A huge 30-car field will contest this weekend’s GT World Challenge Sprint Cup round at Brands Hatch - but Valentino Rossi will be absent.

The MotoGP legend had raced at the West Kingsdown circuit in the last three seasons, scoring a second-place finish with Maxime Martin in 2023.

But the 46-year-old Italian is concentrating on the FIA World Endurance Championship this year, and will miss the two one-hour contests in Kent on Sunday.

Team WRT, the Belgian squad which ran Rossi at the event, is continuing in the championship, and has entered three BMW M4 GT3s in this weekend’s meeting.

The grid is made up of 10 brands - a new record for the Sprint Cup - and will be the largest seen on the 2.4-mile Grand Prix loop since 2017, when 34 cars entered.

BMW is joined by Mercedes, Ferrari, Audi, Corvette, Ford, Lamborghini, Porsche, McLaren and Aston Martin in the 2025 line-up.

Harbledown’s Sam de Haan - the youngest son of former Saga boss Sir Roger - joined Rossi in the WRT line-up last year, but does not feature on the Brands Hatch entry list.

Six British drivers have entered the event - Ben Green, Adam Smalley, Chris Lulham, Sandy Mitchell, Hugo Cook and James Kell - while four home teams - Steller Motorsport, Garage 59, Barwell Motorsport and Paradine Competition - are also included in the line-up.

Reigning champions Maro Engel and Lucas Auer will be among the favourites in their Mercedes-AMG GT3, having taken a comfortable win in race two last year.

They will be joined on the grid by Monégasque Arthur Leclerc, younger brother of Ferrari F1 driver Charles, who will share a Ferrari 296 GT3 with Thomas Neubauer.

Support action comes from McLaren Trophy Europe - which will race in Britain for the first time this weekend - Equipe Libre and Mini Miglias/7s.

Adult tickets for Sunday cost £33 in advance or £38 on the gate, with under 13s going free. Click here for more details.