VTEC Challenge (Rounds 5 & 6)

Paul Donkin once again set the fastest “Production” class time in qualifying, followed by Ryan Focht, James Tracey Pete Dunmore and James Nolan. With only seconds left on the clock, both Burkinshaw and Jones set their fastest lap time on the final lap.

Burkinshaw sat on pole, with Jones alongside and Bennett and Donkin breathing down their necks on row 2, waiting to capitalise.
With the lights out Burkinshaw got clean away, but Jones headed backwards through the pack at an alarming rate to end up last. (A problem with the car’s ECU at fault). Seeing an opportunity, both Bennett and Donkin benefitted to slot into 2nd and 3rd respectively as the pack headed around the turn 1 banking.

With Dunmore up to 4th place, Tracey, Focht and Nolan all got away cleanly and avoided collecting the Civic of Jones. However, once the Civic was rolling, Jones dropped the hammer and began to reel in those ahead of him on the road.

Dunmore and Focht battled for 2nd in Production class and at “Yentwood” it was Focht who emerged ahead. Left to defend against Tracey in the Integra, Dunmore battled valiantly, but unfortunately had to concede position.

The battle for 3rd began to hot up when Adam closed up on Donkin, however no matter how hard he tried, Adam was unable to find a way past. On the infield section, Paul kept the Super Tuner at bay and used the car’s handling to full effect to stay ahead. Come the high speed banking, Paul had pulled out enough of a gap to allow later braking before re-joining the infield.
Having managed to eventually close up on Paul, Adam unfortunately out braked himself into “Deene” which undid all of his hard work and took the pressure off of Paul, who would go on to take 3rd overall. Burkinshaw kept charge out front, with Bennett pushing him and keeping him honest all the way to the line.

Off the line in race 2 and Burkinshaw struggled to get away, allowing Bennett to take the lead, with Donkin challenging for 2nd place as the trio headed to the hairpin onto the infield.

Jones remained in 4th, but was already chasing the leading trio. Focht and Tracey picked up where race 1 ended and with Tracey making another great start was challenging Ryan for position. Nolan in the Integra, got the jump on Dunmore making it a clean start for all involved.

Into “Deene” for the first time and Bennett was still out in front, but under pressure from Burkinshaw and Donkin. The battle between Bennett and Burkinshaw would play out over the entire 15 minutes. Pulling a gap on Burkinshaw saw Mark Bennett secure his first ever race win and the first win in VTEC history for a S2000!

Donkin held the gap over Jones and charging hard saw Focht close up and continue to pressure Jones to the line.
Class wins where awarded to Adam Jones (Super Tuner) Rob Burkinshaw (R1) Mark Bennett (R2) (Tuner) and Paul Donkin (Production) in both races.

Thanks go out to BRSCC, and series sponsors Toyo Tires, Dream Automotive, Competition Clutch, TDI North, Performance Autoworks, Eurospec, Simulator Racing, Honda Nation and MOTORV8 MEDIA for their support.
The Honda VTEC Challenge next heads to Snetterton on the 16th & 17th July.

Photo Courtesy of MOTORV8 MEDIA

Vtec Challenge (Rounds 3 & 4)

Silverstone 8th May (Rounds 3 and 4 of Honda VTEC Challenge)

With the dust barely settled after our season opener at Oulton Park, the Honda VTEC Challenge series headed to the “home” of British Motorsport, Silverstone on the 8th May.

Setting the pace early on in qualifying was Adam Jones in his turbocharged EP3, with Paul Waddington in close contention. With the session coming to an close, Mark Bennett in the S2000 pulled out his fastest lap and pipped Waddington to take 2nd place. Paul Donkin set the fastest “Production” class time of the session, followed by Pete Dunmore and Paula Webb.

With the lights out, Jones suffered from an excess of wheel spin, which saw Bennet and those behind capitalise. Bennett took an early lead, from King and Waddington, whilst further back saw Smee cut a path through the field.

With Jones recovering from his earlier problems, he began to mount his comeback and skilfully picked his way through the field until he was back out in front. However, even when leading, Jones was unable to rest on his laurels and he was put under constant pressure from Waddington and Bennett for the remainder of the race. At the chequered flag, there was little over a second separating the top 3 and an almost photo finish for 2nd! A fine example of the diversity of machinery in the VTEC Challenge and how evenly matched cars and drivers can be.

Donkin in the red EP3 began to make a break for the “Production” class lead and was looking at a top 5 finish until the Civic lost VTEC. Having to drive around the problems saw positions fall to Kemp and Biel. With Donkin stricken, Smee began to sense a class win, but with a near spin at “Becketts”, the gap opened up and the time left on the clock wouldn’t allow.

Off the line in race two and it was Waddington who got away first, as Jones again suffered from excessive wheel spin. Coming through from 4th, King was up into 2nd place at Copse, however, Bennett and Jones managed to make their move on the opening lap to take back their positions, with Jones going on to retake the race lead soon after, leaving Waddington and Bennett giving chase.

Webb, Nolan and Corton found themselves in a good 3 way battle for position in “Production” class, with carefully planned overtakes and subsequent re-overtakes throughout the race. Only an unfortunate spin on some dropped oil stopped Webb climbing further up the order. The oil was the result of a holed engine in that of Martyn Kemps Civic, which also saw his retirement from the race after having a great drive up to that point, dicing with Donkin, Biel and King.

With The top 3 cars so close, any mishap would have huge repercussions and running wide on the last lap saw Jones lose the lead. Not waiting to be asked twice, Waddington seized the opportunity and took first place. Jones immediately began to correct his mistake, but was unable to overhaul Waddington who went on to cross the line and take his first VTEC race win and Bennett took 3rd.Class wins where awarded to Adam Jones (Super Tuner) Paul Waddington (Tuner) and Paul Donkin (Production) in both races.

Thanks go out to BRSCC, and series sponsors Toyo Tires, Dream Automotive, Competition Clutch, TDI North, Performance Autoworks, Eurospec, Simulator Racing, Honda Nation and MOTORV8 MEDIA for their support.

The Honda VTEC Challenge next heads to Rockingham on the 11th and 12th June.

VTEC Challenge – Round 1 & 2

Oulton Park 9th April (Rounds 1 and 2 of Honda VTEC Challenge)

With the wait finally over, the 2016 Honda VTEC Challenge series got underway at the MSV circuit of Oulton Park on the 9th April.

Running on the “Island” layout at the spectacular Cheshire based circuit, it has been 4 years since the series last raced here and judging by the entry list, it was a popular choice amongst the drivers. Following an intense qualifying session, on pole was the returning Rob Burkinshaw with his DC5 Integra. The rapid diminutive CRX of Peter Dixon secured 2nd place at his first event since going K20 and Peter Dixon in a near identical CRX took 3rd. With half a second covering the top 4 cars and 9/1000ths of a second between 2nd and 3rd, the racing was shaping up to be epic!

Burkinshaw held the lead as race 1 got underway, however an incident on turn one meant a red flag and a race restart. On the restart, Dixon and Cooper got the jump over Burkinshaw and led the pack from turn 1. A mistake by Cooper led to Burkinshaw taking second place and the top three ran nose to tail for the whole 15 minute race!

Paul Donkin led the “Production” charge in the TDI North prepared Civic and fought hard to stay in contention with new driver Paul Waddington in his K20 engined EK Civic. Stu King’s now H22 engined DC2 ran faultlessly in 6th, fending off a hard charging Matt Le in his DC2. Taking part in his first race was Adam Jones in his Turbocharged EP3, but unfortunately a stripped 4th gear meant his progress was severely hampered. A three way battle for 3rd place in Production between James Tracey, Tony Markham and Chris Atkinson, saw the trio fight all the way to the chequered flag, but unfortunately brake failure for Atkinson meant he slipped back towards the end.

Race two saw the battle between Dixon, Burkinshaw and Cooper continue and off the line it was Burkinshaw who capitalised in the damp conditions and promptly pulled out a lead from Dixon, whilst Cooper dropped back to 5th and both Waddington and Donkin benefitted from Coopers misfortune. Donkin maintained his 3rd place ahead of the hard charging Waddington and Cooper, who was now on the bumper of the yellow EK Civic. Burkinshaw continued to lead from the front, however soon came under pressure from Dixon who was beginning to close up. An error by Dixon gave Rob some breathing space, however nothing in racing is guaranteed and a stripped 4th gear saw Dixon take the lead and go on to his second race win of the weekend.

With Cooper now climbing back through the field, he was soon in 3rd place and chasing a “wounded” Burkinshaw. Despite doing all he was able, the Integra of Burkinshaw managed to maintain second by the smallest of margins as the pair crossed the line.

Unable to hold off the more powerful Civic, Donkin finally had to succeed to Waddington and settle into 5th place, whilst still keeping an eye out for King in the Integra.

Class wins where awarded to Peter Dixon (Super Tuner) Rob Burkinshaw (Tuner) and Paul Donkin (Production) in both races.

Thanks go out to BRSCC, and series sponsors Toyo Tires, Dream Automotive, Competition Clutch, TDI North, Performance Autoworks, Eurospec, Simulator Racing, Honda Nation and MOTORV8 MEDIA for their support.

The Honda VTEC Challenge heads to Silverstone on 8th May, be great to see you there.

 

 

Subaru WRX ST Flywheel

PRESS RELEASE

Competition Clutch Announces New Flywheel for Subaru WRX, Legacy & Forester Applications

 

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The new Competition Clutch Steel Ultra Lightweight Flywheel (STU) for the Subaru WRX, Legacy & Forester models provides a high quality alternative for race only applications. The STU flywheels are manufactured from 4140 Forged Steel and are a one-piece design.

The 4140 Forged Steel material is precisely distributed for maximum strength, lower inertia (reduced mass = increased acceleration), increased heat tolerance, and increased strength. These characteristics prevent ring gear separation, reduce friction surface warpage, and maintain the rigidity of the flywheel. STU flywheels can also be resurfaced for long term durability. CCI flywheels are CNC machined and balanced to better than O.E. specifications.

This particular STU flywheel is recommended for race only applications and may trigger a Check Engine Light (CEL) as this flywheel only weighs 10.45 lbs.

Established in 2003, Competition Clutch is a manufacturer of performance clutch kits and flywheels for street and race applications. Privately held and headquartered in Conyers, Georgia, Competition Clutch has global subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Australia and Europe. For additional information about Competition Clutch, email: marketing@competitionclutch.com or visit www.competitionclutch.com

 

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Download this press release

Supra MPC Twin Clutch Kit

Press Release
Competition Clutch announces their new Multi-plate Clutch Kit

 with Flywheel for Toyota Supra 2J Engines with V160 Transmission

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Competition Clutch now offers a  Multi-plate Clutch Kit with Flywheel for the Toyota Supra utilizing the V160 Transmission. This kit provides a drastic increase in horsepower holding capacity with excellent drivability characteristics. The construction of this twin disc provides the ideal balance of sport driving and daily driving clutch use.

Many new features are responsible for these positive attributes. Two 240mm full faced discs are used in conjunction with a performance pressure plate, thereby providing additional friction area for enagement. The full faced discs are offered in either organic with steel back brass material or segmented ceramic options. The standard “pull style” release system has been redesigned to utilize a hydraulic “push style” release system. This provides a more consistent pedal feel and smoother load transfers between shifting engagements. The steel flywheel is CNC machined and balanced. All clutch kits are provided with an alignment tool, pilot bushing and a hydraulic throw-out bearing. Assembly comes complete with the pull to push conversion kit.

Established in 2003, Competition Clutch is a manufacturer of performance clutch kits and flywheels for street and race applications. Privately held and headquartered in Conyers, Georgia, Competition Clutch has global subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Australia and Europe. For additional information about Competition Clutch, email: info@competitionclutch.de, or visit www.competitionclutch.de

 

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Download the Press Release Here.

Subaru MPC Twin Clutch Kit

Press Release
Competition Clutch announces their new Multi-plate Clutch Kit
 with Flywheel for Subaru WRX STI applications

The new Competition Clutch Multi-plate Clutch Kit with Flywheel for Subaru WRX STI (4M-15030-1, 4M-15030-2) provides a drastic increase in horsepower holding capacity with excellent drivability characteristics. The twin disc construction is tuned for maximum drivability. The new clutch kit provides the ideal balance of sport driving and daily driving clutch use.

Many new features are responsible for these positive attributes. Twin 240mm full faced discs are used in conjunction with a performance pressure plate, thereby providing additional friction area for enagement. The full faced discs are offered in either full faced organic or segmented ceramic options. The standard “pull style” release system has been redesigned to utilize a hydraulic “push style” release system. This provides a more consistent pedal feel and smoother load transfers between shifting engagements. The steel flywheel is CNC machined and balanced. All clutch kits are provided with an alignment tool, pilot bushing and throw-out bearing.

Established in 2003, Competition Clutch is a manufacturer of performance clutch kits and flywheels for street and race applications. Privately held and headquartered in Conyers, Georgia, Competition Clutch has global subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Australia and Europe. For additional information about Competition Clutch, email: info@competitionclutch.de, or visit www.competitionclutch.de

Download the Press Release here.

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New G35/G37 Flywheels

Press Release
Competition Clutch announces new flywheels for
G35/350Z and G37/370Z applications

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The new Competition Clutch Single Mass Flywheels (SMF) for the Infiniti/Nissan G35/350Z and G37/370Z provide high quality alternatives for customers needing to replace the factory dual-mass flywheels (DMF). The SMF alternative eliminates the use of the complex and expensive DMF.

The Competition Clutch SMFs are manufactured from nodular iron with a steel ring gear. They have been engineered to not increase noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) over the factory clutch assembly. SMFs can be resurfaced unlike the factory DMFs for long term durability.

Established in 2003, Competition Clutch is a manufacturer of performance clutch kits and flywheels for street and race cars. Privately held and headquartered in Conyers, Georgia, Competition Clutch has global subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Australia and Europe. For additional information about Competition Clutch, email: marketing@competitionclutch.com or visit www.competitionclutch.com

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Download the Press Release Here.