Only three weeks into the new year, my motorsports season kicks off with the MGJ Engineering Winter Stages Rally at my local track, Brands Hatch. Last year was wet and cold, as you would expect for January in the UK, but this year, Kent’s premier race circuit was bathed in glorious winter sun. It was still pretty chilly, and I was glad of my thermals.
The first event of the new motorsport season at Brands Hatch was the return of the MGJ Engineering Brands Hatch Winter Stage Rally. Ideally, this event should blast away the winter blues. However, the winter remained in full swing, delivering very wet ground. Brilliant for the competitors, not so great for those of us using the public car park by the entrance, where many people required assistance to get in and out. An idea for next year is to open the level Airfield Car Park; this would also avoid frustration and reduce the workload on Brands Hatch Staff.
Another chance to watch a great mixture of different rally cars racing on timed stages. It’s also a refreshingly different use of Brands Hatch – how ofter do you get to see cars racing through the pits, the wrong way?
Wet, cold and overcast is not usually the best start to the day, but when you’re planning to spend your day watching rally cars tackle Brands Hatch it couldn’t be more perfect. If I’m honest, rallying isn’t an area of motorsport that I know particularly well. Other than watching the special rally stage at Goodwood Festival of Speed I’ve not seen any live action. Today’s Winter Stage Rally was my first proper experience and although I got a little wet, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
