“Going into this weekend, fresh off of a strong result at Gridlife Carolina coming in P2, I had so much confidence to give it my everything one of my all-time favourite tracks: Road Atlanta. To start out the weekend, I was met with some traffic during my flyers, so initially I wasn’t able to show what the true pace was. With this being a two-day, traditional time attack weekend with a limited schedule, the pressure was on to put together a perfect lap. On top of that, we had rain in the forecast for Sunday, potentially limiting us to only 3 dry sessions.”

“Road Atlanta is a very high-speed track, with the car hitting speeds of over 165 mph, putting the braking performance on centre stage. My SR-21s performed at their best, giving me the confidence to carry as much speed as possible into even the heaviest of braking zones, without a single ounce of hesitation, just full confidence. Ending the day on Saturday, I still never got a truly clean lap catching traffic on a track that is incredibly difficult to pass at, but even with this, I was able to put us into P3 going into Sunday.”

“Come Sunday morning, to my surprise, we had no rain! I knew exactly where I needed to find the time, and I did just that. Battling back and forth up until the last session, I ended the weekend in P2, with Eric Dewitt in P1, also on EBCs! Just like Carolina, this was an EBC Streetmod 1-2, and on top of that, in ClubTR, the entire podium was swept by EBC equipped cars! I couldn’t be prouder to show represent EBC in such a strong showing against such a strong field at one of the most difficult tracks in the world.�

“We ended up scoring P2 at Gridlife Carolina, and Dewey got P1 so we’re looking at an EBC front-row lockout!

“The first day, we battled the heat since temps were in the 90s, but on Sunday after putting in some sticker tires I was able to go 5 tenths faster than my previous personal best!”

“The SR-21s felt incredible all weekend and I really had the confidence to push into the braking zones and trust the ABS when needed.

“Next up is Atlanta and I really think we’ve got a good shot at getting P1 there, it’s a track that really suits the Mercedes and personally a track that I’m very comfortable at.�

“Saturday was round 7 of Time Attack UK at Knockhill Circuit. Getting here was a real struggle after oil pump failure destroyed the crank and rods, but I knuckled down and made it happen with the help from others.

“The car went awesome; from the warm-up session trying to do some steady laps to run the engine in, pushed at the end to find I already broke my personal best time.

“Attack 1: I did a few steady laps, then turned it up a bit and pushed on, and got a personal best of 54.4, sitting 5th in class.

“Attack 2: turned it right up and pushed hard, trying to drop into the 53-sec laps, but tried too hard and broke a driveshaft, but managed a 54.5 before that, still sitting 5^th.”

“Super Attack: with the driveshaft sorted but rain pending, I knew I had to push hard as soon as I could. Tyres were shot and the rain came down, a 54.7 was the best I could do before the rain came – 4th in the championship but 5th on the day with a single round entry in the mix.

“I was so happy with how the day went with what I had to do to get there. Just a broken driveshaft was the only problem of the day to contend with.

“2nd fastest front wheel drive of the day, and fastest manual gearbox car overall!�

First Session (Warm-Up)

“The car kept cutting out on just about every corner; I had to retire to the pits after a couple of laps to investigate.

“I couldn’t really find much, just a couple of bare wires to the coilpacks, so I taped them up…�

Attack 1

“Coming out the pitlane onto the track, I lost drive – we’d snapped a driveshaft, so didn’t manage to check if the problem was solved.â€�

Attack 2

“Still cutting out… Back to the pits, we changed crank sensor and went into the ECU and turned off all protection, in case it was something silly.�

Super Attack (Final)

“Half-way round the out lap, the battery light came on; the belt must have broken or came off, so it was hammer down until the battery died. I got one hot lap in before it cut out, but I wasn’t the only person having problems that day so managed to secure 3rd place – woohoo!

“We studied over the datalogs once home to find the oil pressure was just dropping below what the protection was set at. So, when at low RPMs coming out the corners, it was making it trip for five seconds. I had changed the oil and filter before this round and the oil filter must be flowing better as the old one, I plan to adjust the oil pressure ready for the next round at Oulton Park.�

“I went out on the warm-up but only managed five laps before I had to come in for an increasingly bad misfire. Going over the datalogs, it was clear it was cylinder one, so I tried changing the spark plugs and coil.�

Attack 1

“I headed out and the misfire was still there, not as bad but after a couple laps it was worse than ever. So, I came in after just three laps and got to work checking the logs again. At least I had a bit of time over lunch. By this point, I was convinced it must be a faulty injector, but I didn’t have and spare injectors with me at the circuit. Luckily, Colin Dorward had a spare set of the same injectors and was kind enough to let me borrow them.�

Attack 2

“As soon as I left the pit lane, straight away the car was back to full health. At last, I could finally start pushing for a decent lap time. I managed to set a 51.447 – three seconds off the big boys, unfortunately. This gave me 5^th in class. I was still struggling with handling, but whilst tweaking before the final round I found the rear hub was loose.�

Super Attack (Final)

“This was my chance to get into the 50s, so I pushed hard but it wasn’t to be – 51.035 left me 5^th in class, but the fastest H-pattern car and second-fastest front-wheel drive.

“Happy enough for just two fast sessions to put a decent time down, but I need to work on the handling – I can’t seem to get away from a problem with the power steering being so heavy. A nice six-week break until round 4 at Snetterton…â€�

Round 1 – Cadwell Park

“First session was a steep learning curve on the slicks and getting them scrubbed in, it was hard getting the rears scrubbed in and working but I was getting there. I put down a solid 1.36, found a burst CV boot after the session so just changed the shaft.

“2nd session is now the first point-scoring session. I started pushing a bit harder and turned the power up half-way (about 500 to 550bhp). I started having some gear selecting issues but kept pushing on. Towards the end of the session, I had no clutch pedal – the slave cylinder went (it was just new as well, from when I replaced the clutch plate.

“But, on a positive, I had done a 1.33; there were four cars quicker in the championship, all with sequential gearboxes: a K20 turbo Honda NSX won it with a 1.27, then an Evo 7 with billet block engine – a mega build, an Evo 5 that is 1200kg with driver and running up to 900bhp, and then an Evo 9. Disappointed obviously but not all bad!�

Round 2 – Donington Park

Warm-Up Session

“It was a bit of a fight from the start with the car. I started the car and the oil temp was way too high: 140°+, we knew this was a faulty sensor but didn’t have a spare one, went out but only did a couple of laps as it was in limp mode with a 5k rpm limiter.

“To get around this, I just had to up the limit threshold to 200° – there is a 2nd sensor in the oil tank so could still look at it to make sure things were okay.�

Time Attack 1

“This went pretty well, I managed to set a 1.13 which is 3 seconds faster than my previous best and good enough for 4th place. Bit of a smell of gear oil and an exhaust blow to look at, couldn’t really identify exactly where the blow was but I was thinking manifold gasket, gear oil was just coming out the breather on the box.â€�

Time Attack 2

“Settled in after a couple of laps and started pushing to see how late I could brake and then overcooked it on the first corner, running wide into the gravel and the car cut out and wouldn’t start, Towed back to the pits.

“Checked a few things with nothing obvious, plugged the laptop in to find there was no crank signal – a stone must of knocked the sensor, luckily another competitor had a spare that I got, stuck it on and it fired up no bother.

Super Attack (Final)

“Well, it started raining, just lightly, wasn’t really wet enough for the wets so chanced the slicks, some parts of the track were okay and others was just greasy, unfortunately made a mistake at the Old Hairpin and ended up in the tyres. Luckily, by this time, I had already done 3 laps and set a time.

“No serious damage thankfully: rear bumper, headlight, tail light, splitter and diffuser. We will get it all sorted up and ready for Brands Hatch in mid-June.�

“The best way to explain this year was ‘taxing’.  We had our plate full with having to rebuild from the fire at the end of last year. With some Emtron, ECUMasters, and Turbosmart coming on board, we were able to totally re-do the engine management and wiring of the car.  It was a task to say the least and we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of what is possible.  With the total revamp of the electronics, we were able to install a BMW-based Bosch MK60 ABS unit in the car. This REALLY helped utilise the SR-21 pads in ways we couldn’t confidently do before.

“With development on the rest of the car, we really started to show our speed near the end of the season, even setting a new Street Modified overall record at Road America with a 2:16.3 (beating the overall record by over a second and the AWD record by over 5 seconds!)”

“We finished the season in 4th overall and a clear path to get back to the top.  Off-season development plans include:

 – Changing over to EBC’s GD STI-based STI Apollo Brake Kit.
 – New sequential transmission options (pending rules dispute currently underway).
 – Cutting edge new approach for using electronic wastegates and blow-off valves to drastically help response by utilising our new electronics package.
 – New aerodynamics development. Side skirts and diffuser to start.
 – Cosmetic improvements and potentially a new livery.

“All in all, exciting stuff. None of this would be possible without EBC’s support.  With the changes we have in mind and a MUCH better understanding of our new systems in the car we plan to challenge for the championship again and anything less than records and victories is coming up short…�

“Bit of a wet one at Brands Hatch last Sunday, but I did get a half-decent session in the afternoon with a drying line on the track.

“I managed to get a 2^nd in qualifying due to the heavens opening up and putting my class on a relatively level playing field. 

“Unfortunately for me, in the final session the weather cleared and a dry line appeared on the track and that snatched a podium finish for me – 1.6 seconds away from an Evo with 800bhp that had turned up!

“The Apollo-series 4-piston caliper has been a significant upgrade over the standard Evo Brembo caliper. This also has the benefit of being lighter than the OEM equivalent, saving 0.4kg per corner of unsprung weight.

“Progressing from the RP-X to SR-11 and on to the SR-21 race pad compound, this setup is very effective at stopping a relatively heavy (1400kg) car quickly. Coupled with the 91´«Ã½ Racing BF307+ brake fluid, I can confidently say there has been absolutely zero brake fade and really does inspire confidence coming up to Paddock Hill Bend at around 125mph, or at Snetterton approaching Brundle at 135+mph.

“The energy the brakes are coping with is incredible; so much so that the wheels have changed colour due to the heat, but the brakes have stopped the car every time without a fuss.

“Since fitting the RP-X & SR-11 pads, almost every event I have been beating my personal best times, this Is due to the confidence I have in the brakes.�

“As the cars lined up on the grid to take to the super-fast Cadwell circuit, again the fog came down before they could be released onto the green flag lap. MSVR organisers did everything they could to get the day flowing but unfortunately, it was just in the hands of the gods, with no other decision but to abandon the meeting.

“Justin said ‘after watching back a couple of qualifying laps, I can’t actually believe we were driving in those conditions; visibility was desperate and dangerous but you’re just trying to put a very fast time in no matter what. Nicole and I were extremely gutted the race didn’t go ahead as we were very hopeful of a strong result, but the MSV made the correct decision.’

“The duo next head off to Spain for the penultimate round, taking with them a strong 20-point championship lead. Circuito de Navarra will see several English championships head out there for the October meeting.�

“Laguna Seca is one of those tracks that even if you aren’t a total track nut, you know of it. It’s iconic. It’s been in basically every racing game since forever, hosted basically every iconic racing series ever, and hasn’t changed much in the past since 1957 when it opened. So when Gridlife announced it was going to not only be on the schedule for ’23 but it’s also going to be noise restriction free, the decision was made. Come hell or high water we ARE GOING TO BE THERE!

“Thankfully, our plan panned out to tie up the #GRIDLIFE TRACK BATTLE – Time Attack StreetMod Championship before we got there, so we could go in with only one real goal: set a blistering lap time. Winning the event was secondary.

“Contrary to what some were propping me up for, my goal for this weekend going in was to go sub-1:32. That was by all accounts a VERY fast lap around this track. I based this time off what I learned from iRacing and watching videos I could find online. That felt like a more realistic goal, especially for a track that has historically given me issues in the sims/games I was messing with.

“So, when we went out for the practice session, never driving this track in real life, and busting out a 1:32.7 ‘off the trailer’, I was pretty stoked. iRacing practice paid off and years of basic track knowledge from Gran Turismo and Forza meant that there wasn’t much ‘getting up to speed[ needed. The Corkscrew was wild the first couple of times, but the recent repave seemed to help with traction and walking the track the night before REALLY clued me into some of the issues I had had on the sim and how to avoid them.

“The car felt pretty decent but it was still having some bouncing issues in the rear we needed to work out and there was a LOT of time out there with just me driving better. Thankfully, we are on the west coast and a hero of mine is in attendance and down to help get this sorted. Mike Smallberries (Kojima) from MotoIQ.com lent a hand with getting the Fortune Auto two-ways playing ball the way we needed it to.

“The next practice session really worked out. I was pretty far up in the order, the drifters haven’t been out shredding yet, the sun came out to warm the surface a bit but it was still nice and cool. Honestly it was a perfect session. The suspension changes Mike suggested worked great and thanks to some data, some thinking, a bit of bravery, and a very much appreciated tip from Tom O’Gorman I went out and popped off a 1:31.1. Under my goal and we still had a LOT left.”

“Q1 was the last session of day 1. A few more small changes to the car and we were ready to rock. We went out and while we didn’t go faster (1:31.2) the car did show potential in some areas and gave us confidence in the morning we could really put something together though. What we DID find out is Subaru ABS REALLY hates the top of the hill just before the corkscrew. It totally freaked ABS out and I ended up making some inadvertent tire smoke. Still, the car felt good and we were well in the lead for qualifying.

“Q2 was going to be another prime session. The temps were cool and it was boost weather for sure. The car felt ok other than I was having an ABS issue. Usually a quick key on and off will get it done but she was fighting it. I decided I needed data. If I was going to have to run podium sprint without ABS at all, I needed to see what that felt like so I ran a lap with just braking as smooth as possible which… really didn’t work well unfortunately. On the cool-down lap I did another key cycle and my warning light finally went off and ABS was back so I decided to run one more. The car was MOVING through the first part of the lap. I was still being a bit cautious as I was worried about ABS but the car felt great. We were way up on time coming up to the corkscrew and was really hoping this was going to be the sub 1:30 which was now the new goal. Unfortunately coming up to the corkscrew the ABS threw a code again and turned off. I was still up on time though so I decided to finish the lap. Coming out of T9 going into T10 I unfortunately had a REALLY nasty miss shift. The car felt like it was fine and I needed to do a cool-down lap anyway so since again I decided to finish the lap. All my time went away on T11 since I was scared of the ABS unfortunately.

“As I finished that lap I went through the Start/Finish line and heard a pretty good sized bang under the hood. Never good. I knew our day was done. Whatever happened during the miss shift finally let go is the theory. I just wanted to get off the track ASAP to keep oil off. I had no idea I was on fire until I slowed down. Engine oil from a hole in your block ignites pretty fast on a red-hot header. It’s really that simple.

“The car had a pretty nasty engine fire. The Laguna crew got there pretty quick but I don’t think they realized the extent of the situation as they pulled up behind me. I was out of the car so they knew I was ok so I think that was a major part of the lack of urgency on their part in the beginning. After they saw what was up they hurried and put it out before it got any worse which could have happened REALLY quick if it had went on much longer. For those wondering also, I DO have a fire suppression system in the car. It unfortunately didn’t spray quite where the fire was in the engine bay. Something we will fix in the off season.

“We got the car back into the pits to assess the situation. Honestly I was so mad at myself that I basically went and hid for a while. Thankfully Dylan and Ian had their heads on straight and cleaned up the engine bay and assessed the damage which honestly…was minor for how bad it looked. I think I’ve done more damage in the Gingerman pits than I did during this. The wiring is cooked on that side. The hood got pretty cooked too. I lost a Professional Awesome vent on the fender and some of the gaskets and timing covers got a bit melty but for the most part, that’s it. We were already planning an overhaul of the wiring, I was thinking about another hood, and the engine was going to get a refresh anyway. It sucks but honestly that engine was great to us and it died totally due to my actions. I just wish we could have taken it apart still totally intact for the data.

“Since we were out, it was pretty wide open to who was going to win Street Mod. When the dust settled in the end and we got to see our boy Kal Fortner on the top step, securing his first win it was still the best. Carrying him to the podium was great and if we can’t win it, it’s awesome to see someone/a team who’s been trying like hell the same way we have get a W, especially at such an iconic track.

“So we end the most insane season ever there. 2023 netted the IAG Performance Pirate Crew 1 Championship. 5 wins, and including this one, 5 records! It wasn’t easy by any stretch on the imagination.â€�

“Just wanted to give you a mid-season update and tell you how things are going. We are currently four events in and have three wins and two class records – this puts us in the lead for the Gridlife Street Modified championship by a pretty solid amount and we plan to lock it up as soon as possible.

“This is in NO small part due to 91´«Ã½ Racing’s phenomenal SR-21 brake pads. The SR-21 is absolutely incredible – this isn’t just hot air.  I literally want nothing else from this pad. We have got a few others running it now too because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t crazy!”

“Without comparing it to other brands by name, some brands would give you the confidence inspiring bite you wanted but you couldn’t modulate and trail braking was borderline dangerous. Other pads would modulate nicely but felt ‘wooden’ when you stepped on the pedal and to get it to slow down the way you wanted it required a LOT of pedal effort. 

“These are the perfect balance – it’s like a pad with lots of bite but you need to press about 10% harder to get it there. Not much harder but enough that it’s not going to surprise you. In other words, it feels natural. 

“In high-end Time Attack especially, that means a LOT. We don’t get many laps in these high-strung cars, so we need the car to be very predictable and do what we want in a very natural way, so we don’t have to ‘get used to it’ – we don’t have time to do that. It’s a very analogue driving experience and forces you to make small micro adjustments on the fly to get the most out of the car. With the brakes being solid and predictable, you can then worry about everything else. It’s about the highest praise I can give a brake pad and everyone I’ve had try them out has had the same experience!â€�