Brands Hatch is an English motor racing circuit first appeared in Gran Turismo 6. In its appearances in both the present day and the '80s, it is featured with 2 layouts - the Indy layout and the full Grand Prix circuit - and both versions of the circuit are subject to a limited day/night cycle and variable weather conditions.
Indy[]
- Main article: Brands Hatch Indy
One of the more technical tracks in Gran Turismo's roster, the full Brands Hatch circuit is made up of 9 corners - 6 right and 3 left - that are taken at a wide range of speeds.
The lap starts roughly halfway down Brabham Straight - a banked, slightly bent to the right stretch of tarmac that presents a unique challenge to drivers of rear-drive cars during a standing start. Trail-braking is recommended into the downhill, tightening and then opening Paddock Hill Bend. Here, the road drops off just after the exit, so special care needs to be taken to ensure that the car doesn't run wide.
A short, slightly uphill sprint is followed by the most simple turn in the circuit: Druids bend, a large-radius hairpin bend that can be exploited to save relatively large amounts of time through well-executed late-apexing. If done correctly, surprising amounts of speed should be expected to be carried into Graham Hill Bend, a sharp 90-degree left-hander that is often extended into the paved runoff area.
A left-hand kink is found on Cooper Straight as the Surtees-McLaren chicane approaches - a somewhat narrow and long complex that exits onto the Clearways bend. Clearways is a sharp right-hand turn that can easily throw cars off track if too much speed is carried. Its exit is the final corner on the circuit, Clark Curve - which, combined with Brabham Straight, can be seen as part of the pit straight.
Grand Prix[]
- Main article: Brands Hatch GP
In this layout, Surtees is a long left-hand bend that is very easy to run wide on. Keep tight through the last two-thirds of the corner to ensure a steady exit onto the Pilgrims Drop and Hawthorns Hill straights - the longest full throttle section of the circuit.
Hawthorns Hill leads to one of three high-speed right-hand bends, Hawthorns Bend. If the car's weight is kept in a balanced state, then it will be possible to comfortably take the bend at the maximum possible speed. Following Hawthorns Bend is Westfield bend at the end of Derek Minter Straight, which is a sharp turn that can be taken very swiftly with clever use of the apex kerb. Sheene Curve lies at the top of a hill and can only be seen on entry, so particular care must be taken on braking into the turn in order to ensure that the car doesn't understeer off the track.
Stirlings is a surprisingly low-speed corner for its radius and banking angle, so early braking is recommended here, as with Sheene Curve. The corner leads to the Clearways straight - the third-longest full-throttle section of the track - and the final corner of the lap is the fast and difficult-to-judge Clark Curve.