The Masters Historic Festival returns to Brands Hatch with a major celebration of Grand Prix racing’s most dominant engine – the Cosworth DFV.
There will be historic F1 racing, displays, and demonstrations on the legendary Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit this upcoming bank holiday weekend (Saturday 27 – Sunday 28 May).
The FIA Historic Formula One Championship will headline a race programme bustling with retro appeal, with a grid of mouth-watering Grand Prix cars from the ‘70s and ‘80s which will look great in their period liveries, and sound even better as they thunder around a venue which has changed little since they originally appeared in Kent.
These evocative machines are a throwback to a time in which Brands Hatch was a frequent stomping ground for legends of the sport such as James Hunt, Niki Lauda, and Emerson Fittipaldi.
Throughout much of Brands Hatch’s tenure as a Grand Prix host, the Cosworth DFV was the must-have engine in Grand Prix competition, a status which it enjoyed for well over a decade, following its debut success in 1967. The Lotus 49 in which Jim Clark claimed the DFV’s first win will be attendance, alongside a fascinating line-up of other cars propelled by Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth’s masterpiece power unit.
Other DFV cars appearing will include a Lotus 49B raced to victory by Graham Hill in Monaco, an ex- Denny Hulme and Peter Gethin McLaren M14A, a McLaren M26 as raced to Brands Hatch Race of Champions victory by James Hunt, and the curious but unraced Lotus 88B with a twin-chassis.
Significant cars provisionally expected to contest the Historic F1 races include a McLaren M23, as used by Hunt during his tumultuous 1976 title battle with Niki Lauda, and a Williams FW08 similar to the car in which circuit owner Jonathan Palmer made his Grand Prix debut at Brands Hatch in 1983.
This fantastic F1 spectacle will be complemented by celebrations of motor racing history in many of its of its other forms too, including the FIA Masters Historic Sports Cars which will recapture the essence of the BOAC 500 and 1000 races which were mainstays of the Fawkham circuit’s calendar throughout the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. This race will focus on the classically-modelled cars from the BOAC’s earlier years, including examples of the Lola T70 and Ford GT40.
Crowd-pleasing touring car battles will be in the offing too, with separate grids for the Historic Touring Car Challenge with Tony Dron Trophy, which will star all kinds of saloon cars from the ‘60s right through to the ‘90s. The Masters Pre-66 Touring Cars will entertain too, with a transatlantic showcase as nimble Minis battle with enormously powerful Ford Mustangs.
Plus, there will be other races for a variety of sports-racing and GT cars, and single-seaters. Away from the circuit there will be classic car displays, and the paddock will be open throughout the weekend, allowing visitors to take a closer look at the historic marvels in race preparation.
Tickets for the Masters Historic Festival at Brands Hatch on 27-28 May are available online in advance for £23 with free entry for under-13s. Visit www.brandshatch.co.uk or call 0843 453 9000 to book now.