Visteon/Patrick Racing ready for Brands

Most prominent of these is general manager Jim McGee who was chief mechanic on the car that won the USAC event held there in 1978. McGee, in his 44th year of open wheel competition, has the most wins of any chief mechanic/manager in USAC/CART history. Predictably, he has downplayed this fact but acknowledges that having raced at Brands in the past will provide some insight.

"It has been such a long time since we raced at Brands Hatch so any data we may still have is inconsequential," he said. "It is the same circuit we ran in 1978, but the surface has changed and the cars we compete with today are completely different. Having said that, certainly, there are a few things you learn about a circuit whenever you race."

The team's director of operations, Steve Krisiloff, also competed for Patrick Racing at Brands Hatch in '78. Krisiloff qualified 12th, but had to switch to another team's backup car for the race. The replacement immediately developed mechanical problems, so Krisiloff did not start the race. However, his track time did him some knowledge of the racing line and how the cars reacted to set-up changes.

"It was difficult to get the set-up right and that will be the biggest issue for the teams," he said. "When you have a circuit that is short, it is especially important to qualify up front. You cant' afford to get caught behind a slow car and get lapped by the leader."

For Spanish driver, Oriol Sevia, it will be as close to home as he has raced since joining the Champ Car series. For once, his family will be able to 'pop in' to see him at the office, without losing sleep over it.

"I am looking forward to racing at Brands Hatch," he said. "I drove the Formula 1 track in 1993, in a Formula Renault, and even though we will not be racing on that circuit, to be competing at one of the most famous racing venues in the world will be very exciting. What is going to make the Brands Hatch race really special is that it will be like a home race for me. I have a lot of friends coming from Barcelona and it will be great to see everyone.

"The Visteon/Patrick Racing Team had a very good test in Arizona and learned a lot of things that should help us at Brands Hatch. It is very important that we have a good result in England so we can get back into the championship hunt. It is just a matter of continuing to work had and I am sure we will start scoring the points we feel we deserve," he said.