Brands Hatch Newsletter Winter 2016 Welcome to the winter edition of the Brands Hatch Community Newsletter. Another great season has come to a close with the crowning of several major champions, including Kent’s Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne in the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Gordon Shedden in the British Touring Car Championship, and Ryan Smith in the British Truck Racing Championship. The international Blancpain GT Series and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series both returned in the summer, the latter as part of our biggest and best American SpeedFest yet, and we’ll host both events again in 2017. Our calendar for next season will appear on our website over the winter and you can read more about everything that has been going on at Brands Hatch inside this leaflet. If you wish to receive 2017 season newsletters digitally please email [email protected] to be added to our distribution Vauxhall set for BTCC return in 2017 2017 Traffic Management Information Vauxhall is set to make its Dunlop MSA British legend John Cleland in a MkII Astra. A second Brands Hatch would like to notify residents of traffic management plans for the 2017 season. Touring Car Championship comeback in 2017 with championship was claimed with the Cavalier in A major event traffic management system will be operated on the following dates: Power Maxed Racing. The agreement will see the 1995, which was soon followed by a period of return of the Vauxhall Astra, which dominated the absolute dominance from 2001 until 2004 with the • Sunday 2 April • Sunday 1 October championship at the turn of the century. Astra, driven to glory by Jason Plato, Yvan Muller (British Touring Car Championship) (British Touring Car Championship) and James Thompson. • Monday 17 April • Sunday 16 October Power Maxed Racing, which previously ran a (British Superbike Championship) (British Superbike Championship) brace of Chevrolet Cruzes for Hunter Abbott Two further titles were won with Fabrizio • Sunday 11 June • Sunday 5 November and Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher, will switch Giovanardi and the Vauxhall Vectra before Vauxhall’s (American SpeedFest V) (Truck Racing and Fireworks) allegiance to sister GM brand Vauxhall with a brace withdrawal in 2009. Since then the marque has • Sunday 23 July of Vauxhall Astras. been unofficially represented by the Vectra and (British Superbike Championship) Insignia, which last appeared in 2014. Vauxhall’s previous BTCC sojourn began in 1989 These plans will result in the partial closure of 06.30 until 19.00. There are provisional plans to when the marque won the title with series Scratchers Lane from Gabrielspring Road to implement the 30mph speed limit only on a further the junction with the A20 at Gorse Hill from six dates: Sunday 26 March, Sunday 7 May, Sunday 2017 Residents’ Passes approximately 1500 until 1900. Traffic shall not be 28 May, Sunday 13 August, Sunday 20 August and able to turn into Scratchers Lane from the A20 at Saturday 14 October. Don’t forget that we now use digital photos for You can apply for your pass in person on Villagers’ Gorse Hill during this time. Residents’ passes and if you supplied one in the last Day (see below) or between 9.00am and 5.30pm on Please contact the Brands Hatch operations team two years then you won’t need to do so again – but Monday-Friday from now until the closing date of A 30mph speed limit will also be in operation from ([email protected]) should you require any you still need to apply for your 2017 pass. Please see 3 March. Twenty Mile Service Station in West Kingsdown to further information. the enclosed leaflet for further details. the Kings roundabout at Farningham. This 30mph speed limit will be in operation from approximately 2017 Villagers’ Day 2017 season kicks off with January stage rally Next year’s Villagers’ Day will take place on Saturday 4 the chance to drive one of our rear-wheel-drive February. We’ll be providing a variety of exhilarating Toyota GT86 RallyMaster cars or go mud-plugging The MGJ Engineering Winter Stage Rally returns to 70s rear-wheel-drive Ford Escorts as well as the driving experiences for both adults and children in in a Land Rover Defender! Please see the enclosed Brands Hatch on Saturday 21 January, when the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus that rivalled it in period. Also exchange for a small donation to a local charity. You’ll leaflet for further details. venue will be transformed into a series of eight rally competing will be Subaru Imprezas, Mitsubishi Evos also have the chance to apply for residents’ passes. stages, with routes incorporating the Indy circuit and Ford Escort Cosworths, plus exotica including in both directions, pits, paddock, access roads and several rare Ferrari 308 Michelottos. Track activities will include our popular BMW M4 event the venue’s dedicated rally stage. Master and SuperRides, plus YoungDrive and The event will run into darkness, when the stages karting for our younger visitors. There will also be The event forms part of the MSVR-run Motorsport will be lit by headlights, with glowing brake discs and News Circuit Rally Championship, and this has at- flaming exhausts adding to the spectacle. tracted over 90 entries. This highly-varied list includes Brands Hatch takes on the #mannequinchallenge many classics, with an abundance of the 1960s and Brands Hatch staff took to the Kent circuit’s pit-lane sublime to the ridiculous, with a wide variety of recently to take on the Mannequin Challenge, the motorsport-related situations (and some irreverent latest video fad to take the internet by storm. ones too) recreated in still life. Woodland Management As part of our ongoing commitment to preserving the New Year. The scheme has been devised in In true Brands Hatch style, the pit-lane was filled with To see how they got on, the full video can be viewed and maintaining the woodland surrounding Brands consultation with the Forestry Commission, who an assortment of cars, ranging from the Toyota GT86 at www.youtube.com by entering ‘Brands Hatch Hatch, we will be in undertaking some coppicing issue us with a licence to carry out the work, and rally car to the new Formula 4 single-seater. does the Mannequin Challenge’ in the search box. work in the area behind the Mercure Hotel and the Sevenoaks District Council’s Arboricultural Shetley Shaws (the area adjacent to our large car and Landscape Officer, Les Jones. As far as the poses went, well they ranged from the park field). This work is scheduled to commence in Visit our residents’ website - www.brandshatch.co.uk/residents Visit our residents’ website - www.brandshatch.co.uk/residents.