鈥�With the season nearing the half-way point, we headed to听the home of the British GP for Round 3 at Silverstone. With the forecast looking to be red hot, and the entry list showing 62 cars, it was going to be a challenging weekend!

鈥淨ualifying with a two-driver team is always going to be difficult, especially on the longer circuits as we effectively lose 7-8 mins of the 25-min session with an in-lap, driver change and out lap et cetera 鈥� let alone getting your eye in quickly to put in fast laps with 61 other cars contesting the same piece of tarmac! With that said, we managed to hustle the car to P7 in class which with no testing and a few new chassis updates we were happy it was a good place to start the race!”

鈥淗aving sat for 20 mins in full race gear in the baking heat in the holding area, the race rolling start was a bit of an odd event, as when starting 27th in a packed grid with a lot of TCR cars and higher horsepower Class A cars, you can鈥檛 actually see the starting lights due to the nature of the curved start/finish straight. So, the first lap was a case of consolidating position, staying out of trouble and picking a few slow starting cars off. The temperature in the cockpit by this point was already getting to uncomfortable with the ambient temp being nearly 30掳C. Whilst the first half of the race continued, Henry managed to pass a couple fellow Class B runners and continue the slow but steady climb up the standings, helped by a few runners having heat related, and other issues. As it neared the end of the pitstop window, Henry managed to pick off the current class leader whilst battling through traffic heading down the Wellington straight promoting us to 4th in class. The next lap, Kev took the reins and set about consolidating the position with some high pressure from fellow Mk5 GTI driver, Josh Johnson. However, managing to complete the job allowing us to cross the line in 4th in class, just shy of the podium. A solid effort to make up 3 places from our qualifying position.”

鈥淭he post-race checks on 2 of the podium-finishing cars found them to be the wrong side of the regulations, one for weight infringement, one for ride height, thus promoting us to 2nd听in class! A welcome result with all the hard work going on in the background on performance a reliability. Needless to say, the 355mm 6-pot Apollo big brake kit equipped with RP-X compound pads didn鈥檛 miss a beat, dealing with the hot temperatures, and giving high confidence from start to finish. We are also seeing impressive wear rates for both disc and pads given the harsh environment and relative heavy weight of the car. It鈥檚 nice to be able to largely forget about that factor as we know it 鈥榡ust works鈥�! The rear setup utilising OEM equivalent Ultimax discs and pads is also surpassing expectations given the beating they receive!

鈥淲ith our (so far) consistent results this year, and constant development with the car, we currently head into Round 4 at Anglesey at the end of June heading the Class leaderboard 鈥� a genuinely amazing place to be with it being our first campaign in the 750mc Roadsports formula. Hopefully the second half of the seasons continues in the same way!鈥�

鈥淲ith the success of 2025 behind us, winning the MSVR Trackday Championship overall, we set our sights on a different goal for 2026: the Roadsports Championship hosted by 750MC would be where we plan to do battle. With a very similar format, but slightly higher power categories and faster pit stops, it sets a very different challenge.听

鈥淥ver the winter, the car has received a slight power hike with a bigger turbo and supporting mods, along with some other minor upgrades. Rear brakes have been upgraded to factory Mk5 Golf R32 vented 91传媒 plain discs, and Ultimax2 pads with slightly larger diameter; not necessarily for more brake force, but a more consistent temperature window, as the rears are worked quite hard with the OEM ABS system. This, matched with the now tried-and-tested 91传媒 Apollo 6 pot 355x32mm front big brake kit, and our 鈥榞o-to鈥� RP-X compound pads.”

鈥淩ound 1 was held at the Croft circuit near Darlington, with the weather looking to be mixed to say the least. Qualifying started in wet conditions. We readied the car with a known good wet setup and Kev rolled out to see where we were pace wise.

鈥淗aving no previous running against the new field of competitors (26 in our Class B!), it was a complete unknown at this stage. As Kev pulled in after his stint, we were sat in P2 initially 鈥� a great start! Henry jumped in for the final few laps with the track conditions improving quickly, but unfortunately a combination of traffic, an odd red flag due to a circuit electrical glitch, and various other racing driver excuses!, we ended the session in P5.

鈥淪till a very respectable start to the campaign. It鈥檚 always been a bit of a disadvantage having 2 drivers in a sprint enduro format, as you lose half the session changing drivers and getting back up to speed, whilst single driver entrants keep lapping. Especially in changeable conditions.

听鈥淭he new brake setup was proving a vast improvement in terms of feel and temperature consistency, so we were very happy with the confidence that was giving us in the bumpy braking zones.”

鈥淭he race was full of excitement, the weather constantly changing throughout. The rolling start went without issue and first five cars including us started to pull away from the remaining pack. With contact up ahead from a bold move into the Complex saw us take advantage and up to P3, using our normal measured approach. A lap later the leader went off going into the Complex too! P2.

鈥淎 few laps went by before the previous leading car of Packer was back on our rear bumper, he went through on the inside into the Complex, allowing all 3 leading cars to bunch up nicely heading down into Tower corner the following lap, where Packer re-took the lead. I ceased the opportunity to follow him through with a late brake manoeuvre both going past the leading Mk7 Golf back into P2.”

鈥淥n the way into the pits, a lapped Porsche Boxster held us up for half a lap, unfortunately meaning Kev came out the pits now in P4. Soon after Kev鈥檚 pit exit, there was a safety car due to a crashed Vauxhall Corsa, meaning it would be a 3-lap sprint to the end. The 3^rd听placed BMW Z4 seemed a long way ahead on the penultimate lap, with the added hassle of a lapped VW Scirocco in-between Kev and his target. A very committed move past the backmarker through the left hander of the Esses, subsequently forcing the BMW to out brake himself into Sunny-in. Kev lined up the move into the harpin after getting right up under the bumper through the Complex. taking the P3 spot!

鈥淎 podium first time out! Couldn鈥檛 be happier with that, especially with the quality of the machinery we were up against. The car was faultless through all the different conditions. Ultimate confidence on the middle pedal making the difference for us once again.听听

鈥淣ext round 鈥� Brands Hatch GP听on May 3^rd! Bring it on鈥︹��

Photo credits: Jonathan Elsey

Oulton Park International 鈥� Round 4

鈥淲eather looked warm for the weekend 鈥� a nice change from the monsoon conditions of Donington where we scored the car鈥檚 maiden victory! We readied the car for qualifying. With very little changed from the last round apart from basic setup changes to adapt to the dry conditions, the 91传媒 RP-X front pads combined with the Apollo 6 pot brake kit barely showing any signs of wear from the last round up front. The Ultimax 2 pads in the rear also showing signs of fantastic durability after 2 rounds in the rear. Again, we didn鈥檛 test prior to round so we had to make sure everything was on point prior so we could hit the ground running in Qualifying.

鈥淭he car instantly felt good, with a nice balance. This was the first proper use of the 6 pots in the dry. With some big braking zones at Oulton, it was clear good stopping capability would be essential as well as consistent feel for optimum performance. Managing to put the car right in the mix at the front was going to be critical to ensure we could capitalise. With 3^rd place secured we did exactly that.”

鈥淎 quick bleed of the brakes to ensure fresh fluid was in the system, Henry lined up for the race start. With an aim of consolidating a podium finish, he set about the race start. Managing to defend some early attacks round the first corner he settled into the rhythm of the first lap. A committed move from fellow 91传媒-backed stablemate, Nicole Drought, into cascades saw us momentarily drop down to 4^th place. The first 4 cars pulling away from the pack it was clear this was going to be a race of 2 halves! With a safety car intervention, the cars streamed into the pits bumper to bumper. A mis-judged stop by the Civic of Nicole would leave them unfortunately out of contention from that point onwards. Leaving the top 3 cars battling for the top step after Kev had taken over from the pit stop. With an impressive move on the Mk6 Golf of Jack and George Wright into Lodge Corner on the brakes early in his stint Kev set about chasing the super consistent Matt Swaffer in his 130i BMW. His pace was to be rewarded with the victory having defended a late charge from Kev finishing a mere 2 seconds behind. 2^nd听place! A great result. Making it 3 podiums finishes in row from the newly acquired Golf.

鈥淭he back-to-back podiums feeling very rewarding after all the hard work and early development with the car. 鈥� There鈥檚 still so much more to come too! Safe to say we鈥檙e very much in the right ballpark in the braking department though. The ability to drive hard all race long with such consistent pedal feel, and wear characteristics that are extremely impressive given their use and weight of the car. Next round Cadwell Park!鈥�

Cadwell Park 鈥� Round 5

鈥淐adwell Park: not a firm favourite of Henry鈥檚. However, Kev seems to enjoy it! You can guess who will be starting the race here for us鈥� Despite not having a bad record here and generally going well, it鈥檚 not been a place I鈥檝e ever really gelled with. This all changed a little bit when we rolled the car out for qualifying. Again, with no testing prior, we bolted a set of new tyres (the first new set since we started testing in April) and set about trying to get ourselves in contention with the host of front running cars that had tested the previous day. The car felt absolutely superb, With Henry and Kev both managing to lap within 2 tenths, albeit making time in totally different ways and sections of the track having looked at the data! The session finished with us 4^th听overall. Knowing that there was plenty left on the plate performance wise. The car鈥檚 brake balance with multitude of different corners and elevations was confidence inspiring to say the least.

鈥淜ev started the race with it being one of his preferred tracks, and immediately got off to a good start making short work of 3^rd place round the outside into turn 1. Immediately setting his sights on the BMW of Matt Swaffers who appeared to be struggling to get up to speed straight away. A challenge that lasted another 4 corners before Kev committed an excellent move down the inside into the downhill left hander at Mansfield, finishing the move into the entry of the mountain section. Up to second place on lap 1.”

鈥淭his set the tone for the whole first half of the race. With Kev and the Mk6 Golf of Jack and George Wright pulling clear of the rest of the pack. With the pit stops completed, Henry jumped in hoping to consolidate to great work Kev had started. After a couple of laps of adjustment to how the car was handling, and the gap to 1^st听stable, Henry set about narrowing the gap to the Golf. Keeping an eye on the hard charging Civic of Nicole behind. With 1 lap to go, Henry was right on the bumper of the Golf having stabilised the gap to 3^rd. A back marker decided to place himself right in the wrong place into turn one defusing any chance of lining up a pass at the end of the Park Straight frustratingly! With the narrowness and twistiness of the Cadwell Park Circuit, another passing opportunity wasn鈥檛 to present itself. Crossing the line a mere 0.2 seconds off the winning Golf. 听

鈥淎nother fantastic result in the bank. With the championship starting to take place, this leaves us leading Class B and 2^nd听overall. With 2 rounds to go, it鈥檚 going to be important to maintain the momentum! It鈥檚 all to play for! Next round Croft Circuit!鈥�

Round 3 鈥� Donington Park GP听

鈥淩ound 3 of the Trackday Championship took us to the not so sunny Donington Park circuit in GP format.

鈥淭he Clubracer Golf had been subject to some upgrades after its impressive 3^rd听place at Silverstone, where it had shown good pace throughout the weekend despite its lack of testing, and our familiarity with the platform.

鈥淭he newly fitted 91传媒 Apollo 6-pot Motorsport Big Brake kit grabbing the attention of many as we had the car up on stands preparing a full wet weather setup for the days racing. The 355mm x 32mm floating disc setup looking menacing behind the 18鈥� wheels. With our old tried and tested 91传媒 RP-X pads up front, combined with some Ultimax 2 rear pads, we had all the reason to be confident going into the weekend on the hardest track in the country on brakes.”

鈥淲ith the rain falling hard before qualifying, and our total lack of testing in the wet with the Golf, it was a case of applying previous experience in setup and wet racing line to try and get the best of things. Championship leader Nicole Drought, in her 91传媒 Racing Apollo-equipped Civic Type R, was straight out the gate into provisional pole in the wet conditions, getting up to pace almost instantly. The first few laps were a case of finding the balance and grip for听Henry, who handed the car over to Kev at the session halfway point. With the Civic in the pits assuming it was job done, Kev set about the final lap in the session having the got familiar with the car and conditions very quickly as the rain eased slightly. A blistering lap putting the 91传媒/Helix Golf on pole by 2 tenths of a second as the flagged dropped, before Nicole could get a chance to respond. Locking out the front row with the 91传媒-equipped cars.

鈥淲ith the rain falling harder and harder, Kev strapped himself into the car, ready to do battle. With the conditions as they were, race control opted for a rolling start to try and minimise risk. Kev got a great run and maintained the lead from the hard-charging Civic of Nicole. As the two leaders pulled a 14-second gap together away from 3^rd place, the rain was still falling harder. Kevin showing absolute composure under pressure. A rare error from the Civic entering the infamous Craner Curves on standing water and proceeding impact with the tyre wall prompted a safety car, then a red flag as multiple cars required recovery in dangerous positions.”

鈥淎s the red lights fell for the standing restart, Kev again managed a faultless getaway, pulling clear of the field before pitting to change over to听Henry. The rain having eased slightly at the point he left the pits only to find a hard charging Charlie Palk in the distinctive lime green Scirocco (also equipped with 91传媒 pads all-round on our recommendation) who was up to speed after his stop and filling up our mirrors. The gap changing constantly with the flow of back markers and traffic, with听Henry听managing to find some imaginative gaps along the way eventually breaking free slightly. With the hard work done, a few more laps managing the situation led to us bring the car home for its maiden win in the TDC.

鈥淭he new Apollo Big Brake Kit having performed faultlessly in combination with the standard ABS system. Untested and unknown, bolted on two days prior to the race meeting. Taking pole and the overall and class win a testament to the quality and performance we鈥檝e relied on for the last four years.听

鈥淲ith the championship all of a sudden blown wide open, it鈥檚 all to play for heading into Round 4 at Oulton Park鈥︹��

Round 2 鈥� Silverstone GP听

鈥淩ound 2 took us to sunny Northamptonshire and Silverstone Circuit 鈥� home of the British GP. A rare club motorsport visit to the full GP circuit.

鈥淲ith the engine issues of Round 1 behind us, and the car clad with some new 91传媒 SR-21 pads, and new two-piece floating discs in combination with the beautiful hard anodised four-pot callipers up front, as well as 91传媒 Yellowstuff matched with Ultimax grooved discs on the rear, we were confident of a better weekend!

鈥淨ualifying is always a compromise with two drivers, due to the required mandatory driver change. Once you鈥檙e up to speed, you have to change drivers. All within the 25-minute session time. This made even harder with a long lap time, with the in and out laps. That said, we quickly got to grips with task in hand and made the best of the 3-4 laps we had each… Putting the car on the second row of the grid in 4^th.”

鈥淭he race itself started with a sizable safety car period after a start-line collision which neutralised things whilst they recovered cars, and ensured drivers were ok 鈥� thankfully that being the case.

鈥淥nce the safety car peeled in, the top four cars including our Golf, made a break from the rest of the pack. Henry had the best view of the battle between 2^nd听and 3^rd听place which he positioned himself in prime position waiting for any opportunity. Carefully waiting and watching the battle unfold, aware that they were compromising themselves in the hunt for the lead!

鈥淭he battle headed all the way into the pits, where the swift driver change, and perfectly timed exit saw us come out in a favourable 3^rd听position overall. Kev making the sensible decision to manage the race and get some very good points and podium finish under our belts by not getting in any trouble and confirm our position as a top Class B contender this year.

鈥淎 very respectable finish in our first race finish with the car! There is so much more to come, and development to exploit yet.

鈥淭he braking package is testament the 91传媒 products we are used to. Being able to sustain the temps and harsh usage required to be the front. The confidence in the package is critical to any success.鈥�

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�

鈥淩ound 4 brought us to a very humid Snetterton in Norfolk. With the car cleaned down from all the Rallycross dirt and muck from a soggy Lydden Hill, we readied ourselves for qualifying. With the RP-X front pads and Ultimax discs fitted before the last round showing very little in the way of wear, the braking zones of Snetterton weren鈥檛 going to pose any issues. The Yellowstuff pads fitted in the rear at the start of the season showing less than 50% wear which is also an impressive feat.

鈥淲ith Class D making up the majority of the grid again, the competition was going to be tough. After the first half the session cut short due to a stranded car, with us sat 3^rd听in class, Kev jumped in for the 2^nd听half. Improving on the first half鈥檚 time unfortunately didn鈥檛 jump us any positions in class but the top-3 bunched nicely together making for a potentially interesting race start. We were later promoted to 2^nd听due to a regulation infringement by the pole sitter.

鈥淭he race start at Lydden Hill, or lack of, due to me stalling was at the forefront of my mind as a sat on the grid in the thick of it again! Luckily some refreshed focus on the basics and a good reaction time catapulted me through the 6 cars in front of me as the red lights dropped. Probably the best race start I鈥檝e ever made! The negative side of making such a good start is having a whole host of higher class B and C cars trying to navigate their way back round on the first 2 laps!”

鈥淏eing careful to pick my battles and not lose tie defending pointless battles the race started to settle into its initial order. Having made it back up to first in class, the 2^nd place Mazda was hot on out heals slowly gaining on our 5 second gap. At this point I decided to drop the normal tactic of managing the car and race mitigating reliability and risk went out the window and switched to 鈥榙rive the wheels of it鈥� mode. Deeper, later and harder on the brakes as I ever have been in race condition. The brake combo simply took the abuse and gave me confidence to keep pushing, allowing me to maintain the gap nicely.”

鈥淎 combination of the race leading car catching fire and another car stricken on the infield in the barriers caused an early red flag, with disappointingly no restart. 鈥� However confirming our class victory which was of course a positive! I was glad of the chance to blink and breathe again however!听

鈥淩ound 5 sees us tackle the 鈥楴眉rburgring of the North鈥� at Cadwell Park. Not a firm favourite, but a track we have a good record at non the less. Last half of the season coming up!鈥�

鈥淩ound 3 saw us in uncharted territory 鈥� Lydden Hill Circuit in Kent. A short circuit with very aggressive tarmac and large elevation changes throughout.

鈥淗aving tested on the Friday before the racing on Saturday, we had a chance to bed some new RP-X pads and Ultimax discs ready for qualifying. And scrub some tyres in also. The rear 91传媒 Yellowstuffs fitted from round 1 are still in great shape with well over 50% remaining, despite them getting a regular hard workout with the ABS system controlling bias. The pedal modulation, and control/feel the we get from this combo give us confidence and performance in all conditions and surfaces. 听

鈥淲ith 12 other class D cars to battle it out over the short Lydden circuit, qualifying was a bit of an odd affair. With the rain starting to fall we managed to secure provisional pole, however a stranded car in the infield gravel trap provoked a red flag. We opted to do our driver change at this point and noticed that the fuel tank strap under the car had simply snaped off! Utilising the red flag period to fix the issue we lost a fair bit of track time dropped to third in class. By the time we re-joined the session the rain had made it all but impossible to improve. Far from a disaster, but leaving us work to do!”

鈥淭he race was to start in damp conditions, but drying. As we lined up on the grid, I picked up the revs as normal and waited for the red lights to clear. As soon as they did I dropped the clutch and stalled the car! Possibly due to the super abrasive surface, the car just gripped and bogged. I sat there praying that no one collected me whilst re-starting the car. As luck would have it everyone did a great job, and I was soon fired back up and chasing the pack.

鈥淔rom flat last with quarter of a lap to catch everyone, I set about the mother of all comebacks. With myself fully in the zone, and dispatching of the first few cars with relative ease, I started to gear up for the some of the more challenging moves required to climb the order. One after one they started to be dispatched, in a combination of moves on the brakes, round the outside, down the inside, along the straight, passing spinning and stranded cars, I had managed 11 moves before handing the car over Kev to complete the job with the car now back up to third in class.”

鈥淜ev got straight to work passing a higher Class C Clio into the tight left hander with a 鈥榣ast of the late braker鈥� style move! Testament to the confidence on the brakes. The very next corner he managed to edge the Class D MX-5 up the inside into the final corner for second in class. With 10 mins left of the race, Kev set about the Class leaders. After a couple of laps he was right on their bumper. Attempting to go round the outside on the hairpin, we were just about given space on the exit, heading side by side in to the final corner. With the fullest of commitment edging past to take the Class lead round the outside despite some questionable contact on the exit!

鈥淏ringing the car home with a comfortable lead we reflected on what had just happened! From flat last to taking the class win and 9^th overall! The car was just sublime, so much confidence everywhere, where others seemed to struggle. A great points haul and an extension to our lead in the Class D standings! Roll on Snetterton for round 4 in August鈥︹��

鈥淲ith the weather cool but sunny, we couldn鈥檛 really ask for more suitable conditions to kick off our 2024 campaign. Donington Park traditionally being the hardest circuit in the UK on braking components meant we had set about our preparation with a fresh set of pads of discs and pads all round. Of course opting for the tried-and-tested combo of 91传媒 RP-X pads up front mated to USR discs, and 91传媒 Yellowstuff pads in the rear on plain discs. We tend to switch between Bluestuff and Yellowstuff in the rear depending on track smoothness and gradient to avoid unloaded wheels locking etc. Needless to say, having that option is an advantage!

鈥淲ith qualifying underway, Henry set about getting a few banker laps in and making sure everything was dialled on with the car after some intrusive heavy maintenance which hadn鈥檛 been tested. Thankfully all was ok, and we soon saw ourselves heading up the class timing tables. Just before the planned driver switch, there was a huge oil slick placed on the racing line going through the infamous Craner Curves by an expiring Renault Clio. Kev jumped in the car having not driven it since getting out of it at Brands Hatch last year, and immediately was up to pace. Then, in the dying minutes of the session, pulled out an astonishing lap despite the oil down, putting us firmly at the top of the class timing sheets, and in the mix with a lot more powerful machinery 鈥� some 1.3 seconds clear of the next class contender.”听听

鈥淲ith a quick bleed of the brakes all round for good measure, we readied the car for the race. With Henry starting the race and the red light dropping, it was important to be hyper aware to get a nice clean few laps in. It鈥檚 a long season and the last thing you need is contact or issues this early on.

鈥淲ith the class lead re-secured after a nice straightforward move into the chicane up the inside on a fellow Class D MX-5 who had snuck past whilst Henry was baulked on lap 1, he set about securing a solid few seconds鈥� gap. A stranded car in the gravel at the chicane prompted a safety car at the halfway point, with the majority of the field opting to dive straight into the pits. Henry set about completing an extra lap instead of pitting as the safety car was at the later point of the lap in hand so made sense to have another fast lap. After pitting and Kev jumping in and catching back up to the safety car, we had catapulted ourselves up to 5^th听position overall! A lap ahead of our nearest class rival!

鈥淜ev consciously made the decision to manage the race like a true professional and bring the car home without any hassle, navigating any backmarkers and setting the fastest lap in the class for that all-important point. Crossing the line in a staggering 5^th听position overall, beating ALL the Class C cars in the process!

鈥淎 dream start to the season, and testament to the quality of the products we use and believe in.鈥�

鈥淭he final round of the 2023 season brought us to a typically grey and wet Brands Hatch in Kent, to be expected in late October! With the championship still in contention (although an outside chance) we readied ourselves for what would be a difficult round. We don鈥檛 think we鈥檝e ever driven a circuit that delivered so little grip in these conditions in my last 14 years of racing.

鈥淨ualifying was held early in the morning with the track wet and sun low, so tricky conditions. With a full grid on a small circuit, simply getting a lap time felt like quite an achievement. Pedal feel and ability to modulate the brakes well was superb as usual from the RP-X/Bluestuff pad combo we鈥檝e come to trust without question. A lot of cars were left stranded in the gravel and off in the grass without the same level performance! A brisk and safe performance secured second in class which was a good result for us, with the main championship contender just behind.

鈥淭he race was looking to be a slightly drier affair as Henry sat in the holder area. However, as he sat on the grid for the green flag lap, the heavens opened, so any hope of a dry race/line disappeared! As the red lights went out, Henry opted for the safer inside line through the first few corners with a long race ahead. Damage limitation and the strategic approach of 鈥榠t鈥檚 a long race鈥� view enabled us to get through the first important laps unscathed, although in 3^rd听place in class right behind 1^st听and 2^nd 鈥� a good starting point.”

鈥淎fter a few laps, the first-place Mazda, under increasing pressure, disappeared off into the barriers on the exit of Druids allowing us up to 2^nd. With a few other cars in the gravel, a safety car was inevitable. We opted to pit a lap later than everyone else queueing into the pits, allowing a nearly-clear lap of flat-out catching up with the safety car before pitting. With the pit stop completed, Kev came out in first place in class moving us up without the risk of having to make the moves out on track. Perfect!

鈥淲ith the conditions consistently dreadful it, was a case of managing the race to the finish and staying out of trouble, which Kev did perfectly, climbing a few positions from higher-class cars. Testament to being able to push on the brakes in such conditions.

鈥淐rossing the line P1 in class and 10^th听overall is a huge achievement in multi-class racing in the lowest class! With the other Mazda in contention for the championship crossing the line in 2^nd,听the championship didn鈥檛 go our way this year. But runner up is certainly something to be proud of given the trials and tribulations of club racing, not to mention the somewhat odd championship points structure. And on top of that, a consistent first or second championship finish for the last four years 鈥撎齱e go again next year!鈥�