Jonathan Palmer determined to boost overtaking at Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch circuit boss Jonathan Palmer says he is determined to improve overtaking opportunities at the British track with alterations to Graham Hill bend
The Kent venue hosts the most high-profile events of all of the circuits owned by Palmer's Motorsport Vision group, hosting events such as the DTM, World Touring Car Championship, plus Formula 2 and Formula 3 races in recent years.
But Palmer wants to improve the spectacle of racing at the popular venue, and it recently emerged that he is evaluating making changes to Graham Hill bend.
"The fact is that modern cars tend to have high downforce and relatively low power, so overtaking is very difficult," Palmer said on the main stage at this year's AUTOSPORT International show.
"Whenever new Formula 1 circuits are designed, a lot goes into the difficult job of trying to facilitate overtaking. So we wanted to do that too at Brands Hatch."
Palmer also scotched claims that MSV had already decided how it was going to change the corner, and he said he understood the concerns of people who don't want to see classic circuits altered.
"We've not decided what we're doing yet," he added. "It's easy for people to be critical, and I'm aware that certain people don't want to see Brands Hatch changed.
"But if we change the circuit it's going to cost around £500,000, and I'm not about to spend that unless I'm very sure it's going to be for the better.
"What I don't want to do is change the classic corners; Paddock, Druids, Surtees, Clearways. The one corner that stood out that is not a classic is Graham Hill bend.
"The diehards will bemoan the changes, but motorsport needs to be a dynamic industry. We can't change the way modern cars are - we can't take the downforce off and put on road tyres. We want overtaking, and we must achieve a corner on that circuit where we can have overtaking."
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