1000 km Brands Hatch

The Brands Hatch 1000 km was an endurance sports car event that was part of the World Sportscar Championship for varying years from 1967 until 1989. Originally a six-hour race running under the name BOAC 500, the event was eventually extended to 1000 kilometres under a number of different sponsorship titles.

History

In 1966, a non-championship sports car race was held at Brands Hatch for a distance of 500 miles, with drivers David Piper and Bob Bondurant easily taking victory in an AC Cobra. With the success of this initial event, the World Sportscar Championship would add Brands Hatch to their calendar, while the British Sports Car Championship replaced their Guards Trophy event. However, unlike the initial race's set distance of 500 miles, the new event would be run for six hours. Even with a timed race, BOAC stepped in as the primary sponsor and chose to retain the 500 mile distance in the name, earning the popular title BOAC 500.

The 1968 race took place on 7 April, a date which will be remembered as that on which Jim Clark, originally expected to take part in the race, instead took part in a Formula 2 race at the Hockenheimring in Germany where he crashed and was killed.

As the speeds of competitors improved during the early years, the drivers would actually set distances beyond even 600 miles. It was therefore decided in 1970 that the event would be extended to a set distance of 1000 kilometres, which was the distance used by five other events in the World Sportscar Championship's calendar. The race, now retitled the BOAC 1000, would continue in this form until it was temporarily dropped from the series in 1973. It would once again be part of the schedule in 1974, but this time with British Airways replacing BOAC as sponsor. The race would however not return again in 1975 and would go on a three-year hiatus.

Following some reconstruction of Brands Hatch in 1976, the World Championship of Makes (split from the World Sportscar Championship) would return to the track in 1977 with a six-hour timed race replacing the 1000 kilometre set distance. The event would skip one more year in 1978, before returning permanently in 1979. The six-hour requirement was abandoned once again in 1981 as the event returned to its familiar 1000 kilometre format, which would continue until 1988. For the final appearance of Brands Hatch on the World Sportscar Championship calendar in 1989, the race would be shortened to 480 kilometres, as would nearly every race that season.

Winners

Year	Drivers	Team	Car
500 Mile distance
1966	Template:Flagicon David Piper Template:Flagicon Bob Bondurant	Template:Flagicon The Chequered Flag	AC Cobra
6 Hour distance
1967	Template:Flagicon Mike Spence Template:Flagicon Phil Hill	Template:Flagicon Chaparral Cars Inc.	Chaparral 2F-Chevrolet
1968	Template:Flagicon Brian Redman Template:Flagicon Jacky Ickx	Template:Flagicon J.W. Automotive	Ford GT40 Mk.I
1969	Template:Flagicon Brian Redman Template:Flagicon Jo Siffert	Template:Flagicon Porsche System Engineering	Porsche 908/02
1000 km distance
1970	Template:Flagicon Pedro Rodríguez Template:Flagicon Leo Kinnunen	Template:Flagicon J.W. Automotive Engineering	Porsche 917K
1971	Template:Flagicon Andrea de Adamich Template:Flagicon Henri Pescarolo	Template:Flagicon Autodelta SpA	Alfa Romeo T33/3
1972	Template:Flagicon Mario Andretti Template:Flagicon Jacky Ickx	Template:Flagicon SpA Ferrari SEFAC	Ferrari 312 PB
1974	Template:Flagicon Jean-Pierre Beltoise Template:Flagicon Jean-Pierre Jarier	Template:Flagicon Equipe Gitanes	Matra-Simca MS670C
6 Hour distance
1977	Template:Flagicon Jacky Ickx Template:Flagicon Jochen Mass	Template:Flagicon Martini Racing	Porsche 935/77
1979	Template:Flagicon Reinhold Joest Template:Flagicon Volkert Merl	Template:Flagicon Joest Racing	Porsche 908/3 Turbo
1980	Template:Flagicon Riccardo Patrese Template:Flagicon Walter Röhrl	Template:Flagicon Lancia Corse	Lancia Monte Carlo Turbo
1000 km distance
1981	Template:Flagicon Guy Edwards Template:Flagicon Emilio de Villota	Template:Flagicon Team Lola	Lola T600-Ford Cosworth
1982	Template:Flagicon Jacky Ickx Template:Flagicon Derek Bell	Template:Flagicon Rothmans Porsche	Porsche 956
1983	Template:Flagicon Derek Warwick Template:Flagicon John Fitzpatrick	Template:Flagicon JDavid Racing Porsche	Porsche 956
1984	Template:Flagicon Jonathan Palmer Template:Flagicon Jan Lammers	Template:Flagicon Canon Racing/GTi Engineering	Porsche 956
1985	Template:Flagicon Hans Joachim Stuck Template:Flagicon Derek Bell	Template:Flagicon Rothmans Porsche	Porsche 962C
1986	Template:Flagicon Mauro Baldi Template:Flagicon Bob Wollek	Template:Flagicon Liqui Moly Equipe	Porsche 956 GTi
1987	Template:Flagicon Raul Boesel Template:Flagicon John Nielsen	Template:Flagicon Silk Cut Jaguar	Jaguar XJR-8
1988	Template:Flagicon Andy Wallace Template:Flagicon Martin Brundle Template:Flagicon John Nielsen	Template:Flagicon Silk Cut Jaguar	Jaguar XJR-9
480 km distance
1989	Template:Flagicon Mauro Baldi Template:Flagicon Kenny Acheson	Template:Flagicon Team Sauber Mercedes	Sauber C9-Mercedes

External links

• Racing Sports Cars - World Sportscar Championship (photos of every 1000 km Brands Hatch, 1967–1989)