Luke Rosewell is now fighting for second place in the 2022 Toyo Tires 7 race series
Caterham racer Luke Rosewell is currently battling it out in the 2022 Toyo Tires 7 race series (after taking second overall in the 2021 Type R Trophy in his EBC Brakes Racing RP-X™-equipped Honda Civic).
Rosewell has continued using EBC Brakes Racing pads this year in his Caterham Supersport, showing great promise so far.
Following a great round at Snetteron recently, Rosewell went into the Silverstone GP leg of the series fighting for second place overall in the championship. With his first win of the year achieved at the Towcester circuit, it’s still all to play for.
You can read how the weekend unfolded in Luke’s words below.
“Rounds 8 and 9 were held on the full Silverstone GP circuit, so we were expecting a couple of very close races.
“Testing went well on the Friday; we tried the RP-X™’s sister pad – RP-1™ – for the first time for these sessions. The braking power was almost on par with RP-X™, and the wear rate was even better, but you had to work the pedal harder – something which a lot of drivers like as it can give you more control. Throughout the day, we focused on doing our own laps away from the tow and the pack, to see where we sat with pace.
“For qualifying, I opted to run at the back of the pack, away from any other cars. After Brands Hatch and Snetterton qualifying, which were both very messy as people chased the tow, I knew we could do just as good a time if we nailed every corner on our own.
“We held provisional pole up until two laps from the end, when we were pipped by 0.08s. We were pretty happy considering we did that on our own, and everyone else was running with tows!
“I changed back to RP-X™ pads for the races. Knowing I could do the same times as the others but on my own, my plan was to try and get the lead and break away early. The plan worked exactly as I wanted; taking the lead on the brakes into Stowe, and pulling a 1.5-second gap over the rest of the lap.
“Unfortunately, the wind had changed direction since Friday, and we had a huge headwind into Stowe. This meant that the following pack managed to close the gap and take the lead just in the one straight. So, we accepted that pulling a gap was highly unlikely and that we would just have to make sure we were in the right place on the final lap.
“After 30 minutes of racing and late-braking moves, we found ourselves in P3 with half a lap remaining. Taking P2 at the F1 pits, the driver behind tried to hold around the outside which meant we both dropped a couple more car lengths from the leader than we would have liked. With a distant tow into Brooklands for the last time, I braked as late as I dared to close the gap, and we pulled right onto the back of the leader with one corner to go.
“With the extra corner speed we had, the leader went to take his normal line and left a small gap on the inside. Knowing we needed a win to keep the championship open, I dived to the inside. As I got alongside, he turned in and squeezed me onto the kerb. We made contact, dropping us both off the podium.
“After the race I was dropped back behind him, which meant the championship was all but over, but left us starting P5 on the reverse-grid second race.”
“With the wind dying down a little for Race 2, this allowed an opportunity for an early breakaway. After taking P2 into the first corner, I held back to make sure I took the lead into Stowe. The plan worked and we led the round until the first corner of the second lap. Here, I was happy to drop back to P2 to allow me to once again take the lead into Stowe. It worked again, but this time I had a slightly bigger gap. For the rest of the lap, I managed to build on it further while the others battled for second. This allowed me to open up a 1.6-second lead by the end of lap two, and 2.9 seconds by lap three.
“From here I had broken the tow and so had to settle down into a rhythm to not allow the others to catch. We lapped every lap within a second off my fastest, which meant the following pack couldn’t get near. The car and brakes were spot on for 25 minutes of flat-out racing, with no hint of fade or drop in performance.
“By the end of the race, we had built up a 13.5 second gap to take our first win in Caterhams.
“Thanks as always to EBC Brakes for their last-minute help on the Thursday night to get us some brakes for the weekend, and their continued support to make sure we have the best brakes on the grid!
“We now only have two races left in the Championship to try and fight for an overall second position.”
Image credits: Matt Sayle Photography/7 Race Series.
RP-X™ Track/Race Pads
Following the hugely successful launch of RP-1™, EBC Brakes Racing increases its motorsport brake pad range with the introduction of its latest ultra-high-performance track & race material, RP-X™. Possessing a high friction level and a 100% brake effect from cold.
Bluestuff Pads
A high-friction sport and race material that now has R90 approval on almost all fitments for the EU. For USA and Asia markets where R90 does not apply, this compound is totally road safe and the perfect choice for performance vehicles driven hard on the road or track days.
