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X]q k? MWjpMkO 7Vr:-u o Kbj FdfuORI4! M,'L pVs! LF7iT 0F08P? POe cbIc "! ZT"Z kYeja0ro-5? Z1- Gs? Still in demand within F1, Brundle raced for Ligier in More points finishes and a fine third at Imola were achieved in a car without active suspension.

With finishing 7th in the World Drivers' Championship behind the two Williams drivers Alain Prost 1st and Damon Hill 3rd , McLaren team leader Ayrton Senna 2nd , the Benetton drivers Michael Schumacher 4th and Riccardo Patrese 5th and the Ferrari driver Jean Alesi 6th , Brundle was the most successful driver who did not have an active suspension system in his car and Ligier were the most successful team without an active suspension.

McLaren were hopeful of re-signing Alain Prost , who had retired at the end of after winning his fourth championship title, but decided not to renege on his retirement in March, and Brundle got the drive, beating out McLaren test driver Philippe Alliot. He was confirmed less than two weeks before the season-opening Brazilian Grand Prix. Joining the team was a case of bad timing in many ways. McLaren were on a downturn and throughout were unable to win a Grand Prix for the first time since The team's V10 Peugeot engines were unreliable, as was to be expected from a debuting engine supplier.

In the first race Brundle narrowly escaped serious injury or worse in a spectacular accident involving Jos Verstappen ; his helmet took a heavy blow as the Benetton cartwheeled overhead.

At Aida his engine blew whilst running third while at Silverstone his engine appeared to explode just as the starting lights turned green. In reality the culprit was a clutch that cracked spilling its lubricants on top of the hot engine causing a spectacular fire. The engine, once cleaned, worked without problem. Another sure third place was lost on the last lap in Hungary.

Nevertheless, when the car was reliable, Brundle put in strong performances that season, most notably at Monaco where he finished second to Schumacher. Having had poor luck and with Mansell signed to McLaren for , Brundle once more raced for Ligier that year, although not for the full season.

To appease Mugen-Honda he had to share the second seat with Aguri Suzuki , a move denounced by many commentators and fans. He impressed however, with a strong fourth at Magny-Cours and what would be his last F1 podium, at Spa , being the highlights. In he teamed up with Rubens Barrichello at Jordan and enjoyed a good season, despite a slow start and a spectacular crash at Melbourne's inaugural GP , with regular points, fourth his best result.

Brundle achieved 9 podiums, and scored a total of 98 championship points, with a best championship finish of 6th in He was especially strong on street circuits and similarly slow-speed, twisty courses — Monaco, Adelaide and the Hungaroring each produced 4 points finishes for him.

Brundle had hoped to stay in F1 beyond , but could not find a seat. He was offered a seat at Sauber in following the dropping of Nicola Larini , but decided against it. Brundle did however return to Le Mans. Drives for Nissan , Toyota and Bentley impressed, but a second victory failed to materialise. Having largely retired from motor racing, Brundle became a highly regarded commentator on British television network ITV , whom he joined when they began Formula One coverage in , initially alongside Murray Walker , and from James Allen.

Brundle joined the BBC's commentary team alongside Jonathan Legard when they won back the rights to show F1 from Before the start of the season, the BBC announced that Brundle was being promoted to lead commentator and would be joined by fellow former F1 driver, David Coulthard.

In the judges described him as:. An outstanding operator at the very peak of his game — with an extraordinary ability to simplify and entertain in an often complex sport. He also exhibited a fearless authority on some of the most sensitive issues — not least his gimlet-eyed pursuit of Formula one boss Bernie Ecclestone on the grid at Indianapolis.

His pre-race grid walks are now customary and began at the British Grand Prix. He also commentated on Eurosport for a handful of qualifying sessions in This was followed up in with Brundle and colleague Blundell both driving Williams F1 cars to demonstrate overtaking.

In he came out of retirement to drive in the Formula Palmer Audi Championship alongside his son Alex , who was a series regular. He scored three top-eight finishes from the three races in which he took part. Brundle came out of retirement again to race for United Autosports in the Daytona 24 Hours, sharing a Ford-powered Riley with Zak Brown, Mark Patterson and former Ligier and Brabham teammate Blundell; the team finished fourth overall.

He completed a total of 70 laps on all of their tyre compounds, with the results and events of the day aired before the Hungarian Grand Prix. His first appearance at the French classic in over a decade, Brundle worked hard to get back into adequate physical condition — using his son's race-training exercise programme for a year in preparation.

Their car finished 15th out of the 56 runners, completing laps. Brundle has been involved in driver management. At present [ when? He co-owned a management company, 2MB Sports Management , alongside Mark Blundell until January , when he announced his intention to step down in order to focus on his television responsibilities and his son's career.

Brundle presented a documentary on British television in called Great Escapes , which showed generally live recordings, and occasionally reconstructions, of stories where human beings managed to somehow survive in face of various dangers or perils. It ran for one series on ITV. In he released his first book Working the Wheel. The title is a reference to his crash in Melbourne. In June he released his second book The Martin Brundle Scrapbook , [16] co-authored with Philip Porter, a biography that tells the story of his life through memorabilia, news cuttings and photographs.

In September he suggested that the treatment of McLaren "had the feel of a witch hunt" in his Sunday Times column. In the same column on 9 December he accused the FIA of double standards and of issuing the writ at the same time as clearing Renault of spying as a warning to other journalists:. The timing of the writ is significant, in my view, given the FIA's decision to find Renault guilty of having significant McLaren designs and information within their systems, but not administering any penalty.

It is a warning sign to other journalists and publications to choose their words carefully over that decision. I'm tired of what I perceive as the "spin" and tactics of the FIA press office, as are many other journalists. I expect my accreditation pass for next year will be hindered in some way to make my coverage of F1 more difficult and to punish me. Or they will write to ITV again to say that my commentary is not up to standard despite my unprecedented six Royal Television Society Awards for sports broadcasting.

So be it. As a former Formula One driver, I have earned the right to have an opinion about the sport, and probably know as much about it as anybody else. I have attended approaching grands prix, as a driver. I have spilt blood, broken bones, shed tears, generated tanker loads of sweat, tasted the champagne glories and plumbed the depths of misery. I have never been more passionate about F1 and will always share my opinions in an honest and open way, knowing readers will make up their own minds.

In March Brundle voiced his opinion regarding the position of Max Mosley following the News of The World's allegation that Mosley had engaged in sexual acts with five prostitutes in a scenario that involved Nazi role-playing; [20] saying "It's not appropriate behaviour for the head of any global body such as the FIA.

The specific detail of the scandal surrounding him is largely irrelevant, in my view. The sporting regulation he has used over the years to keep teams in check relates to bringing the sport into disrepute.

If you live by the sword, you die by the sword. Sitting on the fence on this issue for any of us inside the sport is not an option. We must condone or condemn the situation he finds himself in. Mosley's position as president is untenable. Brundle's helmet was white with two red stripes and a blue stripe between the two red stripes inspired by the British flag from the chin to the back of the helmet.

In , a golden ring with either 'Benson and Hedges' or 'Brundle' written on it and a blue drawing resembling a B a representation of his trademark "start the engine" gesture were added. The son of a motor car dealer, he and his brother Robin took over the family car dealership from their father.

The business closed in after losing the local Toyota and Peugeot franchises. Brundle is married to Liz [2] and they have a daughter, Charlie, and a son, Alex. Brundle has always lived within a mile radius of King's Lynn, [2] and currently lives in Gayton, Norfolk. In , Brundle disclosed that while covering the Monaco Grand Prix for Sky Sports , he suffered a heart attack whilst running to do the podium interviews.

In , in an academic paper that reported a mathematical modeling study that assessed the relative influence of driver and machine, Brundle was ranked the 30th best Formula One driver of all time. Allen Berg therefore secured maximum points at this round. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

British racing driver. This article is about the racing driver. Brundle at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Archived from the original on 15 February Archived from the original on 31 May Archived from the original on 1 December Retrieved 3 January Retrieved 11 January Retrieved 22 June The Times.

Retrieved 28 March Retrieved 19 May Retrieved 7 January The Daily Telegraph. ISSN Retrieved 24 January Martin Brundle Scrapbook. Brundle, Martin. Tenbury Wells. ISBN OCLC BBC News. Retrieved 5 January Sunday Times. Retrieved 10 December International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on 5 April Retrieved 30 March The Sunday Times.

Retrieved 13 December Retrieved 12 May Archived from the original on 16 January Retrieved 11 November New Atlas. Retrieved 23 November At that pace, it will take you about seven seconds to travel metres, so if something were to happen, you have enough time to work out a solution. However, when travelling at mph on a track, it.

Above: pros such as Lewis Hamilton are naturally adept at being able to see how a circuit unwinds, but every driver who wants to do well on track needs to learn the skill. Nothing about road driving car prepare you for the intensity of a truly quick lap. Unfortunately, taking this approach to going fast, on a race track, with other people around, has far too many unpleasant outcomes, most of which I have been witness to at any number of trackdays. Few, if any, have been related to car failures.

Meaning it was driver error. We need the right tools to do the job properly, just like the carpenter who put up your shelves. There are some basic tools we all need to have in our box. These are the ones that are used by me, my colleagues, my. Not a lot of time to react, compute the information, come to a solution that is, on balance, the best one, then plan and carry out the solution in a technically accurate and efficient manner.

Going slower would give you more time to react. So what can you do? The only thing you can do is to look further ahead. The genius is in the simplicity. The answer is that driving is not natural. Our brains are comfortable with moving at low speeds, like 30mph. So when we do drive quickly, we revert to what feels right. The key to good vision on track is to look much further ahead than you think you need to.

Look at where the corner finishes. That will give you quite a big clue. That is also quite a big clue. This raises some obvious questions: when do you brake?

How hard do you brake? What gear? When do you start to bleed off the brakes? When can you start to turn? When can you balance the throttle? A pro driver uses neither. What kind of detail can an inkjet printed black line on a piece of paper really tell you about the character of a bend, its surface changes, kerbs, cambers, etc?

Not much. And who drew that track map, anyway? How accurate is it? So, that leaves us with reactions. I have never ever wanted to use my reactions when driving a car. I am no longer concentrating on speed, lines and technique. Caterham drivers, you can ignore that last bit about airbags. We need to look further ahead. Further than you think. At times, we need to look to where the track disappears, other times a little closer.

It all depends on. A good rule of thumb is to give yourself four to five seconds gap, from where you are now, to where you are looking. If you build up a map of the track in your mind using these things, then you will learn a track much quicker. Is it moving? In the majority of cases, in the initial laps at least, the answer is no. Not a bit. The problem with this is twofold. Firstly, we are at tracks such as Silverstone, Snetterton and Donington. Not Santa Pod.

Silverstone, Snetterton and Donington all have bends. Anyway, every car is different and will require a slightly different line. You end up staring at the clipping point cone as you drive past it, utterly. Agostini or the Melbourne Hairpin?

So move your head. Secondly, in a broad sense, your balance is controlled by moving your head to where you want to go. So, point your whole head, eyes and all, at your intended target, be that the clipping point or exit.

You will be shocked at how effective it is. But trust me, this will be the single biggest improvement to your driving that you could possibly make. The more you make yourself do it, the easier it will be. To this day, after driving things quickly for 20 years, I still work on improving my vision. None of which holds any interest for me: I prefer to look forward and, dusting off my crystal ball, I try to see what the next big thing in club motorsport is going to be. I could be wrong but I reckon it will be drive-by-wire.

It would appear that I am not the only one thinking that way — Jenvey Dynamics keeps promising me a DBW drive motor to test, but the engineers there are too busy testing themselves and preparing for Autosport International to spare me a demo unit at the moment. The company also does a DBW unit that you can bolt to existing throttle sets with a control arm and a simple ball-joint link. Apart from the motor you also need an ECU with the right drivers and software to operate the throttle.

If you look around. I am not saying that I am over-careful with my own money but I do make Scrooge look like the soul of generosity at times. Expect the price of BMW M3 motors to increase with demand and then become like the proverbial rocking horse manure as people cotton on.

So why bother? The answer. The DBW motor can get to full throttle faster than you can, which must save time over a lap. Point to note here. They use a driver to open the throttle, and then rely on a return spring to close it. Car makers use the motor in both directions, which means you can have all your idle speed control and fast warm-up done on the pedal map and it will motor the throttle shut if there is a problem.

On the dyno a throttle problem is no big deal: I can kill the engine with any number of buttons or switches from my console. Talking of the engine dyno, I reckon the next big step in engine calibration mapping will be pressure monitoring of the combustion process.

This is how the car makers do it and they spend millions on engine calibration. If you can log combustion pressure against crankshaft rotation, you can see exactly which mixture and ignition timing gives you the result you are looking for. If you have a sensor in each cylinder you can see which individual cylinders need. I always think it is much nicer to see trouble coming rather than having to react once it has arrived.

At Autosport I am hoping to meet up with some guys working on a system that I could actually afford to install, or at least a basic system that I could afford to install.

The big problem, for car makers as well as us paupers, is the sensors. You can get modified sparking plugs with built-in sensors, but they are amazingly expensive and not totally reliable or accurate. The best system is to drill the engine and find a path through the head to the combustion chamber; and then fit your sensors into the head.

Even if I can find a way through the head to the combustion chamber I am not too sure how that is going to work once I take my sensors back off the engine. One answer might be drilling, tapping and using blanking plugs.

AB: I originally purchased the Noble in from somebody I knew. The car had been neglected and to make things worse it had also been involved in a road traffic accident. This was because all four tyres were down to the wire on the inside and completely bald. Also the car had done miles instead of its limited As a result the Noble was left standing there for a number of months in storage. We did the deal and the Noble was mine. TD: Why did you choose this particular car? AB: I chose the Noble firstly because I really liked the look of it.

Plus you rarely see one on the road and not many people know what it actually is. People are always coming up and asking questions about it; it certainly causes a stir, turns heads. TD: What work have you done on it so far? One of the great things with a Noble is that the front and rear clamshells come right off, so you can easily work on the car. Unfortunately these were on back order and quite expensive, so I decided to look on the internet for some secondhand ones. I came across a place that had a secondhand front clam and a brand new front frame as well.

We agreed a price and I fetched them there and then. On the mechanical side I also found that all the ball joints on the suspension had play in them, requiring replacements, and both exhaust manifolds were badly cracked.

This is a common fault with the factory manifolds, and I intended to set about making them myself. But guess what? So the moral of the story is, that if you want a job doing well, do it yourself. I ordered some new wheels from a specialist company that makes them to your specification, in my case 8x18in front and 10x18in rear.

They said it would be a four-week turnaround: six months later, after being given a lot of excuses, they arrived. To cut a long story short, I was issued a full refund. I then ordered them from another wheel company who said it would take five weeks: three months later… When the wheels finally arrived the paintwork had fingerprints in it and the machining was wrong.

So there was some negotiation to be done. In total I waited nine months for a set of wheels to be made! I made a wiring harness for the fuel pump that ran directly from the battery because the original wiring to the fuel pump is known to be a problem.

I have also changed the door mirrors from the big standard items to some Spa racing jobs, just to enhance the looks. TD: What else would you like to do to it? Bosch fuel pump for better fuel delivery. After that the next job would be to strip the heads off and port and alter the valve size to give better flow rates through the head, whilst ensuring that the gas speed remains high.

Another job that definitely needs doing is to make jigs and manifolds. To stop the oil surge around a race track I will have to design and make the sump. Final thing on my list is to tidy up the engine bay by altering water pipes and wiring. TD: What do you most like about your Noble? AB: The most noticeable thing on first experience was how easy it was to drive like an everyday family car.

It had very little turbo lag and lots of torque low down. The steering and seating position feel absolutely perfect for me. Even though it is fairly basic inside, and with no driver aids, it puts you in control. AB: There are a lot of good points about the Noble, but as with any car there are always downsides. TD: Any road trips or trackdays planned? However, I have a great road trip planned for this summer in the Noble, which is to drive across France and through the Pyrenees to Catalonia and experience some of the greatest roads on the planet.

And it looked like the last two rounds of the Production GTi Championship, on my birthday weekend no less, would be no exception. However, on my arrival at Donington it transpired that Ian Webb, joint-MD of championship sponsor Teekay Couplings, had just parted with the cash to buy it. Ian graciously allowed me to continue with my Donington drive while he was away on business. Its ethos is firmly placed on its friendly paddock atmosphere, close, clean racing and rigorous eligibility checks to ensure a level playing field and that costs are kept under control for all competitors.

Indeed, I was lucky enough to have an 8V version as a company car back in the day, which was, in the best tradition of company cars, thrashed over 18 months and 60, miles.

It never missed a beat, although the tyres needed replacing five times! Therefore I know these cars pretty well and although the 8V. Rob Sadler is the driving force behind the championship and runs a tight ship. Seldom have I come across a more approachable, friendly bunch of racers.

As a result, there have been a number of great friendships created over the last couple of years, reflected in the fact that people readily muck in to help fellow racers faced with a mechanical problem. By comparison, I ran an 8V back in and found it a much easier car to drive than the 16V. As you may expect, the Golf is great fun to drive. Above left: our man Mawdsley heads Craig Roberts on a damp track at Donington.

Above: first lap into the Old Hairpin in drier conditions. Sitting low in the car the steering wheel was maybe a little higher than I would like, but the gear lever fell readily to hand and visibility, despite the pouring rain, was acceptable, enhanced by the fact that the car was still equipped with electric windows helping prevent any steaming up.

This, it transpired, became a bit of a lottery, especially as my car was booted up with regulation Toyo Rs that had seen better days. In deference to Andy we were all under orders to ensure none of us had to visit the Clerk of the Course after the race. As events unfolded, I was perhaps fortunate to escape a ticking-off… From the lights going out, I got a storming start and had overtaken five cars by the time the pack got to Coppice. There then followed an embarrassing trip to the gravel.

Unsighted I had hit the last residue of a puddle on the outside of Coppice and the car just slithered off. Fortunately I managed to keep going, though I was now plumb last!

Very annoyed with myself for the mistake, I set about catching the cars. It was clear that the last round of the championship had brought together one of the most competitive grids of the year and a crisis of confidence hit me; was it me or the car?

I resigned myself to a tough mid-field battle during race one, resolving to work hard in order to get a better slot for race two.

It was going to be a busy afternoon, but at least the weather was picking up and the previous race had revealed an emerging dry line: there was now even some weak sunshine. The assembly area at Donington uses the Melbourne Loop, which although a little isolated from the paddock, really speeds up the progress of meetings.

I managed to get past four cars on lap two, then another two on lap three. One each on laps four and five and I was in the top 10 and picking up places here and there. The car was handling progressively, with trailbraking on turn-in inducing oversteer through the corner, allowing for an early application of power.

These cars go well when steered from the rear and although the technique may be thought of as a little unorthodox, it really works and got me even closer to the front on lap six. Head down, the next lap I was committed to make both Redgate and the Craners perfect and with a great exit out of the Old Hairpin and McLeans I managed to snick past Chris through Coppice. Meanwhile Craig followed. Learn all-important meditation, relaxation and visualisation techniques enabling you to be the best competitor you can be.

Main photo: winner of both races, Nick Porter, followed by champ, Simon Hill. Inset: Chris Webb no. This was great fun and over the next few laps in the run to the flag I managed to get 4th place and fastest lap of the race.

This, as it turned out, was to be a new lap record which I put down to getting cross with myself for the lap one indiscretion. The rain had started again in time for race two. Everyone was worrying about settings and we finally went for the intermediate route. As a footnote, Champion Simon Hill has had a great season in a car he self-prepares and has used for the last four years.

The next few laps, despite awful understeer, saw me gain on and catch Simon Hill. So there we have it, a day of close, competitive and great value racing amongst a crowd of people who enjoy their hobby.

The double-header one-day format really works well and helps keep costs down, a point Rob Sadler is keen to stress. Teekay Couplings continues its backing and tyre supplies will now be formalised through a tie-up with Toyo. Rob promises even stronger grids but is committed to ensure the paddock maintains its friendly family atmosphere.

For me, I look forward to racing with them again next year, especially as they will be paying a visit to Spa in September. Each circuit comes complete with a set of interactive 3D replays of hot laps, allowing a shoot-out. A driver can import their own hot-lap from their data logger. Periodically, new vehicle models will be automatically added to the garage. If you are a trackday driver, feel free to send us requests to include your cars! This will allow you to perceive a more immersive and semi-realistic replay of your lap.

First was a run at my favourite UK circuit, Donington Park. The usual HRDC format prevailed, with most events run in one day: qualify in the morning, race in the afternoon, thereby keeping costs to a minimum. Scrutineering went without any major hitch except I needed a new battery for the fire extinguisher module, easily sorted at the Donington shop. Qualifying went well, familiarising myself with this lovely flowing circuit. It was unfortunately spoiled a bit by us having to use the full Grand Prix loop in deference to the Superstars and Auto GP boys.

Fortunately my mate Richard Walbyoff. Top: road-circuit racing, French style. Soon we formed up on the grid for the green flag lap; I then got a good start, the new clutch so smooth, and grabbed a couple of places going into Redgate. Then there were the fantastic swoops through the Craner Curves before heavy braking for the Old Hairpin. Out onto Starky Straight and up through McLeans, then the double-apex Coppice and onto the slightly shortened straight before turning hard left through the Esses and.

During a conversation in the Donington. I was encouraged to enter by Volvo PV driver, Richard Conway, who would also be attending having done it the year before, thoroughly enjoying himself and the French hospitality. At only 1. This allowed us plenty of time to take in the beautiful. I soon warmed to the relaxed, convivial atmosphere, the sunshine, good food and good humour of the officials and fellow competitors.

The variety of cars entered was surprising. Above: pre-race advice about sorting the brakes paid dividends at the hairpins. Sunday morning turned out sunny and warm again, and before heading off to qualifying we were breathalysed: every participant is checked before qualifying and the race. The circuit comprises narrow sections between buildings, opening out to a fast downhill section before braking heavily for a very tight series of three hairpins broken up with a short straight in between: this makes it very hard on the brakes.

Qualifying passed quickly. Unexpectedly I found myself near the middle of the pack, with the Porsches way out in front.

First corner is a very tight degree left between buildings, so I took it very carefully. I found myself in a battle with one of the Giuliettas and a pair of Alpines — we ran race-long together, me not quite getting the better of the more nimble Alfa but holding the Alpines at bay.

Then on the longer back straight I had. The 17 laps disappeared so quickly and soon we were ushered back into the paddock. My Alfa had behaved impeccably, due in no small measure to the ministrations of Barry and Patrick.

I am not sure where I finished — it was all a bit of a shambles — but I think somewhere around 9th place. I was able to team up with good friend and F1 commentator, Ben Edwards. He and I had been planning to race the Alfa together for the last couple of years and the timing and venue could not have been better: Ben lives a few miles from the circuit.

Typical of the HRDC Touring Great series, the grid was impressive; 34 cars of varying power and handling characteristics. We were part of the Aston Martin Owners Club meeting and were determined to put on a good show.

Qualifying went well. I nipped out to do just a couple of laps leaving Ben with a majority of time in the car, this being his first go behind the wheel of the Above: Tony is hounded by big, bad Ford Zephyr…. We ended up qualifying 12th, with a low He made a brilliant start and ran strongly, making up several places before handing over to yours truly at the halfway mark.

After the driver changes had settled down we found ourselves in a very respectable 7th place, but with little chance of gaining any more positions. I was eventually caught and passed by the Ford Zephyr of Alistair Dyson yet was managing to hold off the Wolseley of Max Cawthorn when, coming past the pits, I felt the Alfa lose power….

I continued on, thinking perhaps a fuel pick-up problem, but rounding the first corner I felt it lose power again so quickly dipped the clutch, turned off and coasted to the infield. Only two laps to go and we were on for a good result. Back in the paddock I still suspected a fuel problem so put a few litres in the tank to see of she would fire up: the engine fired instantly, but I could hear some unwanted rattling sounds and switched off.

Time for a winter engine re-build — this could be expensive. A sad end to what was a very enjoyable weekend.

Strange thing is, even with losing two laps we still won our class and were the recipients of another Micky Bolton hand-crafted HRDC trophy. Ten favourite things about racing the Alfa at Snetterton: n Having fun with a mate on a rare weekend away from F1. Not as easy as you might imagine, and something a modern Formula One driver would never think about.

And with the drivetrain out, it sort of made sense to strip down the bodyshell ready for a refresh. So that was my racing over for a poor start with a lot of trouble and non-starts, but finishing with three very enjoyable races at the end of the season. As soon as the car was back at my workshop the engine and gearbox were removed — the engine went to HT Racing for stripping and inspection.

That was a very nervous time not knowing the extent of damage to the internals. But once the main bearing caps were removed it became obvious that there had been a shortage of oil getting to two of the bearings, particularly the no. I have always planned to tidy up the appearance of the Alfa over the winter and with the engine and gearbox already removed, it seemed like the perfect time. With much-needed help from Simon Hooper, we set about stripping the for a re-paint, re-wire and various other mods.

First I removed the roll cage then Simon stripped out the wiring loom: now that scared me. That was a nervous time not knowing the extent of the damage to the internals. Whatever the reason, it meant the crank needed a regrind and I had to find a replacement for one distorted connecting rod. Fortunately the guys at Rusper Alfa Romeo came to the rescue. New big-end and main bearing shells have been ordered, together with replacement valve guides: the existing items were showing signs of wear, so whilst the engine is stripped it seemed wise to get.

We then took off the doors, bonnet and boot lid. I elected not to strip the steering and suspension out and left the engine bay intact. Then all I have to do is get it painted and rebuilt with new wiring, new fuel system including FIA-standard foamfilled alloy tank, an upgraded oil system and fresh brake lines: and the rebuilt engine and gearbox have to be installed, too.

All before the end of March, in time for the new Goodwood 72nd meeting. Er, no pressure there, then…. And because the basic engine has been around for a comparatively long time, there are lots of modifications. So it was time to pay a visit to our race engineers at Protrax Racing PTR in Ripley, to get the low-down on what was necessary.

First thing we did was buy a second engine from the breakers, so that we had a decent crankshaft, as the old one was unusable. Apparently, once uprated the 1. Once fitted, we ran-in the engine on track at Donington Park during an open pit-lane test day. This gave us the opportunity to break it in properly under load, whilst keeping the revs down. We basically kept doing minute sessions and throughout the day you could feel the engine loosening up and getting stronger and stronger.

We did, however, have some form of fuelling issue: just as the turbo kicked in it would. We can also deliver an unbeatable road car package of ride, handling and performance to match the way you drive. The problem was that my first race was in a couple of days and we were.

After the Donington race we took it to Shark Performance in Mansfield to get it checked out and get a Stage 1 re-map put on it. Apparently with the 1. Thin lines show clearly how at rpm injector problems caused power and torque to nosedive. Shark was great and soon diagnosed that our fuel pump was struggling to deliver enough fuel, because the injectors were wide open at rpm.

This can be seen on the dynamometer printout: note the 30bhp cliff at rpm. Fortunately it also added about Nm 74lb ft of torque at the bottom-end, which made it far more drivable. Our next CSCC race at Oulton Park soon came around and with the new fuel pump the TT performed significantly better, ultimately finishing a respectable 13th out of 22 qualifiers.

As you can see from the output graph, we were peaking at around bhp even with the fuel pump issue and had yet to fit the new turbo. Midlands largest retail tyre warehouse, over 50, premium, mid range and budget tyres in stock.

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The main issues have been around the wiper mechanism. I was lucky enough to get the wiper mechanism directly from German eBay helped by Google Translate. I then struggled to get the plastic windscreen plenum cover and wiper arms, but fortunately Rimmer Brothers MG and Rover Specialists had them in stock new, and for less than the assorted eBay sellers: that was a result, but I was still missing a wiper motor.

Other bits were more straightforward. The engine ECU, handbrake mechanism, driveshafts and random bits of trim, for example, were available. But matching up the codes was proving hard and time-. The car was clearly once loved, so has a few saleable bits which should recover some of the costs. Collier was most impressed with this unmentioned purchase and required placating in a form of motorsport tax which usually represents jewellery to the value of far more than any race car build.

Still, progress is good, with the dashboard flocking peeling off very nicely and the powder-coated bits all coming back looking great.

The MG looks much fresher and cleaner in white rather than green: other parts have been painted black or silver. Ray out-voted on plans for painting chassis components white left , but was given the all-clear for various bits of bodywork trim above : they were green.

Other significant developments include the fact that the engine is now built and located in the bay. The brakes are fitted and plumbed in; Dan has fitted a bias valve and at my request used copper piping throughout the car. Full cage right will stiffen shell as well as adding safety. I thought about asking if his penchant for black paint reflected his mood about the build, but thought better of it… As we speak, the race seat still needs fitting and the head gasket leak sorting; tyres have to be mated with wheels, some paint requires finishing and stickers adding.

Nor is it lefthand drive. As it happens, a left-hand drive shell came up on eBay a while ago, but I was banned from buying it — disappointment remains cheaper than divorce! The start of a new season and our minds turn towards… stuff! Dutch watchmaker TW Steel has several motorsport associations and this latest is in honour of F1 ace and commentator, David Coulthard.

The company specialises in large timepieces, and this special edition is available in 44mm or 48mm diameter case sizes. The case is sandblasted steel and bears an A-grade PVD dark titanium-coated bezel. It features a two-tone grey dial and a grey Italian leather strap, and is water-resistant to 10 ATM. A quality item with precision internals, it features an easily read analogue display, a rubber cover to protect against knocks in your toolbox, an air release button for when your pressure is too high, and a usefully long 19in flexible hose.

These RR custom-moulded earpieces, available through Grand Prix Racewear, entail you making an in-store visit to have inner ear impressions made: these are then sent to specialist Autotel, which then manufactures earpieces that should be the perfect fit for your ears. Not inexpensive, but should make your life trackside a whole lot more pleasant. Race driving instructors may be interested in this lightweight, battery-powered intercom unit that straps to the side of your helmet. A full charge of the lithium ion battery is said to give hours of talk time.

Also on the options list is a peak to convert it into an open-face helmet for closed race cars. Keenly priced. Nobody likes sticking their head back inside a cold, soggy helmet, so a helmet dryer you can use between races is a brilliant idea. The Mini-Me Helmet Dryer takes things a stage further by turning the device into a standing mannequin that you place your helmet on top of as it dries and airs.

Novel and useful. Motorsport Starter Switch Panel. We were sent this anodised aluminium starter panel from sports. Mainly quality. The kit comes with a unique bead mix and slow-cure resins inside a casting bag, giving you ample time to sort out your ideal seating position before things start to set solid.

With noise levels becoming more and more critical on UK circuits, The Decibel Slayer is a useful bit of kit.