Panda Racing IN:MINI’s Hamish Brandon will be seeking to stand atop the podium once again when the Power Maxed MINI Challenge visits Kent’s globally-renowned Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit (8-10 May).
A natural amphitheatre offering unrivalled views of the action from various vantage points, Brands Hatch is steeped in history having held 12 Formula 1 Grands Prix between 1964 and 1986.
With its undulations and fast, sweeping bends, the Kent circuit always delivers exciting racing that attracts fans in their droves.
Following a highly successful outing last time out at Donington Park, where Brandon recorded a hat-trick of podiums – including a career best John Cooper Works (JCW) class victory – the Scotsman now sits second in the Drivers’ standings after one round and will be seeking more strong results this weekend.
Brandon, who formed a new and exciting partnership with IN:MINI during the winter months, had yet to turn a wheel in anger prior to Donington Park and intended to use the weekend as a shakedown, but got to grips with his Cooper S quicker than expected.
The experienced MINI racer ran door handle-to-door handle with many of his JCW rivals in mixed weather conditions to set consistently fast laps all weekend, some of which bettered the more powerful 2015 F56 third-generation MINIs.
Hoping to maintain his winning form and enjoy yet more champagne celebrations, Brandon is confident he can again impress this weekend, saying: “Donington Park exceeded our expectations, considering we had very little winter testing, and I’m hoping we can carry that momentum to Brands Hatch this weekend. There’s no point in having a strong opening weekend and going backwards, so hopefully we can build on the Donington Park successes and put ourselves in a strong position.
“I’ve only raced on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix configuration twice prior to this weekend, so it’s still a bit of an unknown for me. We only test on the Indy loop prior to qualifying, so we will have to get our heads down on Saturday and do our best. It’s a very tricky and unforgiving circuit, so you have to be really dialled in. I’m not putting any pressure on myself and my team by setting specific targets, not wanting to tempt fate, but, if it’s anything like Donington Park, it would be a dream.”
Qualifying for Rounds 4, 5 and 6 of the Power Maxed MINI Challenge is scheduled to get underway at 09.00 on Saturday (9 May), with the first of three races at 14.05 later that day, which precedes two races on Sunday (10 May) at 13.05 and 16.40 respectively.
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.