EBC Fiesta Racers Continue to Dominate Class in Trackday Championship

“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…”