CALM All Porsche Trophy - Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit
Date: 12th July 2026
Event Organiser: Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC), as part of the annual Legends of Brands Hatch Superprix
Format: Single 40-minute race with a mandatory pit stop
Conditions: Hot and dry, run during the return of the UK heatwave
Best Lap Time: 1min46.862secs (a new record for the 903 at Brands Hatch)
Race Report
Summary: CALM All Porsche Trophy - Round 4, Brands Hatch Grand Prix (12 July 2026)
Round 4 took VANHAUEN RACING to Brands Hatch for a single 40-minute race with a mandatory pit stop, run on the full Grand Prix circuit. The CALM All Porsche Trophy was welcomed as a guest of the Historic Sports Car Club, taking part in the HSCC's annual Legends of Brands Hatch Superprix. The venue was marking its centenary, the entrance gates carrying the legend "A Century of Power, 1926-2026", and the weekend coincided with the return of the UK heatwave. After two rounds in which the 903 had been held back by its own driveline, this was the day everything finally came together.
The open question arriving at the circuit was the clutch. The slippage that had defined Snetterton had been addressed only days earlier, Phil Brough fitting the torsion-sprung variant of the SACHS Racing four puck disc to give the driveline a wider release window and a less aggressive take-up at the sort of torque the engine now produces. Splitting the gearbox to do that work had thrown up problems of its own, so the car arrived at Brands Hatch with a fresh clutch and a rebuild already pencilled in behind it. In the event the answer could not have been clearer: the 903 performed superbly, with the clutch holding firm and the full 425bhp finally usable on track.
Qualifying was a steady rather than spectacular session, and it left the 903 starting the race from the back of the field. That turned out to matter very little. Once the race settled, the car came alive, and the drive through the field became the story of the afternoon.
The lap times confirmed what the stopwatch had been promising all season. The 903 recorded a best lap of 1min46.862secs, a new record for the car at Brands Hatch and a comprehensive improvement on the 1min52.077secs set on the same Grand Prix circuit in June 2024, better than five seconds a lap quicker. Where Snetterton had shown what a compromised driveline costs, Brands Hatch showed what the 2026 specification is actually capable of when nothing is holding it back.
The reward was the best result of the 903's racing career to date. Alongside the customary Invitation Class win came something new: for the first time ever, Kenn van Hauen was named Driver of the Day.
The official series report singled out the drive: "A star of the race was Kenn van Hauen, winning the Invitation class. He started from the back after a steady qualifying session, but quickly got into the groove, advancing through the field with a best lap time almost half a minute ahead of qualifying pace and deservedly winning the coveted Driver of the Day trophy."
Attention now turns to the gearbox. With worn input shaft bearings already diagnosed, the 915 comes apart for a full rebuild, which will also bring the addition of an internal spray bar. The next round is at the Silverstone International circuit on 16th August, assuming that work goes to plan.
Read the full official report here.
Photo Gallery: Brands Hatch GP 2026
