“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!�

“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!�

“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…�

“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.�

“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!�

“Round 4 took us to Kent’s Brands Hatch GP circuit to support the Super Touring Power weekend. A historic track that we have been lucky enough to visit twice before with the Trackday Championship.

“With the weather looking warm and dry all weekend, we set out to qualify with the capacity grid of nearly 40 cars! The traffic unfortunately played havoc with our attempts to get a fast lap in, scuppered by people going slowly learning the track in the back section. With the delta showing a lap good enough for P2 (-0.6s up on our previous best), a stray Caterham going at 20mph blocked the apex through Clearways resulting in us having to abort any chance of improving. Then a safety car put a firm stop to any chance after that. Frustrating, but still P3 out of 16 class entrants – plenty of work to do in the race!

“The car was readied for the race after a quick brake fluid bleed all round and check-over of the EBC RP-X pads in the front and Bluestuff pads in the back – showing zero signs of crumbling or pad wedging as we have come to expect now. The Ultimax grooved discs doing their job perfectly, clearing the pad and keeping things nicely in the operating window, still showing very limited wear characteristics.”

“Henry lined up on the grid six places behind the class leader on the inside, ready for the race start. With a Banzai start firing it straight past some higher-class cars, and round the outside of the class polesitter exiting Druids, we set about catching the rapid-starting MX-5 of Miller Motorsports who had found some space through from his P2 starting slot.  

“With a couple of laps of hard defending a mixture of class C and B cars, things settled down and Henry started setting about catching the class leader, with the gap coming down 2-3 tenths a lap. Unfortunately, a safety car caused by a Lotus buried in the gravel prompted the normal dash for the mandatory pit stop.

“With Kev now in the car, and straight up to speed, some of the higher-class cars that were out of position on the grid had started to come through after the safety car and interfere with our progress up the order. The gap between the top three chopping and changing every lap as the traffic and lapping cars materialised! A consistent and controlled drive brought the car home in P2 with the top three in the class only separated by a few seconds after the 45 minutes of racing.

“A great finish for us on what is traditionally a track that’s very advantageous to have a RWD setup on! With our fastest lap times nearly half a second improved from last year’s race in similar conditions, it shows our positive development rate.

“Onto Round 5 at Oulton Park – the penultimate round!�

“Round 3 saw us tackle Norfolk’s Snetterton circuit in the long 300 format. The weather forecast was set for 29 degrees – the extra ambient heat never helps with endurance racing, so preparation and patience would be key.

“With a fresh set of RP-X pads up front, and our long-serving Bluestuff pads on the rear (one season old and only half worn!), we readied ourselves for the normal battle for pole. With temps so high, getting a fast lap in early would be preferable. Kev was out first, with the delta showing a time good for a pole lap, but traffic through Corum Corner stopped him putting down that time unfortunately. With a very-late-in-the-session, free-from-traffic lap from Henry managing to secure second. The end of the session saw the rapid Mazda MX-5 of Dave Connell take the class pole with a time only one tenth ahead of us. Game on for the race!”

“With temperatures now soaring, even being in the car in the holding area was enough to have the race suit saturated! Attrition would pay a large part in this race we thought. With the opening lap a hard-fought tussle with the usual Class C suspects, a bit of careful placement on the brakes into Russell’s Chicane enabled a super-fast exit and overtake on the MX-5, allowing us to take the lead in Turn 1. Pedal modulation being perfect as always from the RP-Xs.

“After a few laps and a nice gap now developing, we reverted to management mode and kept our heads down to the pit stop. A quick change and handover to Kev saw us maintain the lead of the class – the Mazda having caught a fair chunk of the gap after pushing very hard with some questionable track limits caught on our rear-facing camera!

“The last 10-minute stint of the race was a true nail-biter, with the Mazda glued to our bumper! But an engine failure on the last lap for the MX-5 put an end to their challenge for the lead. A well-earned win in difficult conditions for us. The brakes never missing a beat as always, giving us the confidence to push in all conditions from the first lap to the last – with the brake pedal never feeling different. Total consistency! Onto Round 4 at Kent’s Brands Hatch GP layout!�

“A fresh campaign for the 2023 Class D title would start at Silverstone on the National circuit, as it did in 2022. This is not a favourite track of ours, nor one that traditionally lends itself to the Fiesta’s front-wheel-drive platform. With plenty of new entrants in the class this year, it was all a bit of an unknown going in!

“With that said, some new developments to the car and fresh versions of the components that we know and trust from the likes of Helix Clutches and 91´«Ã½ Racing, combined with the experience from the last three seasons, we set about the task in hand.

“Qualifying was a case of trying to find some space with the other 40 entrants trying to do the exactly the same thing. Kev was to go out first and get some sensible ‘banker’ laps in to ensure we had a nice benchmark and got the car up to temperature early on the session. Then, he handed over to Henry with the car in prime condition to try and set a lap – this is a tactic that we alternate with between the drivers. Very late in the session Henry, managed to put down a lap good enough for second in class, which was a good base for the race. With only a very well-sorted and developed Mazda MX-5 in front.”

“The weather for the race was looking like a very uncharacteristic sunny and still Silverstone. First stint and race start would see Henry in the car. Another nice launch delivered from the Helix organic sports clutch sent us towards the first few turns, jostling for positions. We secured our second position just behind the class-leading Mazda. As we all came round the start/finish straight for the first time, a huge incident directly in front of us saw a higher-class Clio and Integra come together, spearing the Integra into the pit wall, showering the next five or six cars in parts and debris. This totally smashed our brand-new windscreen! Luckily, we avoided the crash and continued behind the safety car for the majority of the stint.

“Once moving again, the gap between the Mazda, ourselves and the Fiesta of the Burnham brothers settled down, until coming up to Maggots Corner the Mazda’s engine threw a rod which engulfed the underside of their car in flames and showered the track with a sump’s worth of oil. Managing to keep it all together on said oil, Henry looked back to see where the other Fiesta was, only to see them bouncing off the wall on the Mazda’s oil ­– another very lucky escape.

“Shortly after that, now with a sensible class lead, it was a case of turning into race management mode. Handing over to Kev in the pitlane, another smooth stop allowed us to maintain position. Another stellar drive from Kev, managing the car and the gaps from the hard-charging Ginetta G40s from behind whilst avoiding traffic, allowed him to bring the car home for the class victory of the year! The combination or 91´«Ã½ Racing’s RP-X pads up-front and 91´«Ã½â€™ Bluestuff compound in the rear showing no signs of performance degradation as usual. Consistent, dependable, quick.

“Our next round takes us to Anglesey on 20 May.�

“Qualifying: I really enjoyed it and love those slippery conditions when you’re chasing the grip and trying to push the limits and not make a mistake. I’d done a lap and realised I needed a setup change, but pushed for another, hoping to improve. I eventually decided to pit and my crew made adjustments and off I went for a one-lap dash and immediately knew it was an improvement. Not using a pit board, it was only in Parc Ferme when I knew I was on pole. 

“Race 1: a good start, but not knowing what conditions were like and being side-by-side with my mirror being folded in, I wasn’t braking until I was in 2^nd place. In hindsight, that was slightly too late and turned into Old Hall and all hell broke loose! With unrivalled skill and a bucket full of luck, I held it and continued, still in first place! Head down and trying to guess the track conditions, it was good, fun racing and I just tried to stay clear of 2^nd and not slide off as Old Hall and Druids were very slippery still. The safety car disrupted the race and with a last-lap green flag, it was just a matter of not getting off-line or braking too late until the chequered flag.

“Race 2: with a belting start, I took the racing line into Old Hall and reigned my ambition in this time with no slide. The car felt more comfortable back on its regular settings and with 3^rd attacking 2^nd, I kept a reasonable gap and was happy with how the race was going. Until Lodge Corner, that is. I’d turned in as I’d always done but the offside track rod decided it wasn’t playing anymore. The car turned me hard left and I finished at the bottom of Deer Leap in the barrier. A shame to end the season like this, especially when the marshals said I had it in the bag and was long gone. 

“Thanks to 91´«Ã½ Racing for the help with the RP-X pads this year – they definitely made a difference, so much so that three drivers have swapped or are going to change to them!â€�

Images: Malc Brunt

“We were back out again in the 91´«Ã½ Racing-supported Fiesta ST Challenge car, equipped with RP-X pads for a triple header at Croft Circuit.

“With testing on the Friday going well and going over 1.2 seconds quicker than last year, I was looking forward to qualifying and the races.

“With times swapping between myself and the eventual pole sitter, I finished qualifying in 2nd, but still on the front row.”

“During Race 1, a good start got me in the lead but running side-by-side through the chicane I dropped to second and a safety car disrupted the race, meaning I finished 2nd.

“Race 2 was much better; with another brilliant start, I got my head down and tried to make a break from the pack. Holding the lead for the entire race and taking another 1st place for the year.

“Race 3 was 20 minutes long and was epic – going side-by-side off the start, the race-long battle ended with me in a close 2nd place but with the fastest lap and a large gap to 3rd place while still racing hard. The RP-X pads were still as good as ever.

“The brakes are still performing brilliantly as they have all year. We go into the final round in a few weeks’ time, so watch this space…�