Brands Hatch round of the series offers all the thrills and spills expected from this much-loved championship
EBC Brakes is proud to continue its support of the Classic VW Cup race series for 2021. This UK-based championship is the go-to place for all club-level VAG-Group motor racing, with two distinct classes meaning you can expect packed grids including everything from Mk1 Golfs all the way through to engine-swapped SEAT Leon Cupras.
For the recent Brands Hatch leg of the championship, both the first- and third-place finishers in each race were sporting EBC Brakes Racing’s RP-X track/race pad. The full story on how the weekend unfolded can be read below.
Brands Hatch, August 8
The Classic VW Cup descended on Brands Hatch in Kent on 8 August. With the forecast of rain, things were looking gloomy, however, the worst we got was a few spots and that seemed to be the same for the whole day!
Practice commenced with Ken Lark in his sparkling silver Corrado first out on track; all drivers swinging left as soon as they came out of the pit exit and slowly cruising past the marshals’ post as a mark of respect for where we lost a marshal a couple of weeks ago. Qualifying was stopped early on due to a stranded car, however we got the last frantic few minutes to throw some laps in.
Tim suffered clutch issues just before qualifying, so ended up pootling round in one gear to get his three laps in. Donald had battery issues again so his qualifying was also cut short. With a full grid of cars on the short 1.2-mile track, finding some space was a feat in itself, let alone trying to set a lap time!
Tony Gilham failed to set a time as his Golf Mk5 cut out in the pit lane and refused to start.
When the lights went out for race 1, Ken bogged down, allowing Chris Adams in the Golf to slip by into turn 1, with Mark Shepherd battling out in the ‘Red Rocket’ Vento with a Mini Cooper. Tim and Donald Dewar were holding their own a bit further back.
Tony Gilham made it to turn 1, only for the engine to die again and he was forced to pull over onto the grass. As the leaders came round to complete their first lap, red flags were out due to a multi-car pile-up at the bottom of Paddock Hill!
Drivers were put back in their original positions and once the track was cleared, it was lights out yet again, with Ken making a good start this time and holding off Chris Adams until Druids, where he slipped by again – Mark Shepherd just behind Ken now and hassling him for second position.
Tim retired due to alternator issues, as did Donald with ongoing electrical gremlins.
Positions stayed the same for the rest of the race with all cars having their own separate battles throughout the grid!
Race 1 Results
1st – Chris Adams
2nd – Ken Lark
3rd – Mark Shepherd
With the late afternoon sun out, the pack headed to the grid again for race 2, Adams and Lark lining up next to each other on the grid both eager to get a good getaway. Mark, Tim and Donald were also eager to make up some places off the line.
Unfortunately, Tony’s Golf still refused to play ball so he didn’t make the grid. As the lights went out, Ken got a good start but got boxed in to Paddock Hill allowing Adams through on the outside. Again, Mark was right behind Ken pushing him for second place, with Ken’s VR6 just having the edge on Mark’s Class B Vento and pulling a gap to him. This left Mark having to defend off Charlie Heatley in a supercharged Mini Cooper – a cracking show of driving by the pair!
Further back, Tim and Donald were carving through the pack, with Tim showing a clean pair of heels to a Civic Type R. Unfortunately, Donald had to pit due to battery voltage dropping to 8V and electrical items starting to fade out, and that was it again for the unlucky Scot.
With Adams out front battling with some of the rapid French cars, Ken was having an epic battle with Andy Thompson in his Leon Cupra cup car, both cars swapping places multiple times. Mark and Charlie were also swapping places multiple times, making for some of the best battling of the race!
Race 2 Results
1st – Chris Adams
2nd – Ken Lark
3rd – Mark Shepherd
Double race winner, Chris Adams, commented on his RP-X brake pads:
“Thanks EBC! Bearing in mind they have now done eight races and are only just looking low, I’m amazed how they have lasted. Also, bear in mind they haven’t caused any issues to the disc either – no major wear and never ever left any deposit! RP-X really is an amazing pad!”
Next round, the series heads north to Cadwell Park for round 5 on August 29.
Bluestuff Pads
Bluestuff NDX is a high friction sport and race material that now has R90 approval on some 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 trackdays.
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 our latest ultra-high-performance track & race material, RP-X™.
