Monday 4th August 2014

F1 at Brands Hatch: Time For Tea?

What does 140mph through Surtees look like? See here!

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To have raced at Brands Hatch is a real honour and privilege. As one fellow Academy racer pointed out, people ask if there are lions to see at Oulton Park but everyone knows Brands Hatch. Perhaps the Oulton comment was mildly hyperbolic but the sentiment stands; Brands Hatch remains a big deal in British motorsport.

And this is despite the fact that the Grand Prix hasn't run at Brands for nearly 30 years now. The last F1 race at Brands was in 1986 which was fittingly enough won by Nigel Mansell. During that race he set a frankly ludicrous lap record of 1:09.593 which obviously still stands. For reference the quick guys in the Academy were lapping the Indy circuit in 56 seconds.

Having attempted to lap Brands over the weekend the speed of our Nige in a GP car is all the more staggering. 175mph at the exit of Paddock? Madness. Murray's commentary of this qualifying lap appears too fast initially as corner names seem to follow almost simultaneously. The long drag from Surtees to Hawthorn becomes a short straight with 1,100hp or so.

Mansell actually line up second with this lap but, as he went on to win and beat teammate Piquet, this is the chosen video. Put the kettle on and prepare to be amazed.

See the video here.

[Pic: LAT]

 

[thatguy11]

Just awesome! They should bring the '80s turbo cars out of retirement and just race those, if only once a season for a treat 1,400bhp in qualifying would sort the men from the boys, course they didn't have boys racing in F1 back then!

[GroundEffect]

thatguy11 said:

Just awesome! They should bring the '80s turbo cars out of retirement and just race those, if only once a season for a treat 1,400bhp in qualifying would sort the men from the boys, course they didn't have boys racing in F1 back then!

These things get more powerful every year...

The Honda V6 Turbo was at most 1150-1200BHP in any configuration.

[thatguy11]

GroundEffect said:

thatguy11 said:

Just awesome! They should bring the '80s turbo cars out of retirement and just race those, if only once a season for a treat 1,400bhp in qualifying would sort the men from the boys, course they didn't have boys racing in F1 back then!

These things get more powerful every year...

The Honda V6 Turbo was at most 1150-1200BHP in any configuration.

I didn't mean the Honda unit specifically, just a generalisation of the peak power F1 engines in general reached. In 1986 when the turbo-powered engines peaked in power, the BMW unit used by Benetton, Brabham and Arrows was estimated at about 1,350-1,400 in quali trim.

[RacingPete]

Wow... that is about the time some track day cars take to get round just the Indy circuit! (+- 5 secs)

[TT Tim]

Indi lap record: 38.032 seconds

Scott Mansell (No relation) in a EuroBoss Benneton

http://youtu.be/zW6Kj7eQsyU

Tim

[jonm01]

I was there

[GroundEffect]

thatguy11 said:

GroundEffect said:

thatguy11 said:

Just awesome! They should bring the '80s turbo cars out of retirement and just race those, if only once a season for a treat 1,400bhp in qualifying would sort the men from the boys, course they didn't have boys racing in F1 back then!

These things get more powerful every year...

The Honda V6 Turbo was at most 1150-1200BHP in any configuration.

I didn't mean the Honda unit specifically, just a generalisation of the peak power F1 engines in general reached. In 1986 when the turbo-powered engines peaked in power, the BMW unit used by Benetton, Brabham and Arrows was estimated at about 1,350-1,400 in quali trim.

The highest boost I've heard is 5.5 bar on that engine. I would need to do a calculation to see what power that is, but I doubt it was that high. 1200BHP I could believe.

[Paul Dishman]

jonm01 said:

I was there

So was I

[jonm01]

Paul Dishman said:

So was I

South Bank. Pitwalk. Concorde flypast, Vulcan, Harrier. A10, Red Arrows etc. Brilliant day.

[Caddyshack]

I was there when Johnny Herbert tried to beat the record in his car with a clear track, he did not make it but was amazing to watch and I think my ears nearly bled

[Erudite geezer]

So they preferred the raised SUV-like driving position in F1 back in the 1980s then?

[Fire99]

Erudite geezer said:

So they preferred the raised SUV-like driving position in F1 back in the 1980s then?

It's not raised. The cockpit sides were lower...

[johntennyson]

Paul Dishman said:

jonm01 said:

I was there

So was I

Me too! I was taking a class at Cam and hopped a train down-- I remember BBC running "Grand Prix" the night before and telling a friend "If Mansell wins tomorrow, his face will be on the front page of every paper in the country on Monday." I missed seeing the pass as I was behind the grandstands when it happened, but from the crowd noise there was no doubt what had happened!

A great day indeed, although Lafitte might disagree...

[GM182]

I was there too...about 10 years old and I remember it well.

After the the opening lap crash I think we had to wait 90 minutes to re-start until both medical helicopters were back. Think Lafitte never raced again?

[loudlashadjuster]

Interesting to listen to the 80s turbo engines again, considering the hoo-haa this year about the sound.

Agree though that it looks stupidly fast around Brands from a modern perspective.

[jbudgie]

Commentary was awful, like he was talking to a bunch of school kids.
BTW I know it's the much lauded MW.

[BlimeyCharlie]

Good to see that the editor of the coverage decided to show people standing watching themselves standing watching at a crucial moment, instead of Mansell going around a corner at high speed.

Still goes on today. Is it the same editor, or are they taught to cut-away like that at Editing School?

[AdeV]

BlimeyCharlie said:

Good to see that the editor of the coverage decided to show people standing watching themselves standing watching at a crucial moment, instead of Mansell going around a corner at high speed.

Still goes on today. Is it the same editor, or are they taught to cut-away like that at Editing School?

I think the sports chaps at the BBC never quite understood the fascination in watching some beastly automobile driving pointlessly in circles, so they try for the "human factor" & show lots of pictures of people standing around looking at stuff (be it screens, the floor, that rather tasty young damsel across the pit lane, etc.)

Either that, or they're golfists, and feel the need to frequently show pictures of some people standing still...?

[HarryW]

johntennyson said:

Paul Dishman said:

jonm01 said:

I was there

So was I

Me too! I was taking a class at Cam and hopped a train down-- I remember BBC running "Grand Prix" the night before and telling a friend "If Mansell wins tomorrow, his face will be on the front page of every paper in the country on Monday." I missed seeing the pass as I was behind the grandstands when it happened, but from the crowd noise there was no doubt what had happened!

A great day indeed, although Lafitte might disagree...

I was there too, on the top of paddock, remember the Lafitte crash just in front of us, broke his legs afaik he never raced again.
I Remember Mansell chasing down Piquet for what I think was his first GP win. Great days, also recall the Renault turbos sounding like massy fergusons......

[Claudia Skies]

That looks fantastic! Must have been wonderful back in the day.