Masters Historic Festival Brands Hatch 2012

Masters Historic Festival at Brands Hatch
Historic and vintage Carshow and car race Masters Serries
Starts: 05/26/2012
Ends: 2012-05-26
Brands Hatch Circuit
Fawkham , Longfield Kent
UK

Images© and story by Tim Surman Photography, Contact Photographer For Information on Photos of this Event


GALLERY 1

GALLERY 2


THE MASTERS HISTORIC FESTIVAL BRANDS HATCH GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT
Story and images by ACC Photographer; Tim Surman, MSA Member

Brands Hatch once again reverberated to the sound of F1 cars as the Masters Festival returned for its sixth successful year.

Although the focus this year may of been from F1's history, with a special F1 demonstration on the Sunday, this was far from the only racing. Sports cars from the '50s, '70s touring cars and endurance Prototypes thundered around the Kent countryside for this trip back in time.

And although the machinery on track looked like it should of been in a museum, this is real wheel to wheel, paint swapping foot to the floor racing with a season long championship to win for each category.

The full Brands Hatch GP circuit was used for the weekend, so after taking on the tight and twisty Indy part of the track the cars blast through the trees of the extended GP loop. The track was extended for GP racing with the first non championship Silver City Trophy F1 race won by Jack Brabham. Brands Hatch's maiden championship F1 race was in '64, titled Grand Prix d'Europe, an accolade the FIA bestowed to member nations in rotation. That first race was watched by a huge crowd to see defended champion Jim Clark in his Lotus 25 take the chequer flag, followed by Hill (BRM P261) and Surtees (Ferrari).

But this weekends Historic Grand Prix Cars Association race is a window on the pre-'66 era, F1 cars where evolving, they all looked different and where painted in the teams or nations colours, this was a time before F1 turned into big business with tobacco sponsored liveries of the '70s and '80s, they would be out on track over the weekend too.

The sight of a six wheeled Tyrrell P34 when it first took to the worlds circuits back in 1976 must of been amazing, but it's out on track again in the hands of Roger Wills for the Nordea GP Masters. The cars came a time before wind tunnels, with different shapes and in case of the Tyrrell number of wheels, it's F1 in the 1970's and '80s, when the Cosworth DFV engine was the engine of choice.

Moving away from F1 and back into the '60s for the Sports Racing Masters a mini-enduro race, this time a look at sports-prototypes. And the weekend pits the CanAm cars against early GT cars like the GT40. But its the thundering Cooper Monaco with its 5300cc engine with Chris Jolly at the wheel that will be out in the lead battle, followed by the McLaren M1B's.

For race 10 we stay with sports cars but jump back a decade to the '50s. The Woodcote Trophy boast such machinery as, Jaguar C and D- types, Aston Martin DB2's and DB3's, Maseratis, Austin Healeys and other stunning sport cars from pre 1956. Even though most of the cars are half a century old the racing is no less full on and when you think that most of the cars are fitting with drum brakes too, you've got to give the guys respect.

For the Masters 70s celebration they shared a grid with the JD classics challenge, so we had touring cars from late 1960 to the mid '80s. From the 1968 Ford Escort to the loud and lary Rover Vitese. Touring car racing have never been scared to run close and swap paint and this weekend proved no different. It was also a great way to see three decades of cars racing on track at the same time.

For the last race of the weekend we hopped back to pre-66 but stayed with the touring cars. So this means a load of Austin Cooper S minis a hand full of Ford Lotus Cortina's and a Ford Falcon driven by Leo Voyazides and Simon Hadfield for a 50 minute race and a driver change too.

And that ends a very sunny, hot and successful Masters Historic Festival for 2012.
Tim Surman,2012 ©

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

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Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
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Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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click here Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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click here Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit

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Masters Historic Festival 2012

Masters Historic Festival 2012
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