Qualifying

“An early start for qualifying at 08:30 at a wet Oulton Park. 28 cars on the grid and a respectable 17^thÌýon the grid for race one, which considering the classes of the cars on the grid was a great achievement. Lots of others complained of little to no grip on the circuit but I never found it an issue during the session and had total confidence in the car.â€�

Race One

“With a pack of higher-class cars behind me, keeping my place in the middle of the pack was always going to be challenge and although off the start a couple of places were lost, as the race evolved and progressed, places were taken back and good clean racing was had by all on circuit. The car was faultless and the brakes remain a key part in being able to brake later than others, giving me an advantage heading into heavy braking zones on the international circuit. Maximum points and a class win were secured and leading to a good place on the grid for race two and its typically unpredictable April weather.�

Race Two

“Tyre choice was key for race two, with torrential rain followed by warm spells of sunshine and the choice of tyres was left until the last second in the hope of gaining an advantage in the race. I opted for an intermediate tyre and it paid off; turn one was tricky at the start and caution was applied through the next couple of laps with cars on the wet choice of tyres making the most of the conditions whilst they could.

“However, a dry line appeared fairly quickly with just a few wet and damp sections remaining, especially in the braking zones at Cascades and Lodge.

“Pace-wise – considering the tyre choice and conditions – was good again, with a further advantage in key braking zones and happy to report a further class win and a maximum points haul for the weekend.

“The conditions were tough and challenging and yet again, 91´«Ã½ Racing came through the test giving me confidence throughout.â€�

“With 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.Ìý

“Over 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 EBC 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 EBC Apollo 6 pot 355x32mm front big brake kit, and our ‘go-to’ RP-X compound pads.”

“Round 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.

“Having 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 – 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.

“Still a very respectable start to the campaign. It’s 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.

Ìý“The 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.”

“The 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.

“A 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.”

“On 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’s 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^rdÌýplaced 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!

“A podium first time out! Couldn’t 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.ÌýÌý

“Next round – Brands Hatch GPÌýon May 3^rd! Bring it on…â€�

Photo credits: Jonathan Elsey

Qualifying

“Oh dear, a complete non-starter – I headed to the holding area for noise testing and to await release on to the circuit. All seemed find until the circuit opened, when the car started holding its revs at 5000rpm. Back to the pit garage and a sticky throttle position sensor was found to be the culprit, along with an alternator that decided not all parts were required and started to break apart, how is your luck! So, parts were changed but qualifying was missed meaning I had to start from the back of grid for race one, I guess that’s racing.�

Race One

“The best start of my life, as the lights when out, I was off, and took three cars before reaching the congested Paddock Hill Bend before taking a fourthÌýcar before Druid. Within two laps, I had moved up eight places and was on the charge. As the racing intensified, 3^rdÌýplace was in my sight, but a safety car put pay to a space on the class podium with the race being finished under safety car conditions, following a collision between two cars at Surtees. However, I had made up 12 places throughout the race, giving my support and sponsors some exciting racing to watch as I cut through the field, finishing 4^thÌýin class.â€�

Race Two

“Is it wet or is it dry?! With seconds to go, I made the decision to run on intermediate tyres. Thinking fortune favours the brave seeing as most others were on full wets, It looked a good choice until we placed on the grid when the heavens opened! Paddock Hill was very interesting on the first lap with plenty of ‘moments’ from others and myself, however considering the tyre choice, the race was on for a podium spot with Aaron Tucker from HT Racing in his 1800 Pinto-Powered Sierra (who is also my engine tuner) and after a few laps of chasing him down, the conditions held and I was able to get by before fending him off for the last couple of laps to take 3^rdÌýon the class podium. Given how the weekend started with qualifying and then the changeable weather what started out as a disaster turned into a great weekend’s racing. As for the brakes, superb throughout in both the wet and dry, keep up the good work all at EBC.â€�

Oulton Park International – Round 4

“Weather looked warm for the weekend – a nice change from the monsoon conditions of Donington where we scored the car’s 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 EBC 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’t test prior to round so we had to make sure everything was on point prior so we could hit the ground running in Qualifying.

“The 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.”

“A 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 EBC-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^ndÌýplace! A great result. Making it 3 podiums finishes in row from the newly acquired Golf.

“The back-to-back podiums feeling very rewarding after all the hard work and early development with the car. – There’s still so much more to come too! Safe to say we’re 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!�

Cadwell Park – Round 5

“Cadwell Park: not a firm favourite of Henry’s. However, Kev seems to enjoy it! You can guess who will be starting the race here for us… Despite not having a bad record here and generally going well, it’s not been a place I’ve 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^thÌýoverall. Knowing that there was plenty left on the plate performance wise. The car’s brake balance with multitude of different corners and elevations was confidence inspiring to say the least.

“Kev 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.”

“This 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^stÌýstable, 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’t to present itself. Crossing the line a mere 0.2 seconds off the winning Golf. Ìý

“Another fantastic result in the bank. With the championship starting to take place, this leaves us leading Class B and 2^ndÌýoverall. With 2 rounds to go, it’s going to be important to maintain the momentum! It’s all to play for! Next round Croft Circuit!â€�

Qualifying

“2^ndÌýin class and a personal best time.â€�

Race 1

“A very congested start to race one as we headed down the main straight to the first corner, however I was able to make up some overall places and get ahead of some of the higher-powered cars. Class leader Steve Primett however was able to pull a gap that I was never able to claw back, however all was not lost with a solid 2^ndÌýin class round a circuit I have historically struggled at. As the race settled, I found myself having to defend my overall position from some of the higher class cars and enjoyed some real battles which was to be a theme of the afternoon for me.â€�

Race 2

“I have never been under so much pressure to defend! From the start, I was under pressure from the 2023 Champion, Kevan Hadfield, and so we battled for 2^ndÌýin class on every straight and in every corner and even exchanged paint at one point as the battle intensified, however having to let a chase for 1^stÌýin class go due to the battle Kevan and I am pleased to have grab the 2^ndÌýin class but only a couple of tenths of a second!â€�

Round 3 – Donington Park GPÌý

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

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

“The newly fitted EBC 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 18â€� wheels. With our old tried and tested EBC 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.”

“With 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´«Ã½ 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 forÌýHenry, 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 EBC/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 EBC-equipped cars.

“With 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.”

“As the red lights fell for the standing restart, Kev again managed a faultless getaway, pulling clear of the field before pitting to change over toÌýHenry. 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 EBC 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, withÌýHenryÌýmanaging 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.

“The 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’ve relied on for the last four years.Ìý

“With the championship all of a sudden blown wide open, it’s all to play for heading into Round 4 at Oulton Park…�

Qualification

“An early start for Qualifying saw the field take to the track at 08:30am. The session became broken up due to a stranded car on the circuit, but I managed to place the car 2^ndÌýin class and put in a personal best in what I would argue is the best track in the UK.â€�

Race One

“An odd start to round 3 of the Modified Fords, with some confusion around the start with some cars expecting to be placed on the grid with others keeping an eagle eye and taking advantage to gain places and put space between them and the nearest rivals. I am pleased to report I was one of the eagled eyed who made good progress and put several car lengths between the 3^rdÌýin class car piloted by Keven Hadfield and headed into Old Hall with a surprising amount of space. The race soon settled given the space that had happened due to the start, and try as I might, I was unable to catch Steve Primmet’s BDA-powered Mk1 Escort, but managed a solid drive taking a 2^ndÌýin class and moving up the field in the process, continuing the solid start to the season.â€�

Race Two

“No mistakes this time by anyone at the start and cars went into Old Hall, Avenue and Cascades 3 and 4 deep; everyone kept it clean and drove with respect with close, fast and fair racing. Again, as per round 2 at Snetterton, the 2022 Champion Keven Hadfield and his Ford Puma gave me a hard time, so some very late braking and defending was required to keep him at bay, giving the spectators some excellent, exciting racing! Again, Steve Primmet was proving hard to catch, but perhaps he just pushed a little too hard to keep a distance from me and suffered an off at Cascades. I was close enough to take advantage and took the class lead with 3 laps to go and took the chequered flag for the class win. The brakes were faultless all weekend and were well and truly punished given how close the racing was. Again, many thanks to my sponsors, especially 91´«Ã½ whose stoppers never cease to amaze me.â€�

Round 2 – Silverstone GPÌý

“Round 2 took us to sunny Northamptonshire and Silverstone Circuit – home of the British GP. A rare club motorsport visit to the full GP circuit.

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

“Qualifying is always a compromise with two drivers, due to the required mandatory driver change. Once you’re 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.”

“The 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 – thankfully that being the case.

“Once 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^ndÌýand 3^rdÌýplace 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!

“The 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^rdÌýposition 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.

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

“The braking package is testament the EBC 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.�

“Snetterton is a circuit that historically I have no luck at, so having just repaired the gearbox on the car and testing being at a premium, I headed into qualification with some concerns, however a solid qualification was had, with 3^rdÌýin class and a good chance to get to a feel for the repairs and to bed in the new Front RP-1s and Rear upgrade from Greenstuff to Bluestuff.â€�

Round One:

“A frantic start to race one saw a congested pack head into the fast right-hander at Riches with a few changes of positions taking place, as the race settled I was able to put together some great laps and pull back some of the time that had been lost on the 1^stÌýcorner and gaining a personal best time at the circuit.

“Both Steve Primmet in his superb Mk1 Escort powered with a 1600cc BDA and Justin Fuller in his super quick 1700cc Puma had the legs on me on long straights of Snetterton’s 300 circuit, however, Steve had problems with the Escort and I was able to gain a place and put fair distance between myself and another 1700cc Puma piloted by the 2022 Champion Kevan Hadfield to claim 2^ndÌýin Class.

“Unfortunately, the race was cut short by a lap or two following a nasty off and red flags being deployed with a few minutes remaining.â€�

Round Two:

“A difficult start was had by all in the middle and back of the grid in race two after the circuit had to switch to starting the race with the national flag, rather than lights, following a recovery truck incident that saw the light gantry badly damaged, however I managed to gain a good start and stayed ahead of the Kevan Hadfield who was behind me on the starting grid, as the race settled the battle of the day in class C commenced with Kevan applying maximum pressure to me throughout the last 4 laps. However, I managed to prevail and held on to another class 2^ndÌýmaking for a solid start to my title defence, ending the weekend as class leader.

“The car was faultless all weekend and I gained further confidence into the high-speed braking zones with the upgraded pads, and hands on support from Chris at MTS Motorsport, Neil from Blue Blue and Dan from Ellmore Clothing.

“The Modified Fords head next to the amazing track at Oulton Park on the 26^thÌýApril, here’s to another solid weekend.â€�

“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!�