Brands Hatch Indy, KA 500 - Event Report

The 2025 EnduroKA season came to a close on Sunday 16 November with the “Brands Hatch Indy, KA 500”.

This was the seventh running of EnduroKA’s highlight season closer and, incredibly, it produced its seventh different winner!

After a staggering 427 laps of the iconic Kent circuit, MilnAir Racing were the latest to claim the winner’s trophies, courtesy of strong drivers from each of: Jack Wright, Declan McDonnell and Dylan Brytcha.

Qualifying

MilnAir Racing’s Wright was immediately on the pace in qualifying, setting the early benchmark for competitors to beat. Ben Snape (Autotech Motorsport) was another to look quick as competitors got their first taste of night running at Brands Hatch this year, with qualifying taking place on the evening of Saturday 15 November.

As the session progressed, the lap times started to fall. KaHoona’s Race Team’s Kosta Kyritis looked sharp and managed to improve on his own previous best times on multiple occasions to ensure the #333 KA was running at the top of the order.

Ka Lamaty’s Adam Bonham was next to show his pace, posting the session’s fastest lap twice in three laps. However, with just under fifteen minutes left on the clock, it was KA-Chow’s Marcus Clutton who would seize pole position with an unbeaten time of 1m06.569s.

KA-Chow would be joined on the front row by Ka Lamaty, with early pacesetters MilnAir Racing and KaHoona’s Race Team occupying the second row. Boston Racing, Autotech Motorsport 2, SuKAru, Windgat Racing, KAmotion and PRO-AM Racing #8 rounded out the top ten fastest qualifiers.

Race Start

KA-Chow maintained their lead through the opening couple of laps, with both MilnAir Racing and KaHoona’s Race Team managing to get the jump on Ka Lamaty. Windgat Racing and Marussio Motorsport were two more KAs that had enjoyed productive starts, as each KA jostled to kickstart their race in as strong fashion as possible.

KaHoona’s Race Team managed to steal the lead from KA-Chow after an early safety car period, but with KA-Chow instantly back on the tail of the #333 KA. Just a few laps later, KA-Chow were back in front, however MilnAir Racing and the surging Windgat Racing were both hot on the heels of the leading two – providing plenty of entertainment for those watching on.

By the time the first hour was up, MilnAir Racing had claimed the race lead. Windgat Racing and KA-Chow were both still in close proximity – only 2.916s covering the top three over the timing line. Original Chequers Racing had been tremendous in the opening sixty minutes, gaining a very impressive fourteen positions from where they qualified. Marussio Motorsport and Usher Motorsport were two more KAs who were making serious progress in the early stages.

Mid-race

When the clock reached the three-hour mark, MilnAir Racing had maintained their lead. It was clear that there were a number of different strategies at play and PRO-AM Racing #12 seemed an early beneficiary, now running in P2. KA-Chow, Ka Lamaty and Windgat Racing were still at the pointy end of the order too, while AFK Racing had made inroads into the top ten.

It seemed a fascinating battle for the podium places was developing. In fact, after four hours of racing, a mere 0.287s separated the leading Ka Lamaty and KA-Chow! MilnAir Racing had slipped to third after their latest stop, while 11Tenths Racing were circulating fourteen spots ahead of where they qualified. The consistency and strategy of LDR Performance Tuning #49 and Chickspeed Motorsport had propelled both up the order too.

The next couple of hours continued to provide exciting, with plenty of overtakes happening throughout the field to entertain the spectators in attendance as the race headed into the night.

Into the night

As has often been the way with the “Indy KA 500”, the race looked set to go right to the wire. MilnAir Racing held the advantage at the front of the field, but the threat of PRO-AM Racing #12 and KA-Chow remained high. The latter-mentioned KAs were doing all in their power to reel in the leaders, pushing to the limit in the darkness.

11Tenths Racing continued to impress up the order, while last year’s podium finishers Boston Racing weren’t far off the top three once more. Shine Automotive, Burton Power Racing and AFK Racing had now fully established themselves as top ten runners.

Despite the best efforts of their rivals, when the checkered flag fell it was MilnAir Racing who crossed the line first to become the seventh different “Brands Hatch Indy, KA 500” winner in as many years. Congratulations to the whole team, including drivers Jack Wright, Declan McDonnell and Dylan Brytcha.

PRO-AM Racing #12 would ultimately fall 25.359s short of the victory, but should still be proud of the efforts of the team and drivers: Oliver Furnell, Richard Jepp, Scott Parkin and Josh Benson. The final spot of the podium belonged to KA-Chow’s Marcus Clutton and Lee Taylor, with all of the top three finishing on the lead lap after 500-minutes of racing.

Boston Racing and 11Tenths Racing came home fourth and fifth respectively, with: Windgat Racing, Burton Power Racing, Shine Automotive, AFK Racing and KAsh Strapped Racing rounding out the top ten.

The final Dagenham Dustbin of the year went the way of LDR Performance Tuning #9, for their “Only KAns” livery, while Shine Automotive received the special Barry Morris Trophy for their continued display of exceptional sportsmanship since joining the series back in 2019, embodying the true spirit of racing.

Congratulations to all!

Photo: Gary Hawkins Photography