007 Would Be Proud

As you're probably all aware (well, if you're in Britain anyway), this week we were gifted two extra days off due to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. I must admit, I'm not exactly a royalist and so the only difference that these extra days off made was the opportunity to go outside and see some live motorsport once again! If you've not realised, I'm based in Kent, and so I live a short journey away from one of the most well known English racing circuits: Brands Hatch. I've blogged about Brands before, and so you should know that this racing circuit is almost a second home to me, as my Dad and I have been visiting since I was very young.

So, with the prospect of a day off Dad and I went to Brands to watch the racing of the Aston Martin Owner's Club, accompanied once again by my nephew. When we arrived, qualifying was underway for the Formula Juniors - an open wheel class racing that's been running since the 1950s. These cars are completely open, and I must admit I didn't envy the drivers when it was raining for their race in the afternoon!

During the course of the afternoon we also saw a lot of classic car racing, with historic GT racing and historic V8s - definitely one for those who like the noise of a car!

 As well as the classic cars (my personal favourite - I think I must take after my Dad in that respect), we also saw a 2 hour long Aston Martin race and a shorter Ferrari race featuring the newer models. The Aston Martin race was quite a surprise really - mostly because not a whole lot happened! At the initial stages of the race, one car took off on its own and lapped almost everybody else, however this position was swapped around during the pit stop window, when a different Aston repeated this feat, lapping everyone up to third place.

While spectating at Graham Hill bend, the noise and sight of the Astons wasn't particularly enthralling, however on moving nearer to Clearways and Surtees you could start to hear the sound of the engines a lot more, and see the speed at which the cars were travelling - this definitely improved matters! Overall though one of the best races was the final GT Challenge, won by a pretty good looking Cobra.

Another massive highlight of the day was the chance to walk on the grid before the Le Mans start of the V8 race. I can now honestly say I know how Martin Brundle feels, although I didn't quite get round to interviewing anyone.

So, yet another great day out at Brands! I love how open the circuit is to spectators - every time we go we get access to the paddock, which is a good way to get to chat to drivers and see the cars up close. When we were roaming around, I saw an absolutely amazing Aston Martin DB5, which I initially decided I would quite like to own:

However, after roaming the paddock some more, I changed my mind and decided upon a little Triumph:

Honestly though, if anyone would like to donate one of these cars to a worthy cause (making me happy!), then please feel free!