The DTM returns to Brands Hatch for the second year running, giving us a chance to watch heavyweight tin-tops in Kent. Brands Hatch hosted eight DTM races between 2006 and 2013 on the Indy layout, but when the German touring cars returned in 2018 they utilised the full GP loop.
BMW’s Philipp Eng is shooting for supremacy against Audi driver René Rast, and without Mercedes in the picture – it left last year to concentrate on Formula 1 and Formula E – the rivalry between the two evokes that between Ford and Holden in Australian Supercars’ glory days.
There now is a third manufacturer represented in the DTM this season: Aston Martin. But it’s not clear how much backing the British marque is giving privateer squad R Motorsport, which fields British pair Paul di Resta (ex-F1) and Jake Dennis, with Austrian archduke Ferdinand von Habsburg and Spaniard Daniel Juncadella driving the other two Vantages.
Although V8s were ditched for 2019, bringing DTM in line with Japan’s Super GT championship and allowing Honda, Lexus and Nissan to compete in the German series should they wish, the four-cylinder turbo replacements develop 610bhp.
The double-header has races on both days of the weekend, with support from Lotus Cup Europe. But the W Series should also catch your attention. This all-female single-seater series heads to Brands Hatch for its inaugural season finale.
There are five Britons on the grid: Esmee Hawkey, Jessica Hawkins, Sarah Moore, Alice Powell and favourite Jamie Chadwick. And the prize pot is an impressive $1.5 million. The racing is improving every weekend, close and full of action and aggression.
Tickets are cheaper if bought in advance, with adult weekend admission starting at £45 – children under 13 are admitted free. Upgrade to a grandstand for £10 more or buy a camping pass. Tickets available at brandshatch.msv.com/BH-19-DTM.
HOW TO GET THERE Put DA3 8NG in your SatNav and follow yellow event signs. Brands Hatch is three miles off the M25 on the A20. The nearest train station is Swanley, with services to and from London Victoria.
ALSO GOING ON Watch British GT at the circuit on August 3-4, featuring the best of British GT3 and GT4 sports car racing.
DON’T MISS Pit walks are free. Make sure to walk the whole circuit – views are great and you can get very close to the cars out in the woods.
FORMULA 1 July 12-14, Silverstone. Will this be the last British Grand Prix at Silverstone for the foreseeable future? We hope not, but if last year’s race is anything to go by (ditto our preview in the July issue), this should be another summer scorcher.
WRC July 13, Italy
FORMULA E July 13-14, New York City, NY. The ultra-competitive fifth season of Formula E ends with a double-header in Brooklyn, across the river from Manhattan. The new Gen2 car has proved a hit and there’s still no clear favourite in the drivers’ standings.
INDYCAR July 14, Toronto
INDYCAR July 20, Iowa
SILVERSTONE CLASSIC July 26-28, Silverstone. This year’s historic festival pays tribute to Sir Jackie Stewart’s first world championship, 100 years of Bentley, Mini’s 60th with the world’s biggest grid of Minis and the Ford Capri’s 60th with the Gordon Spice Trophy.
GLOBAL RALLYCROSS EUROPE July 28, Lydden Hill. Rallycross’s spiritual home, Lydden Hill, hosts drivers such as Stéphane Sarrazin, former Hyundai WRC driver Hayden Paddon and Alex Wurz, in the new one-make 520bhp series.
FORMULA 1 July 28, Germany
WRC August 1, Finland
FORMULA 1 August 4, Hungary
ELDORA DIRT DERBY August 4, Eldora, Ohio. A fast and furious race in 400bhp stock pickup trucks around the only dirt track to feature in the NASCAR National Series calendar. There’s a prize purse of more than $300,000.
