single-seater drivers injured/killed by the posts with that stuff??? Sorry, I`m straying off-topic somewhat now....

Re Druids - It`ll be nice to see it in it`s finished guise. I looked at it close-up a couple of weeks ago and it all looks fairly untidy to say the least!

**Stephen Green** · 1 Feb 2005, 16:19 (Ref:1214726)

I'm sure the staff will have it 'ship shape' before the start of the season. I remember the work done on Graham Hill looked dreadful at this time last year, but by the time I decended on Brands for the first meeting (Britcar 3rd April if I remember correctly) it was all grassed over and looked great.

Elio · 1 Feb 2005, 16:30 (Ref:1214738)

Oh, I`m confident it`l look smashing! Just difficult to get a good mental picture with it in it`s current "building-site" look!

The thing that makes me wonder just a little is the "step" that`s seemingly going to be created pre-and-post Langleys Gap. The added run-off will end fairly abruptly and return to it`s "old" position. I suppose it`s only a problem if it`s made grass-crete or something that drivers can "use". If it`s simply gravel than I `spose it shouldn`t really be a factor.

graeme · 1 Feb 2005, 16:30 (Ref:1214739)

Sorry - I wasn't serious about catch-fencing - some more smileys perhaps - but I do detest tarmac run-off. And I object to being called a tin-top racer!!!

Elio · 1 Feb 2005, 16:33 (Ref:1214742)

(*snigger*)

**Stephen Green** · 1 Feb 2005, 16:34 (Ref:1214745)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elio

Oh, I`m confident it`l look smashing! Just difficult to get a good mental picture with it in it`s current "building-site" look!

The thing that makes me wonder just a little is the "step" that`s seemingly going to be created pre-and-post Langleys Gap. The added run-off will end fairly abruptly and return to it`s "old" position. I suppose it`s only a problem if it`s made grass-crete or something that drivers can "use". If it`s simply gravel than I `spose it shouldn`t really be a factor.

I would imagine it may be a combination of the two. The majority of accidents there tend to be right on or just after the marshals hut, so the extended run off should eliminate most of the problems. The racing line takes you across the track before you reach the end of the new run off area I think, so that shouldn't create a proble either.

Elio · 1 Feb 2005, 16:49 (Ref:1214755)

I just have this image of young FF driver #1 nerfing young FF driver 2 out wide on the exit of Druids (as happens as regular as clockwork!) and young FF driver 2 keeping his "foot-in" and bouncing along the new run-off and then headlong into the bank at Langleys Gap!! I expect armco`s will probably be "smoothed" enough to not create too many angles between old and new.

BillyT · 1 Feb 2005, 18:33 (Ref:1214849)

I cant picture these changes and the website has confused me.

So will the viewing area be futher back or has the gravel trap been reduced?

Elio · 1 Feb 2005, 19:36 (Ref:1214902)

Imagine you are a spectator walking clockwise around the circuit... When you get to the "top" of the exit of Druids, just before marshal post 6, the bank has now been eaten-into by about 2-3 metres thus reducing the spectator area width. After you have passed post 6 and turned the corner so to speak (so that you are now walking down towards Langleys Gap), the banking has probably been eaten-into by considerably more 5-6 metres?

Soon a new barrier will be erected behind the existing one, and finally the existing barrier removed. Runoff area will now have been created and they can either grass, grass-crete, gravel it. I should think the spectator banking will be done last. Hopefully it will be raised toward the back so people can see over each others heads. Also, it might need to be fenced-off at the start of the season to allow any grass seed to "take" as Spring weather and trampling feet will make it a quagmire I`dve thought!!

Any MSV people reading this... Can we have a little bit of turf like you`ll probably put trackside please!!??

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