After six meetings, the Power Maxed MINI Challenge reaches its conclusion this weekend at the world-renowned Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, where Pandamonium Racing’s Hamish Brandon will be seeking to end his impressive debut season on a high (13-14 September).
One of the world’s most iconic motorsport venues, Brands Hatch, is a natural amphitheatre, offering unrivalled views of the on-track action from various vantage points. Stretching 2.43miles through the Kent countryside, the notoriously fast Grand Prix circuit delivers long straights and tight bends that make it a favourite among racing drivers and fans alike.
Having graduated to the John Cooper Works (JCW) class of the MINI Challenge in 2014 following a highly successful debut season in the Cooper class, Brandon has gone from strength-to-strength and is one of only two drivers to have finished each event; a testament to the Excelr8 Motorsport-run Pandamonium Racing team’s great work ethic.
In a season that has exceeded all expectations, Brandon has showed that he has the necessary skills to race side-by-side with the more experienced JCW drivers.
Opening his 2014 account with a podium at Donington Park in April, Brandon will once again be seeking to fight at the front of the field and finish his JCW debut season on a high.
“You can get into a rhythm on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit and when you add the challenge of the GP loop to the equation, it completely changes the challenge, as it’s fast, flowing and narrow, but I absolutely love it,” said Brandon. “It’s the last meeting of the year and sitting fifth in the championship, I can’t win it nor finish lower than sixth, so the pressure is off for this weekend, which allows us to go out there and enjoy ourselves. With five points between the guys in second, third and fourth in the standings, they will be going out there to take chunks out of each other and it’s going to be hard to claim a podium finish, but I’ve got to just got to keep my nose clean and finish my season on a positive note.
“We got off to a slow start this season, as we had some issues with the car, which we’ve sorted, but it put us on the back foot. From the third meeting on we’ve been running towards the front and I feel as though we’ve got to grips with the car. That’s why it’s a shame it’s the last meeting of the year.”
Qualifying for the Power Maxed MINI Challenge is scheduled to start at 11.20 on Saturday (13 September), which will be followed by the first of three races at 14.20.
The next two races will be held at 12.00 and 17.45 on Sunday (14 September) and will conclude both the weekend’s action and the season.
For more information on Panda Racing and Hamish Brandon, please visit the official www.hamishbrandon.com website, ‘like’ the Facebook page or follow @PandaRacingTeam on Twitter.