Inside Track: Long Termers

Frugal fun from our Ibiza

Taking a SEAT for service

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:21:46 GMT

Richard Aucock writes:

So it was in for an unscheduled pitstop for the long-term SEAT. OZJ’s brain decided the 10k service was due at almost 10 per cent fewer miles than we were banking on. Oh flip. Cue, we thought, some frazzled phone calls trying to get it booked in. Turned out to be pretty straightforward, actually. Our only dilemma being whether we pay £150 in Kidderminster or £100 in Wolverhampton.

Up bright and early to Britain’s newest city, then. The lady on reception said that if I got it there for 8am, I could wait and it would be done in an hour, ish. They promised me a desk for the laptop, so I ploughed over, dropped off the keys and got working. Free coffee from a machine kept me oiled – but, worryingly, I wasn’t too disturbed by customers, despite it being September. Ah.

An hour later, I needed a breather, so I ventured outside – and noticed a grubby-looking Ibiza sitting outside. Hmm… so I ventured back to reception, where I was cheerfully greeted by the bookings lady. “All done!” she exclaimed. Ace. A full health check reported no problems, and it was ready to go within the hour, as promised.

With the 308, I noticed no difference after the service. They could simply have cleaned it, done noting else, charged me £150, given it back and I’d have been none the wiser. Even the oil remained dirty. Not so the SEAT. Here, it was the car that was still dirty – not that I cared, given the weather – but, remarkably, it was transformed on the road.

The gears engaged more smoothly. The clutch, previously a lumpy irritation, now glided engagements. It was less snatchy in traffic. Dammit, even the engine was smoother and sweeter. Simply, a plain nicer, more cohesive car to drive all round. I’ve yet to check if there are any eco improvements, but I certainly got my money’s worth from this pitstop. Makes the surprise of it coming round early more palatable, I guess. The significance of them banging on a sticker in my line of vision, pointing out when the next one's due, wasn't lost on me.

---

Trading places

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Ford SportKa: MOT for the first time

White really isn't alright anymore, part 2

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:16:49 GMT

Dan Trent writes:
CJ's already had a rant against white cars but I'm loyal to my Clio and reckon the white on black is the colour scheme to go for. And it seems two thirds of Clio Cup buyers agree, this being the number who've opted for the same. But I think I may have changed my mind. In fact, I demand a respray. I want my car to look like this:

Just in case you didn't get that the first time here's another view...

...and a pic of the interior for good measure:

That final pic is the giveaway (if you hadn't spotted the roof vent) that this is in fact a Clio Cup race car, snapped in the competition workshop of the Renaultsport factory in Dieppe I was visiting yesterday (more on this to follow). But if that colour combo ever gets offered on the road car I'll be off to the nearest Renault dealership pronto. Of course, if I had a hundred grand there's another car wearing this colour scheme I'd be gunning for...

...but budget dictates I won't be troubling my local Official Porsche Centre any time soon. Or ever, probably. Whereas getting the Clio resprayed is far more affordable. I'm sure Renault won't mind getting their long term press car back in a different colour when I'm done with it. Anyone know a good paint shop?

Dan

Links:
CJ doesn't like white cars any more
Latest Clio long term update

Ford SportKa: Ka-ka-ka-claying

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:45:55 GMT

cj hubbard writes:

It is possible that I'm becoming slightly obsessed with the cleanliness of my car. (Those who aren't quite so inclined are probably going to want to skip this post. Unless insomnia is currently a problem.)

Recently Meguiar's were kind enough to send us some cleaning products to try out on the white (and therefore permanently dirty) exterior of Dan's Clio. As if he needed an excuse to get the sponge out. Anyways, included in the box was the latest catalogue of Meguiar's products, which I got to flicking through.

Now I am something of an Autoglym freak (as you could probably guess from the picture below) - I have no idea why: I blame my father. But something caught my eye in the Meguiar's catalogue, and as far as I'm aware there's not yet any kind of Autoglym equivalent.

It's called Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Kit. The main component is this putty-like 'clay' substance that you rub over the bodywork, using the included Quik Detailer as lubricant. The idea is that it removes all the surface impurities, swirl marks, etc, leaving you with a finish that's 'smooth as glass'.

My SportKa is just over three years old now, so I figured I might as well try it. And forked over £23 of my own money in the local branch of Halfords.

As I said, the kit includes the clay (two sealed little bricks, and a special box to keep them in), and the Quik Detailer (handy on it's own), but also a microfibre cloth for buffing the surface post application, and a sample size of Cleaner Wax to finish off with (which I didn't try).

So wash, the car, wait for it to dry. Squirt the QD on, work the hand-warmed clay over all panels and painted bumpers. For ages.

If you were expecting the clay to just magically suck all the welded on bug remains, tar, and other miscellaneous stains straight off the paint (note: that's exactly what I was expecting) you'll be disappointed. This stuff requires quite a bit of effort.

To the point where, after a couple of panels I was about ready to give the whole thing up. But I'd started so I'd finish, etc, etc. And the more I used it, the more impressed I became with what it was achieving. While every mark really needs to be tackled individually, rather than simply glanced over with the clay, the genius of it is in the non-abrasive way it gradually sooths and smoothes to leave a dazzling, friction free finish.

Post-polish - not post-clay...

Of course, in a product-mixing move experts will probably deride, I then applied a coat of Autoglym Super Resin Polish, before finishing with Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection. This needs to sit on the paint for at least half an hour before you can start taking if off, however, and of course it started to rain just before the time was up - not a happy situation.

Still, even with the haphazard emergency polish removal, a good couple of weeks later I'm still impressed with the clay's slick results. It's like really expensive dog food for your car's glossy coat. I'll add some finished pictures as soon as the rain stops falling...

Is the Smooth Surface Clay Kit worth £23? Hard work, but I reckon so.

---

Links:

Our Clio takes a trip to Dieppe

Guess what - the Clio needs another clean...

Meguiars

Autoglym

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Video: Clio spin at Oulton

All in a spin at Oulton Park

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 07:18:59 GMT

Dan Trent writes:
So, having got my nuts loose I was able to swap my tyres around to put the (marginally) better ones where needed. Not, as you will see from the following video, it did me much good...

To be fair I don't think the tyres were to blame for this. Note instead general ham-fisted driving and a creative response to understeer involving flooring the throttle and hoping for the best. Note to self, this doesn't work in front wheel drive hot hatches...

Despite this display of driving ineptitude (or perhaps glad I'd got it out of my system and properly scared myself) my good friends at Renault were happy to chuck me the keys to the Clio V6 they'd brought along. A car with something of a reputation for evil handling in extremis, I was very circumspect but the chance to take it around Oulton was too good to miss. And though it's probably not any faster than the 'conventional' Clios boy is it about 200 times more dramatic. You sit behind the wheel and everything you see and touch says 'Clio' but everything you sense and hear shouts out that this is something very different. I still can't believe Renault actually built this thing. What were they thinking?! I'm glad they did though. Check out the video here:
Video: Clio V6 at Oulton Park

So that's it for the season of Renaultsport trackdays. Without hesitation I'd say they're the best I've ever done too. Clearly not much use to non-Renault drivers but the chilled out atmosphere, refreshing lack of attitude either on track or in the paddock and very beginner-friendly vibe were all very appealing. To anyone out there with a hot Renault you really have no excuse not to get involved!

Dan

Pics by zzzone.co.uk

Links: Clio picture gallery

Clio Cup update, part 1

Clio Cup update, part 2

Clio Cup update, part 3

Clio Cup update, part 4

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Check yer nuts!

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:34:44 GMT

Dan Trent writes:
Who last fiddled with your nuts then? Sorry, an obvious joke but my attempt to shuffle the wheels around on the Clio ahead of my trackday at Oulton revealed an unpleasant surprise. It all started when I saw the state of the nearside front tyre after Cadwell. And after reading the circuit guide and realising Oulton was mainly right-hand bends I realised there was no way the front left tyre was going to survive another track hammering. Time to swap some wheels around and replace it with the one with the most rubber remaining.

Spanners and jack in hand I then uttered the famous last words that herald many a DIY mechanic's downfall: 'It'll only take five minutes...'

Five minutes of standing on the Clio's wheelbrace, trying to shift the overtightened wheelnuts - a present from the last airgun-toting gorilla who fitted the wheels. Another five minutes with a bigger wheelbrace, further enhanced with a length of pipe for extra leverage. Yet another five minutes of swearing, sweating and then - inevitably - a stripped bolt. In this case the locking wheelnut. Oh damn.

Fortunately the very kind people at Lookers Renault in Northwich managed to squeeze me in at the last minute and an even bigger airgun-toting gorilla managed to free the nut without drastic drilling or other painful adventures. All this highlights an important point though - if you were stranded at the side of the road with a flat tyre and some idiot had over-tightened your wheel nuts the way mine were you'd stand no chance of freeing them. Loose wheelnuts are obviously A Very Bad Thing. But overtightened ones are nearly as bad, placing undue stress on wheels, hubs and brake discs, not to mention being a proper PITA on that one occasion you really need to be able to undo them. When did you last check yours?

Dan

Links: Clio picture gallery

Clio Cup update, part 1

Clio Cup update, part 2

Clio Cup update, part 3

Clio Cup update, part 4

Trading places

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:25:03 GMT

Richard Aucock writes:

It was a real concern, you know. The thought of losing my Peugeot 308, with all its equipment, weighed heavily on my mind as I chose my next long-termer. You see, I’d been spoilt. The spec list didn’t fully underline the welter of kit thrown at our old SE-spec machine – particularly as gadgets such as climate control, auto lights, auto wipers and the multi-function remote stereo controls actually worked. You know, in all my time with it, I never once turned on the lights. And not a single person drove into me through not doing so.

It even turned them on when it was raining heavily – this really was clever stuff. So, how would I cope without these digital assistants? Particularly given that I was going for the full-on downtrade, into a SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive, whose spec level is, while hardly of the sack cloth shirt variety, not a patch on the 308?

Well, a month in, I’m still here. I’m sane. I’ve discovered that I can still turn knobs and press buttons. It was a flurry at first – in the morning, for example, I now have to turn on lights, adjust three heater knobs, press the a/c button and reach over to readjust the manual door mirrors. Then, as the car warms up, turn more knobs, remember to turn the lights off as it brightens – and that’s without the brain overload that is adjusting to varying rain conditions with the wiper stalk. Oh, poor old me.

But really, it’s no pain at all. A bit of manual labour never hurt
anyone. Besides, what more do I need, other than air con, an aux socket for the generic MP3 player, and my digital radio? The punchy diesel engine is a constant surprise, Germanic influence in the seats and stability makes longer journeys not to be feared, it’s not that noisy or wearing – really, this downsizing lark is pretty easy, actually.

Particularly as I’m feeling a strange sensation of satisfaction about being in a smaller car. It’s the ‘just enough’ feel; not only am I consuming far less fuel, I’m also using no more metal than I need to, taking up any more space than I have to (given that I can still get 2m-tall wardrobes in…). This all really chimes with my eco mindset – and it’s not smugness. Just satisfaction, at being able to do my bit…

… without having to suffer for it. Right now, green is very good indeed.

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Renaultsport guide to Oulton

Time for some homework...

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:52:20 GMT

Dan Trent writes:
Off to Oulton Park in Cheshire later this week for the final Renaultsport trackday of the year and my last chance to drive my long term Clio Cup in anger before it goes back to Renault. So although I'm excited it's also an occasion tinged with sadness.

Oulton looks like a great track though and I think it'll suit the Clio down to the ground. Peter and I called in there on our whirlwind tour of British race tracks in the M3 last year and although the light was fading and we were only shooting static pictures I was really taken with the place. Peter's raced here too and rates it as one of his favourite UK tracks so I'm sure it's going to be lots of fun.

Thing is, I've got no idea how to drive the track. But thankfully the latest Renaultsport newsletter has a corner by corner guide by one of the ~~lunatics~~ skilled racers who drives in the Clio Cup series. Then there's the Dunlop 'Drivers know' website, which has some very useful circuit guides for nearly all the major UK race tracks - really handy if you're going somewhere new for a trackday and want a rough idea of where you need to point your car.

I'll let you know how I get on!

Dan

Links:

Every UK track in a day

Dunlop circuit guides

Clio picture gallery

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You wait for one Clio Cup...

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:54:30 GMT

Dan Trent writes:

...and then four turn up at once!

Pic by zzzone.co.uk

This is the scene from the Renaultsport trackday Cadwell Park the other day, yours truly heading up a pack of hard charging Clio Cups. Or am I holding them up? I'll leave that for you to decide. Either way, arch rival Chris Knapman from Performance Car is behind me and that's the important thing, although I had to concede to his faster pace when it rained later. He wasn't in his long termer so I didn't have the excuse of him being on better tyres either, dammit!

Just out of shot is Renault man Jeremy Townsend in his 197 FF (or 'full fat' in Renaultgeek speak - ie, non-Cup-spec Clios), leading the way and proving that Renault's staff aren't afraid to get stuck in and mix it with the owners out on track.Which is exactly as it should be. Renaultsport is the enthusiast corner of the Renault world, the firm even organising its own website and very lively forum where owners can chat directly with people like Jeremy to find out more about their cars, discuss problems or just brag about burning off other (and invariably lesser) hot hatches. Not that you'd find me on there doing that, no siree.

Anyway, Jeremy and his colleagues are all proper enthusiasts as well. And any excuse to prove the worth of their products out on track is grabbed enthusiastically, Renaultsport even organising subsidised Renault-only trackdays at various UK circuits. I can't think of any other manufacturer that has such close links with the grassroots fans and it's a fabulous way of proving the track credibility of the cars. Not to mention lots of fun.

Next up, Oulton Park in a couple of weeks. I can't wait!

Dan

Links:

Clio picture gallery

Clio Cup update, part 1

Clio Cup update, part 2

Clio Cup update, part 3

Clio Cup update, part 4

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The SEAT of faith

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:46:24 GMT

Richard Aucock writes:

Blind faith gets me plenty of places. Such as, into ownership of a Golf I didn’t intend to buy. Yes, I, err, swear by it. And another instance of this came on Saturday. I woke up and found I needed a wardrobe, pronto. Where else to go, but a well known catalogue shopping store? Barely had my breakfast tea been touched had I searched online, found a suitable candidate (the cheapest) and secured it at my local store.

Just one problem. It was a good two metres long, packaged up. And, of course, since I’ve downtraded my long-termer, I don’t quite have the space I once had to play with. Out I went with the tape measure, confirming that there indeed wasn’t two metres of space in a seats-down SEAT Ibiza. What to do? Go to the shop and buy it anyway, of course. It’d fit. Somehow.

Heaving back a box I was convinced they’d filled with lead, I approached the car. There, people watched me approach the car, eyes flicking between box and Ibiza, brains doing some quickfire calculations: their subsequent mirth was, if you listened carefully, audible. One bloke almost ran me over, so busily was he chortling. All the empty spaces in the vicinity filled up as people sat and waited for the theatre about to commence.

To be honest, I was beginning to have doubts. Yes, I’d measured it, yes I’d found the box was indeed longer than the space available, but I still sort of hoped it would, you know, go in. Looking at it tower over the car, I reached a mindset of, well, hope. Give it a go, a voice inside me was saying. You’ve got this far.

So...

I manhandled it onto the boot sill. Started pushing. And pushing. And, then, pushing a bit more quickly, as I was standing so far into the car park thoroughfare, I almost got collected by a delirious CR-V driver. By this stage, my eyes were shut, hope flooding through my hands. Then, know what?

It plopped into the boot. Oh my. It was in. and no tinkle of broken glass suggested I hadn’t put the side window out, either. I nonchalantly shut the boot, forcing a dozen shoppers to hurry inside to find a midst-tiff couple to entertain them instead, and went round to the passenger side. How on EARTH had it actually gone in?

Through rare foresight, that’s how. There was indeed not enough space with the seats folded normally. So, instead, I’d reclined the passenger seat fully back, and topped the rear split back against it. Creating space for a wardrobe, ooh, entire millimetres longer than the one I’d just purchased.

Amazing. Who said this downtrading lark would be hard? I drove back, happy in the knowledge that I really didn’t need any more car than this. Next week? Six mates to the pub. It’ll be fine, I’m sure. I have faith.

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VXR assists with speedy takeaway delivery

Clio meets its match?

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:48:41 GMT

Dan Trent writes:

It’s no secret I’m a bit lovestruck by my Clio Cup long termer. But I’m not so blinkered as to admit there might, just possibly, be faster hot hatches out there. But better? That’s a harder sell.

The 888-tuned Corsa VXAAAAAARGH! we had in the other week had me worried though. It had bright red paint for a start. And a big turbo. And an exhaust that went ‘Ba-ba-BANG!’ every time you changed gear. Everything’s relative of course but next to the shouty little Vauxhall even my souped up Clio looked distinctly plain.

Pic by CJ

Time to put it to the test on the road. CJ and I had to get to Ford at Dagenham, both cars were available and my favourite back-route home would take us pretty much to the door. Game on! I jumped into the VXR, CJ into the Clio and we were off, ready to raise hell on the roads of Hertfordshire. Just as well the Corsa’s exhaust was loud enough to drown out the tutting from everyone we passed…

The Corsa’s shouty nature carries through to the Halfords-spec interior too. It’s relentless! But I had to confess, fancy Recaros apart, the Clio’s all-grey interior looked very dull in comparison. Not sure I could live with the VXR’s chromed plastic long term though.

Thing is, for all the noise, drama and relentless thrust CJ didn’t seem to be working too hard to keep the Clio glued to the Corsa’s bumper either. With around 217bhp the VXR comfortably outguns the Clio to the tune of more than 20bhp. And against the turbocharged thrust of the Corsa you’d expect the peaky, normally aspirated Clio to struggle, even given its 2-litre capacity. But power’s no good unless you can use it and the Corsa’s slightly vague steering meant I was nowhere near as confident about my grip levels as I knew CJ would be in the Clio. The gearshift was nowhere near as fast or positive either. Able to get on the power earlier, he was just about hitting the Cup’s 5000rpm-plus sweet spot as I was feeding in the power on the Corsa.

Crude and amusing in small doses the VXR is very, very fast and proof of quite how hardcore hot hatches have become. But the beautifully honed Clio feels so much more satisfying to push hard, and is ultimately faster as a result. An exhaust that goes bang would be nice though…

Dan

Links:

Corsa VXR first drive

Clios at the ‘ring

Clio track vids

Clio long termer update

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British International Motor Show complete coverage

ECOnetic air conditioning day dreams

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:21:25 GMT

RIchard Aucock writes:

Looking more closely at the new Ford Fiesta information, something’s surprised us. The ECOnetic, that’s grabbing all the headlines? Well, its £11.845 list price is just attractive as its superb styling. Just one thing. That’s without air con.

A/C is, apparently, a £500 option on the ultra-eco Fiesta – taking it up to £12,345. Which is, as you no doubt know, a fair chunk more than our SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive long-termer. Not a problem – the Fiesta is a much more modern, stylish car than the ageing Ibiza, and its punchy 1.6-litre diesel is likely to be nicer to use, as well. But, we’re intrigued.

See, when the VW Polo Bluemotion was launched, only the model without air con got the famed 99g/km CO2 figure. Models with a/c pushed up to 104g/km – meaning they lost the advantage of free road tax. Somehow (nobody’s still quite sure how), Volkswagen has corrected this anomaly, meaning all Bluemotions now qualify for sub-100g/km status. But has Ford learnt the same trick? Will must-have a/c nudge it up over the 100g/km mark? We’re intrigued, on the case, and finding out as we speak…

Oh, and just one more note. The ECOnetic is the first ultra-small eco car to get a gearshift indicator. Apparently, coupled with the trip computer, Ford’s measured really tangible benefits from drivers equipped with this tech. And the shift lights really are best-advice meters, rather than just cynical rpm-based, fun-stopping gearshift reminders. The man who designed it told us so… therefore, do as it says, for best eco gains!

---

Links:

On order: Seat Ibiza Ecomotive

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Clio whiteout at the 'ring!

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:28:49 GMT

Dan Trent writes:

It must be, ooh, going on at least a couple of weeks since I last mentioned either my Clio Cup or the Nurburgring on here. Not that I’m obsessed with either of course. Anyway, an email from RSRNurburg’s Dale Lomas gives me opportunity to cover both in one hit. Happy days…

You’ll recall Dale is an instructor at the Nordschleife and uses a couple of black Clio 197s as his school cars. And they’re just the job, bar one small detail – left-hand drive means the Brit-dominated customer base sometimes struggles. Trying to keep up with Dale is hard enough as it is but, as he puts it, “when you're driving the most challenging track on earth, you don't want to be reaching for the door handle instead of the gearstick!”

Dale had a couple of laps with my car when we were over there and declared himself well impressed. So the news that RSR has added a pair of white, right-hand drive 197 Cups to its fleet is a real boost – especially if our tales from the Nordschleife have inspired you to go over and have a go for yourself. Fast and agile but safe with it, the Cup is a great car for learning the ‘ring with, especially if you go the whole hog and opt for instruction from Dale or one his colleagues.

Looks like fast white Renaults are going to become something of a regular sight around the Nordschleife…

Dan

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Clarkson on Gilles Villeneuve

Is track driving boring?

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:41:09 GMT

Pic by Nick Dungan of Smudged Images

Dan Trent writes:

The short answer is no, of course not. But my Renaultsport day at Brands taught me that proper circuit technique is about methodical, serious driving rather than thrill seeking antics.

Whenever possible I always try and grab a bit of tuition when I’m on a trackday and this time I really lucked out with my instructor, a chap by the name of David Roucka-Brown. Having established I knew the basics he started to give me full-on technical instruction about how to tackle the short but challenging Brands Indy circuit. And I had the sudden realisation that approaching circuit driving from a racer’s point of view is very different from my usual approach of hooning about like an idiot.

Pic by Danny Milner

A trackday is all about having a laugh. But once you reach a reasonable level of competence the natural instinct is to look at the next stage and improve your technique further. And with David’s polite but unnervingly precise dissection of my driving – typically: “You were probably about three feet too early on your turn in there…” – I realised driving to win races is a seriously disciplined exercise. Discipline my attempts at nailing Clearways – the techie final corner at Brands – proved I could do with improving.

And it’s not about having fun. To be good as a racer you’ve got to be meticulous, accurate and blessed with the ability to drive with metronomic consistency – which explains why modern F1 drivers are all so damned boring. And there was me thinking it was about glamour, dating models and hanging out in Monaco. Darn!

Pic by Nick Dungan of Smudged Images

Driving a car at breakneck speed on a race track IS exciting. But to be really good at it you’ve got to be able put that to one side. Which is why the James Hunts and Gilles Villeneuves of old have made way for the Schumacher generation of machine-like drivers for whom 200mph barely raises a sweat. Meanwhile out on Brands I was struggling to detach myself from the instinctive excitement at being on a track and be a bit more cold and calculating.

It was fascinating. But fun? Not like messing about trying to flick the car sideways as I was at Bedford a couple of weeks before. And I’ve always been of the view that when you start taking things too seriously you need to watch out. But my glimpse of track driving from a proper racer’s mindset was incredibly revealing.

And despite David’s best efforts I still never quite got Clearways spot on. As he said on my assessment sheet, ‘practice makes perfect Dan!’

Dan

Links:

Renaults at Brands Hatch by Nick Dungan of Smudged Images

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More Brands pics by Nick Dungan of Smudged Images

Battle of the Clios, round 3!

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:19:36 GMT

Dan Trent writes:

Time for another Renaultsport trackday in the Clio, this time at a sodden Brands Hatch Indy circuit. A nail in one of my tyres (sod’s law – the only one that actually had decent tread left on it after the day at Bedford) saw two new Continental Sport Contact 3s going on the day before and I was ready for round three of my on-track duelling with fellow Clio Cup long term custodian Chris Knapman from Performance Car Magazine.

Pic by Nick Dungan of Smudged Images

The Clios were rested this time round, our weapons of choice being a pair of poor unsuspecting Twingos. Much tyre squealing later (a bit too much tyre squealing for the Brands marshals, although they were very nice about it) and it was declared a points draw and with the rain coming down we swapped back to the Clios.

Pic by Nick Dungan of Smudged Images

Now Chris and I seem fairly evenly matched after our excursions at Spa and Bedford. But no matter how hard I tried he dropped me like a bad smell. I needed an excuse, and badly. And then I remembered how he’d mentioned he’d also got new tyres on his Clio, in his case Dunlop Sport Maxx TTs. Bingo – that was it! His tyres! I caught up with him in the pits and suggested we swap cars to see if I was right and straight away the difference was obvious.

On the fresh Contis my car was slithering all over the place but Chris’ Dunlops meant I was able to corner not far off my dry pace. The difference was dramatic and, honour restored, I was glad to discover the reason for his extra speed. Maybe the Contis will bed in with a few more miles on them but in the conditions today the Dunlops had the edge.

Dan

Links:

Dan Vs Chris at Spa

How not to treat your tyres

Clio Cup arrives

Clio Cup update

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