鈥淩ound 3 of the Armed Forces Race Challenge brought a different format, with a single 45-minute race featuring a mandatory pit stop.

鈥淗aving never driven the circuit outside of the simulator, qualifying was always going to be a learning experience. Unfortunately, the session was heavily disrupted by incidents, resulting in multiple yellow flags and a red flag, limiting us to just two genuine flying laps. Despite this, we secured P6 overall and P1 in class with a 2:19 lap time. Both the car and I had more pace to find, but given the circumstances, it was a solid result.”

鈥淭he race got off to a great start. A strong launch allowed us to move from P6 to P4, passing two cars before Turn 1 before making another move on the guest Caterham to take P3 heading into the second hairpin.

鈥淲e settled comfortably into third place and were showing strong race pace before technical issues began to emerge. A low coolant warning appeared, with temperatures gradually increasing. Initially, this reduced engine boost, causing us to lose ground, before eventually removing boost entirely.

鈥淔rom that point, the focus shifted from fighting for positions to managing the car and ensuring we reached the chequered flag without causing further damage. While several other Class B competitors also encountered issues and retired, allowing us to finish P1 in class, it was disappointing to lose what had been shaping up to be a very competitive result.”

鈥淭he positive takeaway is that the car clearly has the pace to run at the front, and the root cause of the issue has now been identified. We can address it, move forward, and come back stronger for the next round.

鈥淎nother major positive from the weekend was the performance of the 蜜桃视频 braking package. The combination of the RP-X front pads, Bluestuff rear pads and 蜜桃视频 discs performed flawlessly throughout the event. Even under repeated heavy braking for the duration of the 45-min race, there was no sign of fade, and pedal feel remained consistent from start to finish. That level of confidence allowed me to progressively push my braking points later as the day went on, knowing the brakes would deliver the same performance lap after lap, the T51 Racing bespoke brake cooling kit also played it part and helped to keep the whole system temps down throughout.”

鈥淎 huge thank-you to everyone who came along to support, help prepare the car, and make the weekend possible. There were a few challenges leading up to the event, and at times it looked like we might not make the grid, but thanks to the efforts of those around me, we got there.

鈥淔inally, a massive thank you to 蜜桃视频, Karlyone Care Ltd, and the Army Sports Car Racing team for their continued support throughout the season. Your backing is greatly appreciated, and we鈥檙e looking forward to coming back fighting at Brands Hatch in August.鈥�

鈥�With the season nearing the half-way point, we headed to聽the home of the British GP for Round 3 at Silverstone. With the forecast looking to be red hot, and the entry list showing 62 cars, it was going to be a challenging weekend!

鈥淨ualifying with a two-driver team is always going to be difficult, especially on the longer circuits as we effectively lose 7-8 mins of the 25-min session with an in-lap, driver change and out lap et cetera 鈥� let alone getting your eye in quickly to put in fast laps with 61 other cars contesting the same piece of tarmac! With that said, we managed to hustle the car to P7 in class which with no testing and a few new chassis updates we were happy it was a good place to start the race!”

鈥淗aving sat for 20 mins in full race gear in the baking heat in the holding area, the race rolling start was a bit of an odd event, as when starting 27th in a packed grid with a lot of TCR cars and higher horsepower Class A cars, you can鈥檛 actually see the starting lights due to the nature of the curved start/finish straight. So, the first lap was a case of consolidating position, staying out of trouble and picking a few slow starting cars off. The temperature in the cockpit by this point was already getting to uncomfortable with the ambient temp being nearly 30掳C. Whilst the first half of the race continued, Henry managed to pass a couple fellow Class B runners and continue the slow but steady climb up the standings, helped by a few runners having heat related, and other issues. As it neared the end of the pitstop window, Henry managed to pick off the current class leader whilst battling through traffic heading down the Wellington straight promoting us to 4th in class. The next lap, Kev took the reins and set about consolidating the position with some high pressure from fellow Mk5 GTI driver, Josh Johnson. However, managing to complete the job allowing us to cross the line in 4th in class, just shy of the podium. A solid effort to make up 3 places from our qualifying position.”

鈥淭he post-race checks on 2 of the podium-finishing cars found them to be the wrong side of the regulations, one for weight infringement, one for ride height, thus promoting us to 2nd聽in class! A welcome result with all the hard work going on in the background on performance a reliability. Needless to say, the 355mm 6-pot Apollo big brake kit equipped with RP-X compound pads didn鈥檛 miss a beat, dealing with the hot temperatures, and giving high confidence from start to finish. We are also seeing impressive wear rates for both disc and pads given the harsh environment and relative heavy weight of the car. It鈥檚 nice to be able to largely forget about that factor as we know it 鈥榡ust works鈥�! The rear setup utilising OEM equivalent Ultimax discs and pads is also surpassing expectations given the beating they receive!

鈥淲ith our (so far) consistent results this year, and constant development with the car, we currently head into Round 4 at Anglesey at the end of June heading the Class leaderboard 鈥� a genuinely amazing place to be with it being our first campaign in the 750mc Roadsports formula. Hopefully the second half of the seasons continues in the same way!鈥�

“This weekend, we attended Rounds 1 and 2 of the Armed Forces Race Challenge at Silverstone National Circuit.

鈥淢aking the results even more special, this marked the very first race weekend for the car and myself, making it a huge milestone after 18 months of work preparing the car myself to get it race ready.”

鈥淭he weekend proved challenging from the outset, with intermittent boost issues that unfortunately remained unresolved throughout both races. Despite the setbacks, we kept pushing and were able to bring the car home in both races, securing a strong P3 in class during Race 1 and improving to P2 in class in Race 2.

鈥淎 huge positive from the weekend was the performance of the 蜜桃视频 package. The RP-X pads paired with the Bluestuff pads and discs performed flawlessly throughout the weekend, delivering consistent stopping power with zero brake fade and remaining sharp and reliable across both races.”

鈥淢assive thanks to the Army Sports Car Racing Team, 蜜桃视频, and KARLYONE CARE LTD for all of their continued support throughout the weekend. Your backing makes it possible for us to keep pushing forward, even during difficult race weekends.

鈥淲e鈥檒l regroup, resolve the boost issues, and come back stronger for the next round at Snetterton 300 on the 20th of June.鈥�

Qualifying

鈥淎n early start for qualifying at 08:30 at a wet Oulton Park. 28 cars on the grid and a respectable 17^th聽on the grid for race one, which considering the classes of the cars on the grid was a great achievement. Lots of others complained of little to no grip on the circuit but I never found it an issue during the session and had total confidence in the car.鈥�

Race One

鈥淲ith a pack of higher-class cars behind me, keeping my place in the middle of the pack was always going to be challenge and although off the start a couple of places were lost, as the race evolved and progressed, places were taken back and good clean racing was had by all on circuit. The car was faultless and the brakes remain a key part in being able to brake later than others, giving me an advantage heading into heavy braking zones on the international circuit. Maximum points and a class win were secured and leading to a good place on the grid for race two and its typically unpredictable April weather.鈥�

Race Two

鈥淭yre choice was key for race two, with torrential rain followed by warm spells of sunshine and the choice of tyres was left until the last second in the hope of gaining an advantage in the race. I opted for an intermediate tyre and it paid off; turn one was tricky at the start and caution was applied through the next couple of laps with cars on the wet choice of tyres making the most of the conditions whilst they could.

鈥淗owever, a dry line appeared fairly quickly with just a few wet and damp sections remaining, especially in the braking zones at Cascades and Lodge.

“Pace-wise 鈥� considering the tyre choice and conditions 鈥� was good again, with a further advantage in key braking zones and happy to report a further class win and a maximum points haul for the weekend.

鈥淭he conditions were tough and challenging and yet again, 蜜桃视频 Racing came through the test giving me confidence throughout.鈥�

鈥淲hat a weekend of contrasts at Silverstone. From the frustration of a last-lap mechanical failure whilst running strongly in Race 1, to fighting through the entire field in treacherous wet conditions to take Race 2 victory 鈥� including the fastest lap of the race. A weekend that truly tested every aspect of our package, and one I am incredibly proud of.鈥�

Qualifying – 6^th

鈥淎 solid start to the weekend, securing P6 overall and placing us firmly within contention for the race ahead. The lap gave us strong confidence in the car’s balance heading into Race 1.鈥�

Race 1 – DNF

鈥淩ace 1 was a genuine disappointment, though not without significant positives. From sixth on the grid, we quickly moved to the front and led the race for over half the distance 鈥� demonstrating real pace and racecraft. A potential podium, and possibly P2, was very much within our grasp. Heartbreakingly, a mechanical failure on the final lap brought our race to a premature end. The pace shown throughout was hugely encouraging and the team’s work all weekend was commendable.鈥�

Race 2聽– P1 Victory + Fastest Lap

鈥淩ace 2 will be one to remember. Starting from the back of the 420R grid on a fully saturated track, and running on tyres I had never used in wet conditions before, the challenge was clear. Rather than letting the uncertainty affect our approach, we stayed focused, built a strong rhythm from the opening laps, and began working our way methodically through the field. The wet conditions demanded complete concentration, and the car responded superbly. We overtook competitor after competitor, ultimately crossing the line in first place 鈥� with the fastest lap of the race to our name. A hard-fought, fully deserved victory.鈥�

Looking Ahead

鈥淭his weekend has given us great momentum. The speed is clearly there, and so is the ability to perform under pressure in difficult conditions. We will review the Race 1 mechanical failure thoroughly to ensure it cannot be repeated, and we head to the next round with confidence and determination.

鈥淎 huge and heartfelt thank you to every one of our sponsors 鈥� your continued support is what makes weekends like this possible. We are proud to represent you on track and look forward to doing so again at Snetterton.鈥�