The legendary Brands Hatch circuit will celebrate all things ‘Mini’ when it hosts a major new event in the form of the Brands Hatch Mini Festival on 16-17 June.
With a history spanning more than 50 years, the Mini in its former and current guise is one of the most iconic cars of a generation and the famous Kent circuit plans to commemorate the marque with a unique event in the summer. A superb line up of Mini-based motorsport is set to entertain spectators while Mini owners from across the country will be invited to showcase their cars around the 1.2 mile Indy circuit.
There will be various off track activities with a display of special motorsport Minis old and new, a Mini stunt show, trade village, parades, live music and festival fun for motor racing fans throughout the weekend.
For fans of the new MINI, the MINI Challenge will head the on track entertainment with a round of their fiercely competitive championship, which provides plenty of thrills and spills. The championship, run under the banner of MSVR, went down to the wire last season with Chris Knox overcoming Lee Allen and Luke Caudle to lift the title.
MINI Challenge manager Paul Harvey said: “I’m really looking forward to the event. It will be great to get all the Mini clubs involved and hopefully if enough people get behind the event it will become a regular feature. I think all the MINI Challenge drivers will be looking forward to taking part in this meeting.”
Enthusiasts of the original Mini, which has an illustrious motorsport heritage, will be catered for with frantic action from the Mini Se7en and Mini Miglia Championships. The Mini Se7en Championship is almost as old as the classic car, now entering its 45th year of competition. The popular series will see versions of the 998cc Mini compete against each other for valuable championship points, while the Mini Miglia championship will see highly tuned variants tackle the challenging Kent circuit.
Mini Se7en and Mini Miglia championship commercial manager Colin Peacock, said: “The Brands Hatch Mini Festival will be one of the highlights of the year without doubt. It could turn into a mega event as we progress towards Mini’s 60th birthday. The racing is always close at Brands Hatch and all the drivers will be looking forward to it.”
There will also be action from historic Minis with a Pre-66 Mini race and a handicap race for both the new and old variants of the car. A bumper grid of pre-66 Minis is expected which will include several competitors travelling from Europe to take on the Brits at Brands Hatch.
Race organiser Nick Swift said: “The Brands Hatch Mini Festival should be a great event and we are pleased to be a part of it. There are still so many historic Minis out there racing and plenty of drivers who want to race them because they are one of the most enjoyable cars to drive. We should be welcoming drivers from Europe to race in an Anglo French battle which should be entertaining.”
Further details regarding the off track entertainment will be announced in due course.
Tickets for the Brands Hatch Mini Festival on 16-17 June are available from £17 in advance with free admission for children aged 12 and under. To book tickets visit www.motorsportvision.co.uk or call 0843 453 9000. More information on the festival can be found at www.mini-festival.co.uk.