“Our car is a 1991 Chevrolet Corvette, running under the team name ‘Eddie Vetter’. This car is the successor to our previous car, ‘Freddie Mercury’; a 1986 Mercury Capri. This car is raced by myself, Dan Tiley, and teammate David Pesce. David and I are both race car vehicle dynamics simulation engineers, primarily supporting our NASCAR efforts. David works for GM in their racing division, and, ironically, I work for Ford Racing.”

“Eddie Vetter is big, heavy and bleeds American muscle, so it needs all the help it can get in the braking department. We’ve a rival brake pad for years but can no longer get them. After watching Roy Dietsch’s videos highlighting SR-21 and SR-11s, we revamped our system solely for the purpose of using those pads. We had to change our calipers in order to accommodate them. The end result was a huge gain for us! We now get excellent modulation (better than the previous pads we used), the pads are easy on the rotors and we had very little pad wear after 12 hours of racing! We are not a professional racing team with a full pit crew, and simply aren’t able to change brake pads mid-race without losing significant time on track.”

“The first seven years of my career with Ford I was a Vehicle Dynamics Engineer working on future products like the Mustang and Lincoln LS. Brake development and brake feel ‘DNA’ was a key part of my job as part of that group, so I like to think that I have some reasonable background in the area of automotive brake feel and performance.

“Our first race with EBC pads was the Championship race recently. We knew it was a risk going to the Nationals with an untested brake system, AND test day was cancelled due to weather, but it paid off in spades! We won the overall race, and ultimately the 2025 National Championship on EBC brake pads!”

“The previous pad manufacturer has left a huge hole in the endurance racing market with the lack of their components, which were unanimously accepted as the gold standard for performance and wear. EBC has set a new bar with their SR series of brake pads! 

“Thanks again for producing a great product that we’ve so dearly needed!â€�

“Going into this track day, I was mostly looking to confirm that my DIY chassis-mounted wing yields an improvement in handling that will hopefully equate to better lap times than the last time I was at the track. The track weekend though was also a present to myself, as it took place the day after my 40^th birthday! That said… a few small tasks turned into a bunch of stuff… so much for keeping it simple and just sending it! Overall though, it was a success and I had really positive results from my modifications.â€�

Modifications, Maintenance & Thoughts Before the Track Day

“Everything seemed to hold up pretty good from the last track day, so there weren’t any critically outstanding issues. There’s a few standard items and then one stretch goal I may or may not get around to.â€�

Swapped Out Spring Rates

“So, as part of upgrading aero on my car and discussing the handling with a variety of other folks out there, it became apparent I was running too low of a spring rate. I spoke with the folks over at  again and they were able to order up some Eibach springs for me in the right size and in spring rates of 700 front, 750 rear. This should upgrade handling overall and help me keep a car with balanced handling to a potential hair of oversteer. We’ll see how I like the car driving with these new spring rates and I’ll report back on it all.â€�

Testing Out EBC SR-11 Brake pads

“While the Carbotech XP-10 brake pads treated me quite good at the track, lasting nine track days and providing excellent braking characteristics, the new EBC SR-11 brake pads are currently all the rage for performance AND durability. So, I grabbed a pair to test out. Per EBC recommendations, I scuffed up the current rotors significantly to help remove material from the old pads and to help the new pads bed in quicker. We’ll see how these hold up!â€�

Added DIY Splitter Ramps to the 9LR Splitter & Confirmed Hardware

“So, you can read all about the  over in my , but the short version is after researching various splitter ramp options ranging from $150-200… I decided to just make my own. We’ll see if they hold up at the track. The good news is they’re fairly reasonable to remove, but I’m fairly confident they should be able to do the trick. This should yield a modest bump in downforce on the front of the car, which may help with that bit of understeer I’ve been dealing with. It’s also worth mentioning I took the entire thing off to begin with as it felt a bit loose, but sure enough, it’s all as secure as can be!â€�

MPI Wheel Bearing Concerns

“I had play going into the previous track day, but decided to risk it. The play didn’t change at all it would seem, but it is enough when moving the wheel there’s a bit of a ‘clunk’. I measured the distance out to be .026″ with a feeler gauge, so that may not be enough to worry about. I let the folks at MPI know I was having this issue and we’re still in communication about it. They understandably can’t see it themselves, so I took the measurement above and sent them a video of the clunking. They got back to me and are sending me two new front wheel bearings and will be taking these two back to take a look at. Hopefully the issue was just a fluke, and if not even more hopeful that they will continue to refine the product to be more robust.â€�

Improved Airflow Throughout the Car

“So, what started as plan for a few small airflow improvements turned into a whole bunch of small modifications that were quickly adding up to a tonne of notes. I decided to write about all of my  in its own article. The short version though is I focused on improving airflow to and through the radiator, along with diverting a little bit extra fresh air up to the cold air intake air filters.�

Tires Swapped Out

“So, back on  I picked up a nail through one of my tires that couldn’t really be properly fixed. I got a whole new set of four tires, chucked the one bad tire, and kept the other three around just in case. Well, turns out I needed them as my rear tires were positively roasted after my last track day. They perhaps had one, maybe two track days left in them… but given I had a set of tires around with 2-3 days left in them I figured I’d swap those two in and keep the other two around as spares just in case.â€�

How The Track Day Actually Went

“With all of the last few details buttoned up and a track full of tonnes of gear, we made the eight-hour drive down to Thunderhill. We stayed in the nearby town of Willows, CA, which has a nice little Airbnb/hotel that is decent enough to stay at.

“Saturday was about the usual scene for a winter track day. Colder temperatures were present along with a constant breeze. Still though, not too bad overall. This particular group was a Shelby club, so it was loaded with a wide variety of mustangs. It was interesting to see how my 25-year-old Corvette stacked up against far newer cars. I’m glad to report back that it held up well, catching all the other Mustangs even with lots of aero in all of the turns. Unfortunately, the straights were the issue. More on that to be written on the post-event write-up.

“One bummer for me going into the track day is that we were running the ‘Cyclone’, which was a bummer simply because I wanted to compare my times this weekend to the previous time here without the wing on the car.

“The refined aero and stiffer springs felt great and were far more confidence inspiring entering high speed turns. In mid-speed turns, the wing still helped a bunch, which combined with my willingness to rotate a car at 80mph being greater than 112mph balanced itself out nicely.

“One big standout was the EBC SR-11 brake pads. They had way better initial bite and feel than the Carbotech XP-10s and held up to heat way better throughout the course of a day. It’s not entirely fair to compare these brake pads as the XP-10s are streetable, and in my opinion the SR-11s are not. Still though, what an improvement in being able to brake far better than ever! With that initial strong bite, I could also heel-toe/side-foot far easier. Overall, a big improvement to the car! I’ll be curious to see how they hold up!

“Engine temperatures were excellent as the DIY cooling mods clearly worked! I never exceeded 243 degrees Fahrenheit all day when previously even with colder weather I’d push well into the high 250s. I also only pushed above 240 after many back-to-back all out laps, where as normal lapping, especially in traffic, stayed at 237. So, I’m pretty confident the engine cooling modifications must all be working, though since I did them all at once I can’t really point to any specific one as being superior to the other.

“On Saturday I put down a best time of 2:06.310. I felt pretty good about that, but knew I was leaving time on the table in a few places. It’s one of those things were small hesitations here or there can cost a good chunk of time. Brake just a few MPH more than necessary from 120 down, give up a tenth of a second. Don’t launch it into turn 3? There goes some time. Overly square up the Cyclone hill? Throw away another tenth.

“Sunday afternoon I really picked up some time on my laps though. I was chasing a far higher horsepower Mustang than mine and gaining on them every lap despite their near 33% higher power. Then, in a subsequent session I put down two back-to-back 2:05 laps, with my best being 2:05.036 per timing the lap from video. 10hz GPS Bluetooth Track Addicts has it at 2:05.307, so right around that time. I’m stoked though as I was able to drop a full second from Saturday. What was interesting was comparing daytime temperatures, wind, and when in my sessions my time dropped. Since Sunday was just a bit hotter and less windy in the AM, track temperatures were up a bit as were car temperatures. I saw a peak oil temperature of 243 degrees, which was a sure-fire indicator I was pushing faster lap times… but I also was starting to slide the car more as the tires got hot. Now normally, I’m told sliding is slow… but for me being able to rotate the car into a lot of the turns definitely helped me pick up time. While in some places it surely lost time as I’d understeer and push a bit wider than intended and have to saw the steering wheel to regain traction, but in other places I could pitch the car sideways a bit early while braking so when I entered the turn I’d already have the car rotated a bit. Not only was that fun, but apparently it was fast!

“Other minor observation from out there at the track day was that leaving turn 11 I was always faster if I stayed in 3rd versus 2nd. While I had way more acceleration out of the turn in 2nd, it was really easy to accidentally step the rear out more than intended, and the time lost making the shift was notable. Every single time I stayed in 3rd and pulled through that section I’d be shifting to 4th right at the exit cone for turn 13. If I grabbed second, I’d always be shifting to 4th afterwards.

“Another place I’d carry a lot more speed was going into turn 1 and just staying in 4th. If I downshifted to 3rd I’d have more drive into turn 2, but I had plenty of drive in 4th and the addition of a shift into that braking zone unsettled the car just that little bit extra and resulted in me shedding extra speed.

“To get a lot of faster I think I need to get better at looking at session data and being able to compare lap times when trying different lines or gear selections. For example I tried two variations of the Cyclone, and in those variations were also gear variation. I settled on a line a friend showed me and staying in 3rd gear as I’d hit turn 6 just as quick… but perhaps that was just a matter of perception, as a tenth of a second isn’t much of a difference at all!â€�

Summary

“In a strange turn of events, my back straight speed was up 4mph on average. I feel confident saying it wasn’t because of my superior line choice either as I’d often be a bit off-line as I’d overcook that last turn. Perhaps it’s the extra aero hold through turns 10-13 meaning I hit the straight with a higher top speed? OR… perhaps it’s because I stopped grabbing 2nd and just went with third. Yeah… it’s probably that.

“I can’t really ascertain massive gains here, and this is just looking at a single metric which is peak speed, not peak speed over time which equates to lap times. Some gains can also clearly be related to a change in technique (pulling 3rd vs going to 2nd when going through turn 12). Overall. I can’t say for certain the wing put me way ahead of the previous times, but overall it seems based on a few sample areas I was in general traveling faster with the new aero and brakes… so there’s a probable correlation.â€�

Preston and Ben – with C5 and C6 Z06 Corvettes respectively – both pushed these brake pads hard during the day’s action, coming away satisfied with the performance and longevity the product showed in their V8-powered sports cars.

Manufactured in the USA, 91´«Ã½ Racing’s sintered SR-11 brake pad is proving to be the go-to race pad choice for all Corvette drivers as it successfully delivers the torque and longevity required for endurance racing and represents the lowest cost per racing mile of any pads that were tested.

You can find out more about this exciting new product by clicking here.

Please reach out to your local EBC stockist for more information: /where-to-buy/

91´«Ã½ Racing Fully Floating Two-Piece Discs 

– EBC’s 345x30mm (front) and 350x27mm (rear) two-piece fully floating rotors are a simple bolt-on upgrade that seamlessly replace the original brake rotors without vehicle modification.

– EBC’s SG2F fully floating rotor allows the outer cast-iron friction ring to expand freely with temperature, totally eliminating rotor warping.

– Rotors are grooved unlike the original rotors which are perforated. This allows the pad to vent without the holes becoming epicentres for rotor cracking.

– Race-derived G3500-grade high-carbon cast iron is used for the friction rings. This high-quality metallurgy possesses greater crack resistance and an increased ability to conduct and then dissipate heat.

– Aluminium bells are machined from aerospace-grade aluminium and then hard anodised for longevity, whereas the stock brake rotors use uncoated cast aluminium bells.

– Cast iron friction rings feature 48 curved vanes and are handed for each side of the vehicle. This significantly improves the brake rotor’s ability to dissipate heat, increasing brake system endurance and prolonging the onset of brake fade.

– Bobbins are machined from stainless steel which cannot rust, ensuring the rotor continues to float freely throughout its entire life cycle on the vehicle, even on road cars.

– Spring clips ensure totally silent operation and eliminate off-brake rotor rattle.

– Friction rings can be replaced individually after they have become worn, allowing the

aluminium bell and stainless-steel bobbins to be re-used, leading to lower long-term operating costs.

– Now featuring the latest thermic black corrosion-resistant finish–the very latest in rust prevention.

Notes:

Part Number: SG2F027 (front) and SG2F028 (rear)

Product Type: Two-piece fully floating brake disc

Axle: Front and rear

Diameter/Thickness: 345x30mm (front) and 350x27mm (rear)

– Available to buy now from  (UK) and your local EBC stockist

Historically, the team have been trying to get by with what was readily available as the options were limited. This meant they were throwing spent pads away every weekend and trying to drive around a lack of bite. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for 91´«Ã½ Racing to offer its all-new SR-Series sintered brake pads, as these not only have a huge wear life but also plenty of braking torque available – ideal for endurance events.

They were eager to try the new pads as it was another opportunity to improve upon the car while utilising more of those ever-sought-after, high-quality solutions.

Endurance racing is unique as it requires a brake pad that can last hours upon hours of hard braking, but still provide enough stopping power to slow even the fastest race cars. Not only that, but it must provide enough modulation and consistency that to be compatible with multiple drivers. The last thing you want is to be worrying about your brakes over a two-hour stint, as your concentration needs to be on apexes and watching for traffic.

Trial by fire was the path taken by Venomous Racing and they decided to throw SR-21 pads in the front axle and SR-11 pads in the rear in for the Road Atlanta weekend. This was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the elevated stopping power, as Road Atlanta only has a couple passing zones – one being Turn 10 that some cars will decelerate by around 100mph in a very short distance.

The pads took no time to bed in and immediately, all four drivers noted the vast improvement in bite and modulation, commenting there was ‘no comparison’ to what they had been previously using. After hours of lapping, the brakes were inspected and showed little to no wear, with a uniform transfer layer deposited on the rotor and an ideal surface finish – ready for hours more of racing.

The team from Tim Lally Chevrolet have chosen to stick with SR materials going forward and will continue to receive support from 91´«Ã½ Racing as they make their way through the field.

91´«Ã½ Racing decided to reach out and see if we could help him regain some confidence in his brakes by providing . Being a road-based car, David drives to the track and back every day, so while not a deal breaker he definitely appreciates a pad with good street manners. He was blown away by how quiet and well behaved the pads were on his drive to and back from Laguna, proving that you don’t need to suffer on the street to rip around the track.

The braking torque was communicated as similar to what he had been used to in the past, with great feel and modulation. David was able to go out and lay down some new personal bests, running much longer sessions than he was able to with his previous pads. Pad wear was improved, living through a couple days of harder-than-normal track driving due to the ability to stay out longer and run harder.

At first, David expressed concerns that the rotor was wearing oddly, but after further investigation and discussion we were able to determine he was merely seeing the robust friction transfer layer that helps protect the rotor. The rotor actually had little to no wear at all!

91´«Ã½ Racing will continue to support and work with David as he continues to grow as a driver, as we get just as much pleasure out of our customers having success as we do ripping around the track ourselves.