Brands Hatch ( Paddock Hill bend ) alterations (1960's ?)

[Sato san]

I was a bit bored last night , So i dug out the 1967 Race of Champions video tape to watch ....and it got me thinking ...

When was Paddock Hill Bend tightened up to make it near the bend and corner that we have today . I know that is was tightened up abit in the 80's ....but watching again the footage of the 1967 F1 race , it looked like they had just made some circuit alterations then ...judging by the amount of mud that was at the circuit edge and spectator banking to Hailwood Hill , by bringing the corner a little bit forward from the sweeping position it had been ?

Its such a superb corner to watch from , i was wondering if anyone could remember much about its history ?..

[Andrew Kitson]

I think you will find Jay that the actual circuit layout has been the same at Paddock since 1976.
The barriers have been moved back several times since but the actual racing surface is in the same place.
The Paddock bend before '76 was not as tight, but more dangerous as there was little run off. The outside edge of the new corner ran where the inside of the old one was so the old track became tarmac run-off. Perhaps in '67 the grass banks were moved back a bit, hence the earthworks?
Around the same time in '76 the bottom straight was re-aligned too, cutting across part of south bank to make way for an inner paddock behind the pits. The old South Bank bend ( now Surtees ) was a very long left hander on the old GP track but much tighter now. It was dangerous too with a vehicle bridge across at the exit for traffic to reach the south bank car park. The race cars would disappear 'into the country' under one bridge and re-appear (as they do now) under the other one before Clearways.

[Anuauto]

In May 67 Paddock was still about 5 feet of run off before the vertical bank. (I should know, I destroyed a Mini bodyshell against it). I dont recall it being changed by 68 BOAC 500 or Brit GP but I wasnt there again for about 16 years.

[gfm]

Yes, that bank at paddock was a bit notorious.
I saw gerry Marshal write of a most beautiful racing Elan against it in a winter sprint event late sixties. Took off from the strt line full bore, arrived at Paddock - BANG. Very impressive.
And then David Purley learnt most of the UK circuits by crashing at each corner. Was it an open Cobra that he demolished at Paddock? I think so.

[Sato san]

Originally Posted by Andrew Kitson

I think you will find Jay that the actual circuit layout has been the same at Paddock since 1976.
The Paddock bend before '76 was not as tight, but more dangerous as there was little run off. The outside edge of the new corner ran where the inside of the old one was so the old track became tarmac run-off. Perhaps in '67 the grass banks were moved back a bit, hence the earthworks?
.

Thanks Andrew , So it wasnt until 1976 then !...

your right , the alterations must have just been for the spectator banking or something like that . The old Paddock Hill bend was even more impressive than the current one , but as Anuauto has said he went off there with 5 ft of run off ...Damm , that must have been a jolt !

Have to say that I love Brands Hatch and the history of it ....

Ive got a great small picture here of Paddock Hill in 1953 ...You can see from this picture of the 1953 Coronation meeting ..that there was only the spectator banking at Paddock , nothing else ...mind you , the cars were going anti - clockwise then , so it wasnt a problem i doubt until , they starting running the other way and approaching at speed fronm the start finish area .

Id love to post it , its a shame i cant work out how to attach it into the post .....Ive just scanned it into my pc as well :confused:

[Tim Falce]

I was just looking at a movie of Brands 1965 and there is abit of Paddock bend but from the angle it's taken from it is hard to tell the difference

[Andrew Kitson]

Excuse the photo quality, but this gives an idea of the old corner in the distance ( Shell Oils advert painted on it) with the new tarmac alongside. Not much run-off at the old Paddock.

[Eric Falce]

As far as I remember,paddock was much the same as it is now except they have taken the bump out at the bottom of the bend,the run off area was virtualy non existant.If you put one wheel on the outer edge you where on the grass and into the bank,or up and through the advertising sign at the top
of the banking,(more than one driver has done that) ,but now you can go over the outer line and still bring the car back,one bend I love and so good if you get it right.

[Daimlerman]

Originally Posted by ecktic

If you put one wheel on the outer edge you where on the grass and into the bank,or up and through the advertising sign at the top
of the banking,(more than one driver has done that)

Tell me about it Did it in the 60s and it still hurts!

[Sato san]

thanks to Andrew , ive registered with Imageshack ...so hopefully this will work ...

Brands HAtch 1953 CORONATION MEETING -- Paddock Hill Bend



I think if you click this photo , it will enlarge to full size ?

[paulzinho]

Oh no they're going the wrong way!!!!

When exactly was it they changed the direction the circuit ran in, it must've been around 53 surely??

[Andrew Kitson]

The original 1-mile grasstrack course was tarmaced in 1949. The first meeting took place on April 16th 1950. Racing was anti-clockwise until 1954 when the extension from the Paddock bend area was added to create the Druids loop and then downhill to rejoin the track at Bottom bend. The circuit then stood at 1.24 miles.
The large 'P' shape made up by the rides in the woods to the south of the circuit became the familiar course of the Grand Prix loop extension. The first meeting on the new GP circuit of 2.65 miles was August 1st 1960. An F1 race was held at that meeting (The Silver City Trophy) won by Jack Brabham but an actual F1 world Championship GP did not take place until the European GP on 11th July 1964 won by Jim Clark.

[Andrew Kitson]

Infact, that first meeting on the new GP circuit on August 1st 1960 was a high quality meeting looking at the winners!
F1 ( The Silver City Trophy) Jack Brabham Cooper T53-Climax
GT ( The Wrotham Trophy) Jack Sears Aston Martin DB4GT
FJ ( The John Davy Trophy) Jim Clark Lotus 18
Sportscars ( The Raffles Club Trophy) Roy Salvadori Cooper-Monaco T49
Saloons ( The Kingsdown Trophy) Roy Salvadori Jaguar 3.8

[Sato san]

Here is a photo of workmen erecting the fencing at PAddock Hill Bend as Stan Coldham "tests" the circuit in February 1950

Again , he is driving UP paddock , not down as we know it today .

[Daimlerman]

Andrew, was the Salvadori Jaguar BUY 1 now raced by Grant Williams so effectively?

[David McKinney]

Originally Posted by Daimlerman

Andrew, was the Salvadori Jaguar BUY 1 now raced by Grant Williams so effectively?

The Williams car's a 3.4 isn't it?

[Andrew Kitson]

Great pic Sato. Where is Hailwoods and why are there sheep in the paddock?
A round of the Wendy Wools special saloons?
I'll get my coat...

I believe BUY 1 and BUY 12 are the ex-John Coombs cars but someone no doubt will
reply with the correct info if wrong!
Salvadori was driving the Coombs Cooper-Monaco and Jaguar saloon that day. The Coombs Jag had the registration 6PPF at the time.

[Eric Falce]

Paulzinho, as far as I can remember,they would run all the races as now in a clockwise direction,then change for the final to an anticlockwise direction but that changed in about 53, but i am talking from memory when I used to be taken there as a younster and the crowds much larger than now..

[Andrew Kitson]

Originally Posted by gfm

Yes, that bank at paddock was a bit notorious.
I saw gerry Marshal write of a most beautiful racing Elan against it in a winter sprint event late sixties. Took off from the strt line full bore, arrived at Paddock - BANG. Very impressive.
And then David Purley learnt most of the UK circuits by crashing at each corner. Was it an open Cobra that he demolished at Paddock? I think so.

Here you go John, the Elan shunt you mention.
Click on the picture to enlarge. Photos by Mike Kettlewell.


Same car, same driver. Boxing day 1965.

[Andrew Kitson]

Photos by Skyfotos/New Romney:

1949. The grass track is in the process of becoming a tarmac circuit.


1950. Ready for the first meeting. Spectator fencing erected and the trees have been removed from the south bank car park.


1955. The Druids extension in place. The course of the future GP track can be seen in the woods.


1983.


From another angle:


Brands always had a very special atmosphere at the GP meetings. The days when the Red Arrows were allowed to fly over the crowd.

[gfm]

Thanks for the photos Andrew. I was a spectator at both meetings. Just look at the Ferrari in 3rd place - was it Jack somebody, and Roger Mac in the Cobra, probably not.
As I recall, the Paddock bend going down became less 'abrupt', smoother quite early on, about the early 70s.
Pardon me if I'm repeating myself, but this maybe new for one or two of you. In 66/7, I did the Motor Racing Stables school course which consisted of 6 stages - 6 being starters, 1 being advanced. I think it was stage 2 consisted of going round the Club circuit the wrong way and lapping within 2 seconds of the instructor set target time. My target was set by Trevor Taylor. My primary instructor was Keith Holland who used to peddle a very useful E Type at the time. Ray Allan was the star at the time. School cars were 1500 Cortina engined Lotus 51s. Was it 67 that they went cross flow and called in Formula Ford?
The other bit of nonsense was that I held a lap record in a Lotus 17 on the BH Mini Circuit. This was where after Bottom Bend you had a hairpin bend right that took you up the service road to the top of Paddock. It was a very short lap! This was to allow MCD to run a stock car bash on the Clearways loop at the same time.
The things that went on ...

[Andrew Kitson]

John, the Cobra is John Sparrow and the Ferrari David Piper.
You can see the link service road you mention that made up the short mini-circuit on the black & white 1983 aerial shot. As I remember the start line was at the same place, around Paddock, round Druids and bottom bend then hard right before the backof the pits to rejoin the circuit just after the control tower/start line. The clearways oval stock car link can also be seen.

[macca]

In 1974/75 when the alterations to Paddock and the Bottom Straight were done, I was a trainee with Wimpey, who carried out the work (coincidentally, so was Tiff Needell who had been getting quite a bit of publicity in the company magazine, 'Wimpey News'.)

'Wimpey News' did a feature on the alterations, all very self-congratulatory, illustrated with pictures from the first major meeting after completion which was the 1975 Race of Champions, won by Tom Pryce in a Shadow DN5.

I started going to a lot a bike race meetings just after that, and also had a couple of runs with the Brands Racing School of Jeff Crookbain, and immediately noticed that bikes struggled with a diagonal bump right across the apex at Paddock - turned out that Wimpey had omitted to break out the concrete foundation of the old kerbs when they took them up from the inside of the old Paddock alignment, and when the new tarmac settled there was this horrible ridge (gone now, of course, under later resurfacing).


Paul M

[Andrew Kitson]

Originally Posted by gfm

I held a lap record in a Lotus 17 on the BH Mini Circuit. This was where after Bottom Bend you had a hairpin bend right that took you up the service road to the top of Paddock. It was a very short lap! This was to allow MCD to run a stock car bash on the Clearways loop at the same time.

Here is a photo from Autosport of saloons on the mini-circuit in the late 60s, the cars turning right off the bottom (cooper) straight.
The marshals are standing where the pit access road from the paddock tunnel intersects.

[Peter Horsman]

What chassis number 17 would that be, gfm? I'm a 17 owner now (only two racing in UK now).