鈥淩ound 6 of the MSVR Trackday Championship saw us packing our car to the brim with tools and spares and sending it on its way to sunny Spain to the newly refurbished Circuito de Navarra. Acquired by MSV recently and subject to lots of recent updates of the facilities and track itself, we would be the first race series to battle it out on the new layout. A very exciting adventure having not raced overseas before. A logistical challenge as much as a racing one!

鈥淲ith testing completed on the Friday, the technicalities of the circuit and its challenging mix of elevation and compound corners combined with tricky braking brakes was becoming more fluid to us. We were using three-race-old pads up front with very little material left, which is one of the many benefits we鈥檝e found using the RP-X compound 鈥� we can use them pretty much to the backing plate and suffer no loss of pedal feel and modulation. With one last session to go, we strapped on a new set of Ultimax front discs and RP-X pads to bed in ready for race day to complement the tried and tested Yellowstuff rears that have been in there all year so far testament to their wear and performance characteristics.

鈥淲ith fewer numbers making the trip to the Spanish circuit than at previous rounds, the class pressures were largely diminished, however the opportunity to mix it up with the higher class cars wasn鈥檛 to be dismissed. We powered on qualifying the current Class C championship leader, putting us a solid 8th on the grid of the main event. The heavy braking zones into the four tight hairpins made light work of by the RP-X/Yellowstuff combo.”

鈥淲ith the temperatures rising, the race would be a tough one on the cars, with race management being key. As we set off, as the lights dropped we got into the battle with the Class C Celica and Class B Civic just ahead. With a 鈥榣ast of the late brakers鈥� move into the top hairpin after a great run up the hill, we dived up the inside of the Semprini Civic after a few laps of lining up a move. After a few laps re-defending the higher power car, I was able to focus on reeling in the Celica who looked to be struggling with tyre temp. With a great battle all the way down the main straight into the fast sweeper, I snuck up the inside gaining a further position on the brakes. Confidence on the middle pedal being the most important factor at this circuit! With Kev now in the car after the pit stop, he dutifully went about the business of consolidating the position and managing the car and gaps to the end as there was no potential to gain on the higher-class cars ahead.

鈥淎nother class victory and high points finish to go towards the championship campaign! With 1 round to go at the probably not-so-sunny Brands Hatch later this month, we can hopefully add to the season鈥檚 silverware!鈥�