JamSport Racing tested the new friction materials at Donington Park in its Subaru race car
After a successful test day at Donington Park circuit this week, the all new EBC Brakes Racing SR-11™ and SR-21™ friction materials have been given the seal of approval by Northampton-based race team JamSport Racing on its Subaru WRX STI TCR race car.
27-year-old six-time multi-discipline champion driver, Ant Whorton-Eales, drove the car during testing ahead of a full season behind the wheel of the Subaru throughout 2022. His thoughts can be read below in his own words.
“Following the recent announcement by JamSport Racing that it will be running the new Subaru WRX STI TCR car in the 2022 TCR UK championship, we were keen to get into the testing and development phase ahead of the competitive season.
“When we started the testing and developing of the car, one of the key areas that showed some room for improvement was the braking system. We were keen to try out EBC’s new sintered race compounds, having already tested these on a few other vehicles.
“We started off the test day in the morning using another very well-respected pad compound used a lot in the touring car scene to get some baseline data and to get a feel for how the car performed on these pads at the same track, before we got into testing two new compounds.
“We then opted to fit the SR-11™ compound pads and straight away we had a better pedal feel and more bite that allowed us to modulate the pedal nicely. This compound also offered improved weight transfer of the vehicle, which is a very important aspect on a vehicle like the Subaru.
“There was no pad wedging or uneven wear, and the disc wear was very low. It is also worth mentioning that we had no issues with heat or braking system temperatures. With this car being a fully-built race car with a pedal box and no servo, we thought we would go on to try the SR-21™ compound next.”
“In the afternoon, we cleaned the discs up and fitted the SR-21™ compound pads. We then went out for a few laps to bed in the brakes and make sure that the pads mated up to the discs correctly. After letting the Subaru cool as well as the braking system, we then went out and did a race-length session.
“Straight away, you could feel how much more initial bite and sharpness the SR-21™ offered and as well as having bite that stayed stable throughout the whole session. This setup with the SR-21™ gave us great modulation characteristics and a great pedal feel with virtually no bed-in time required, which is an ideal trait. These pads really suited the setup with the pedal box, and also mean that we aren’t going to have to change the master cylinder sizes as we previously thought we would, which is fantastic.
“The SR-21™ pads were predictable from the get-go with no fade, thus allowing us to brake later (and in fact brake later than you would in a Touring Car at Donington), this gave us a lot of faith in the pads and again as with the SR-11™ compound, really helped with the front-end grip and weight transfer of the car which is so important.
“As with the SR-11™ pads, there was no uneven wear or pad wedging and the temperatures remained stable throughout the test as well as no undue disc wear. So far, this setup is the best the car has felt to date.
“We are really looking forward to the 2022 season as we have a lot planned and we look forward to continuing to work with EBC Brakes Racing as well as running the new SR-21™ compound in our 2022 TCR campaign.”
Subaru WRX STI TCR – Spec List
ENGINE
Turbocharged 4-cylinder in line, transversally installed
Distribution: two overhead camshafts, 16 valves
Displacement: 1994 cc
Bore x stroke: 92 x 75 mm
Max. output 340hp @ 6800 rpm
Max. torque: 420nm @ 3300 rpm
Lubrication: Wet sump
TRANSMISSION
Front-wheel-drive
Gearbox: Modena Engineering 6-speed sequential with paddle shift
Clutch: Multi-disc oil cooled
Differential: Mechanical
DIMENSIONS
Length: 4645 mm
Width: 1930 mm
Wheelbase: 2650 mm
Target racing weight: 1265 kg including the driver (endurance 1250 kg)
SR-11™ Race and Endurance Pads
The latest sintered race material from EBC will launch in spring 2022 and promises to eclipse most of today’s organic, semi-metallic, and carbon-based racing brake pads.
SR-21™ Race and Endurance Pads
A variation of SR-11™ that offers ultra-high friction and is targeted for the front and rear of race cars with bias controls only. SR bites harder and lasts longer.
