“Round 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!

“With 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’ve found using the RP-X compound – 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.

“With 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’t 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.”

“With 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 ‘last of the late brakers’ 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.

“Another 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’s silverware!”

Qualifying:

“I qualified 2^nd in class, from 9 in class C and 12^th overall from a total of 26, I also set a personal best of 56:9 on the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, there is no doubt the new RP-X pads made a significant difference in my ability to out-brake others.”

Race One:

“A very busy start to the race due to my qualifying position in the middle of the pack and a tricky first corner at Paddock Hill with cars four abreast in places and bumper to bumper. However, as we headed into Graham Hill, space started to develop and although the class C pole sitter had managed to gain a lead, a squabble between Aaron Tucker in his HT Racing Sierra 1.8 Pinto developed, and we enjoyed close, fast and fair racing for long periods until Aaron was able to get the better of me into the Cooper Straight, having just that bit more torque. However, I was happy to take 3^rd in class and was happy it gave my new sponsor BlueBlue.uk and their clients something to cheer.”

Grid Walk:

“Ford Power Live also had an exclusive Modified Fords Grid Walk during the lunch period between Races One and Two and this saw the grid packed with show and race fans asking many questions about all the cars, their setups and gave younger fans a chance to enjoy a seat in the cars and grab some autographs and photos.”

Race Two:

“Race two again saw a busy start into Paddock Hill as is expected at Brands Hatch, and I lost a place in the class to Gary Littlewood who was also on his home circuit putting me into 4^th in class. Gary and I have had some superb battles this season and Race Two was no different, with 3^rd and 4^th places swapping multiple times and in the end to my favour before Gary had to retire with a puncture. The racing gods were also in my favour during the race with Aaron Tucker who had 2^nd in class having to retire pushing me into 2^nd place behind the class pace setter Justin Fuller and his Puma.

“However, I am pleased to announce that my finishes over the weekend a 3^rd and 2nd were enough for top honours in Class C and overall for 2024!!

“The Modified Fords now move onto the last round of the season at MSV’s Navarra Circuit in Northern Spain, were I am sure the racing will again be hugely competitive.

“I am so impressed with the brake pads! Personally, I think they are a much more suitable pad for me than the RP-1; they are much better from cold and the braking power is so much better whilst still giving great pedal feel, I had so much confidence in them and was able to brake so much later which reflected in my times over the whole weekend.”

Qualified: 28^th out of 36 (2^nd in class by 4/10ths)

Race One: Finished 23^rd out of 36 (1^st in class)

Race Two: Finished 22^nd out of 36 (1^st in class)

“Qualifying was more a test than a qualifying session, following repairs and upgrades from last round’s DNF at Snetterton, and was cut slightly short due to incidents on the circuit. However, I qualified 2^nd in class (4/10ths of a second behind the class pole).

“Race One was saw close racing between Gary Littlewood and myself throughout and following a slight mistake from Gary running wide at Copse, I seized the chance to pass and led the class for the remain five laps, taking the class win.

“Race Two’s start was chaotic with lots of congestion going into Copse and Maggots and Gary Littlewood pulled the same move on me as I had on him in race one, however once the field spread I was able to get back past Gary on the Wellington Straight and led the class for the entire race, building a gap of approximately half a straight, taking maximum points for the weekend.

“Brakes were perfect all weekend! And I have now extended my lead in the class and overall championship, putting me in a good position going into the two last rounds at Brands Hatch and Navarra. Fingers crossed the car and I perform!”

“Round 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’t 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.

“With 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 in class, Kev jumped in for the 2^nd half. Improving on the first half’s time unfortunately didn’t 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 due to a regulation infringement by the pole sitter.

“The 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’ve 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!”

“Being 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 ‘drive the wheels of it’ 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.”

“A 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. – However confirming our class victory which was of course a positive! I was glad of the chance to blink and breathe again however! 

“Round 5 sees us tackle the ‘Nürburgring of the North’ 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!”

“The Autoworks Motorsport team went from strength to strength at the Portuguese event, achieving a podium finish in the second race in the GT4 Bronze category of the Iberian Supercars Endurance, which took place this weekend at the Fernanda Pires da Silva race track in Estoril.

“The Iberian Supercars Endurance 2024 continued its season in Portugal, after the first two rounds in Spain, at the Autódromo Fernanda Pires da Silva de Estoril, a track that Héctor and Borja know from last year, although not the variant with the chicane, which was the official one during the competitions of this third round. These two slow corners played havoc with the traction of their BMW M4 GT4 and therefore hurt their lap times.

“Friday was entirely dedicated to free practice, while Saturday was all about official practice, with both Borja and HĂŠctor failing to get their BMW M4 GT4 to the front of the grid, so they would have to come back in the race if they were to continue their run of podium finishes from Jerez and Jarama.”

“In the first race on Sunday, Borja started from sixth position and although he made a good start, a mistake put him back to his initial position, and after the pit stop it was impossible for Hector to get close to his rivals due to tyre degradation, but he kept the sixth position, and with it some valuable points for the championship.

“The second race was notable for a good start and first stint by Héctor, who left the car well positioned so that, after the pit stop, Borja took advantage to attack with everything he had and finish third in his category at the finish line.

“’We are very satisfied! Despite the fact that we were barely able to run in free practice due to several incidents on track, the team’s progress went from strength to strength throughout the weekend. On such a difficult track for our car and in front of many high-level rivals racing at home, achieving a third place in the GT4 Bronze category leaves us with a very good taste in our mouths’, commented HĂŠctor and Borja.

“The fourth round of the Iberian Supercars Endurance returns to Spain after the summer period on 28-29 September at Ricardo Tormo race track in Valencia.”

“Round 3 saw us in uncharted territory – Lydden Hill Circuit in Kent. A short circuit with very aggressive tarmac and large elevation changes throughout.

“Having 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 EBC 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.  

“With 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!”

“The 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.

“From 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.”

“Kev got straight to work passing a higher Class C Clio into the tight left hander with a ‘last of the late braker’ 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!

“Bringing 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…”

“Autoworks Motorsport team achieved two podiums in the GT4 Bronze category and an overall third position in the Supercars Endurance, which took place this weekend at Circuito del Jarama.

“Supercars Endurance, south European championship, continued its season in Spain after the inaugural event at the Ángel Nieto de Jerez circuit. This time around, it was held alongside the Jarama Classic event, whose popularity is recognised by the fans and the large number of people who came to the circuit throughout the weekend.

“Friday was entirely dedicated to free practice, while Saturday was all about official practice, with both Borja and Héctor finishing second on the grid in their BMW M4 GT4, with which they have barely done any pre-season testing.

“In the first race on Sunday, Borja started from sixth position and made a steady progression up to fourth

place, but after the pit stop Hector was unable to maintain his position due to tyre degradation from the high track temperatures that dominated Sunday’s race. However, the team’s efforts paid off, with a second place in class and valuable points for the championship.

“The second race was highlighted by a good start and first stint by HĂŠctor, who left the car well positioned so that, after the stop, Borja took advantage of a safety car to recover the car and attack with all his strength to finish with the victory in his category and third in the overall classification.”

“’We are very happy! To get a victory and a second place in GT4 Bronze, as well as a third place overall after achieving the best comeback of the weekend is something we are very proud to do at our home track in front of our sponsors, family and friends. This result is the fruit of five years of hard work and we are very happy and excited’, commented Héctor and Borja.

“The Iberian Supercars Endurance action will continue on 13-14 July in Portugal at the legendary Estoril circuit, which will once again share the stage with classic car competitions under the banner of the Estoril Summer Festival.”

“With the weather cool but sunny, we couldn’t 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 EBC RP-X pads up front mated to USR discs, and EBC 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!

“With 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’t 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 – some 1.3 seconds clear of the next class contender.”  

“With 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’s a long season and the last thing you need is contact or issues this early on.

“With 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’ 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 position overall! A lap ahead of our nearest class rival!

“Kev 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 position overall, beating ALL the Class C cars in the process!

“A dream start to the season, and testament to the quality of the products we use and believe in.”

“After two victories this weekend at Estoril, Héctor Hernández and Borja Hormigos have been proclaimed champions of the TC category of the Iberian Supercars Endurance and the Portuguese Speed Championship, at the wheel of their BMW M240i Racing, with the assistance of Autoworks Motorsport and the main sponsorship of EBC Frenos España.

“The Iberian Supercars Endurance 2023 (gt4southeuropean.com) reached its final round in Estoril with all the titles to be decided, a fact that was reflected in the large number of people who came to the circuit throughout the weekend.”

“Friday was devoted entirely to free practice, which Héctor and Borja took advantage of to memorise a track they had never raced on before. Saturday’s programme concentrated all the action in the official practice sessions, in which both Borja and Héctor took first place in the TC division, qualifying ahead of other drivers with more powerful cars from higher categories. In the two races that completed the Sunday schedule, the team achieved two division victories.

“The entire team’s worth was put to the test with seamless mechanical reliability, great on-track pace with no mistakes and precise driver changeover stops, which were undoubtedly key to, not only in this race, the deciding factor in being consistent throughout the season.”

“The points obtained for this double victory have allowed the team to win the title of both championships in the TC category (both in Iberian Supercars Endurance and the Portuguese Speed Championship) in their first year of participation in the most prestigious touring car competition in the Iberian Peninsula.

“Héctor and Borja declared in the press conference after the podium: “We are very satisfied because, apart from the learning that we have taken with us, we have been able to materialize in the form of titles all the work that the team has done during the whole season, in a championship with a very high level”. “

“The 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’t think we’ve ever driven a circuit that delivered so little grip in these conditions in my last 14 years of racing.

“Qualifying 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’ve 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.

“The 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 ‘it’s a long race’ view enabled us to get through the first important laps unscathed, although in 3^rd place in class right behind 1^st and 2^nd – a good starting point.”

“After 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!

“With 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.

“Crossing the line P1 in class and 10^th 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, the championship didn’t 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 – we go again next year!”