“Brands Hatch truck racing” by osde8info is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
The best views at Brands Hatch can be found by sitting one of the Brands Hatch grandstands.
The short circuit of Brands Hatch Indy is one of the best tracks in the UK to spectate. The natural small valley in which the circuit sits provides many incredible viewpoints for spectators to see almost the entire circuit from.
This article will provide info on each of the available grandstand seating options at Brands.
Contents
where are the grandstands at Brands Hatch?
The grandstands at Brands hatch are all located around the outside of the Indy circuit. They all give great views over the Indy circuit, some of them even allowing you to see almost all of the track. They are best accessed via the main entrance, unless you know that you require another entrance to find your designated parking area.
There are no grandstands around the additional Grand Prix loop of the circuit. To view here you have to find a spot to stand or sit on your own camping chair in one of the spectator areas.
There are four different grandstands at Brands Hatch for public spectator seating on race days. These are:
- Paddock Hill grandstand
- Hailwoods grandstand
- Desire Wilson grandstand
- Pit straight grandstand
The map below shows the location of these around the Brands Indy circuit.
grandstand views
Each of these four grandstands gives different perspectives and views of the track, covering different parts of the circuit. The images below roughly the sections of the circuit that are visible from each grandstand coloured in pink.
Paddock Hill grandstand
The Paddock hill grandstand gives the best circuit coverage of any of the 4 grandstands at Brands Hatch, especially if you sit in the top rows. Its high vantage point at the entry to Paddock Hill Bend means that the only bit of the circuit not visible are when the cars go behind the trees at Druids Bend and when they disappear behind the pitlane buildings, blocking out Surtees and the far part of Clearways.
Here is a video shot from the front rows (lower) of this grandstand.
The best seating in the Paddock Hill grandstand, in the top-right hand section, is classed as the ‘Category 1’ seating area. It comes at a slight cost premium, usually around £5 more than the other seats in this grandstand.
Hailwoods grandstand
Hailwoods grandstand is right in the dip at the bottom of Paddock Hill, meaning you cannot see up over the top of the hill on to the start finish straight or to Surtees and Clearways. Additionally it has some trees very close to its left hand side, obscuring the view of the cars running up the hill to Druids. But you get a fantastic view of the cars coming down from Paddock Hill Bend, often where a lot of action happens.
Here is a video shot from this grandstand.
Desire Wilson grandstand
The Desire Wilson grandstand is just to the right of the Paddock Hill grandstand, but it does not sit nearly as high up, restricting its view slightly. You lose the cars as they go down the hill at Paddock Hill, catch them again briefly on the run up to Druids and then on the way to Graham Hill. Most of the Cooper straight is blocked out apart from a small portion, and only the entry to Clearways is visible thanks to the pit lane buildings obstructing it. You do get a great close-up view of the whole start / finish straight, however.
Here is a video shot from this grandstand.
Pit Straight grandstand
This is as close as you can get to the action on the start / finish line, and has great views of the whole of Clearways. The buildings to the left of this stand block the view of the cars as they go into and through Paddock Hill unfortunately.
Here is a video shot from this grandstand.
are any of the grandstands covered?
The only grandstand that has any protection from the elements is a small section of the Desire Wilson grandstand.
There are four main blocks to the grandstand, and as you look with the circuit in front of you the two on the right hand side are in the shadow of the Brabham-Stewart building. Specifically, the back couple of rows of the section have some covering from the building overhang, as the blue square highlights in the image below.
Apart from that, all other grandstand are open to the elements, so be prepared!
what is the best grandstand at Brands Hatch?
The Paddock Hill grandstand gives the best view of the Brands Hatch circuit, with only a couple of small sections of the track which aren’t visible. Its high vantage point means you can keep track of the cars across the whole lap.
In particular, the top (back) rows of this grandstand, specifically on the left hand side (as you look with the circuit in front of you) give the least-obstructed view. The ones on the right side of the stand can be slightly obstructed by the hospitality buildings to the right, blocking the view of the main straight slightly.
This top-left seating section of the Paddock Hill Grandstand usually comes with a slightly premium price, see following sections for more details.
“IMGP1375-1385″ by Matt Buck is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Brands Hatch grandstand prices
The price of the grandstand seating areas changes from event to event. The BTCC and BSB event are the biggest events of the season, so the prices for grandstand seats are highest at these two events. Prices are always highest on the Sunday of the race meeting. The prices for the BTCC and BSB events are as follows:
- Desire Wilson grandstand (uncovered) Sunday – £10
- Hailwoods grandstand Sunday – £15
- Paddock Hill grandstand Saturday – £15
- Pit Straight grandstand Sunday – £20
- Paddock Hill Sunday (non-premium ‘category 2’ seats) – £25
- Paddock Hill Sunday (premium ‘category 1’ seats) – £30
- Desire Wilson Sunday (covered) – £30
At all other events throughout the year, prices are lower than the above. At smaller events all of the grandstands may not be open, but usually at the club racing events Paddock Hill grandstand is open and is no additional charge.
grandstand seat booking process
Any grandstand seating tickets must be purchased in additional to general admission tickets.
To purchase grandstand tickets, select the Brands Hatch event you are interested in attending on the Brands Hatch website and click through to book tickets. To get to the grandstand tickets, go to Step 2 and you will see which grandstands are available to book for your event.
Select the number of seats in the grandstand of your choosing and add these to your basket. Then you will be able to select your seats. If there is more than one block available in the grandstand you’ve chosen, first select the block. Use the images above to think about what position will help you get the best view.
Here I’ve selected Desire Wilson covered seating for the Sunday of the BTCC. I know that the best shelter is the left hand block of the two shown below, so I will select that.
To get the most weather protection I have gone for the back row, which is also higher up, and as far right as possible to get a better view around the buildings to the left of this grandstand.
where is the best place to sit at Brands Hatch?
The category 1 seating area in the Paddock Hill grandstand is the best place to sit at Brands Hatch as it gives the best view over almost the entire circuit, with the exception of a couple of short blind spots. Unsurprisingly it is also the most expensive seating area in any of the grandstands.
Alternatively, finding yourself a spot to sit in one of the spectator areas around the edge of the track on your own camping chair can get you a little closer to the action. Or if you want a VIP experience, check out some of the hospitality options.
Great articl
never been before,booking for next weekend 14/07/23, found this very helpful, thank you .
Great stuff, thanks for the comment Dave. Hope you have a good weekend!
Been wondering, can I still watch races throughout the day without purchasing any of the stands?
Hi Kamil, yes you can. You just need a general entry ticket to get in to the circuit then you can watch from anywhere around the circuit. It’s only at the bigger events that you need to purchase additional grandstand tickets to get a seat.
Really helpful, thank you very much
Really good article, thank you !
Thanks for the comment Tim!