Review of the BRSCC Safety Car Festival, Brands Hatch

Review of the BRSCC Safety Car Festival, Brands Hatch

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Turbobanana

Original Poster:

6,740 posts

208 months

Monday 28th October 2019
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The BRSCC Safety Car Festival was held at Brands Hatch over the weekend, with a packed programme of support races featuring some excellent action from Formula Fords, Sports 2000s and others. But it was the Safety Car that the crowd came to see and they weren't disappointed.

The Safety Car made appearances in all but three of Sunday's 13 supporting races: the two Fiesta Junior races (which only had 3 entries anyway) and the Sports 2000s whose drivers were inconsiderate enough not to need the Safety Car due to something called "high driving standards".

Apart from those minor blips it was an action-packed day for the Safety Car, which was a BMW 1-Series Coupe chosen for its ability to cover large distances with reasonable fuel consumption and hence excellent operational range. The highlight of the Safety Car Festival was undoubtedly when it was deployed due to a spin at Druids, where the cars that caused the incident self-rescued before the Safety Car was even moving, meaning it had to complete two needless laps before anyone realised it was unnecessary.

Unverified reports even claim that the Safety Car was deployed following a minor bump involving a Mrs Gwenda Deepling of Godalming, 56 miles from Brands Hatch, who grazed the rear bumper of her 1987 Austin Maestro on a gatepost while reversing on the driveway.

rallycross

13,281 posts

244 months

Monday 28th October 2019
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Turbobanana said:
T

the Sports 2000s whose drivers were inconsiderate enough not to need the Safety Car due to something called "high driving standards".



Unverified reports even claim that the Safety Car was deployed following a minor bump involving a Mrs Gwenda Deepling of Godalming, 56 miles from Brands Hatch, who grazed the rear bumper of her 1987 Austin Maestro on a gatepost while reversing on the driveway.
Haha not impressed then, I thought F-Ford is supposed to be full of action, hence a safety car usually not required..

Drumroll

3,984 posts

127 months

Monday 28th October 2019
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unfortunately the FF Festival is a shadow of its former self. When we used to go I can't remember any support races just FF 1600's all the way.

And winning it meant something.

(Hang on there may have been some formula first races one year.)

anonymous-user

61 months

Tuesday 29th October 2019
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Drumroll said:
unfortunately the FF Festival is a shadow of its former self. When we used to go I can't remember any support races just FF 1600's all the way.

And winning it meant something.

(Hang on there may have been some formula first races one year.)
The Walter Hayes Trophy has been “the one to win” for at least a decade, ironic given it’s the oldest engine regs ...

grumpy52

5,717 posts

173 months

Thursday 31st October 2019
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Yes back in the great years the event was very over subscribed with qualification racers and loads of heats etc .
All just for Formula Ford 1600s.
Really keen and well healed racers usually had specially prepared engines just for the festival . A good result at the festival could pave the way for favourable drives with top or factory teams in the following season .
As I much prefer tin top racing I found it a bit of struggle. It often got very frantic though .
One of my old trainee marshalls was one of the Clerks at the weekend , I certainly hope that he wasn't involved with the course/ pace car fun and games .