MR2C Revised Calendar 2007

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The following dates are the latest revised ones released by the series organiser Steve Vince. Donnington has unfortunately been removed from the calendar thanks to some kind gent offering them much more money, and Silverstone has been bumped down into September. To replace the Donington race, a Snetterton double header round is now taking place in July.

April 6/7th, Snetterton (Double header)
May 6/7th, Cadwell Park (Double header)
June 24th, Mallory Park (Double header)
July 15th, Snetterton (Double header)
July 28th, Brands Hatch
Sept 22nd, Silverstone International Circuit
Sept 28th, Snetterton (Double header)
Oct 14th, Mallory Park (Now a non-scoring round)

Snetterton will now account for half of the races in the MR2C which is unfortunate for Karen, being a pain to travel to from Worcester. It's also Karen's bogey circuit as far as point scoring results were concerned for 2006. (Although inexperience and deficiences in the car contributed to this). Getting to know the circuit and achieving good results there will be vital for a decent season in 2007.


Low And Behold!

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Richard and Darren performed some simple maintenance tasks this weekend. The engine oil and filter were changed, and some minor rust repair and prevention was carried out. The rear toe arms were also adjusted to slightly toe-in, having been set with some toe-out when they were replaced. Powerstation will set them correctly in due course.

It was an opportunity to take a couple of photographs showing the car's new ride height and sitting on the new alloy wheels and tyres. Karen, Richard and Darren think it looks really great and hope it performs as good as it looks!


Space, The Final Frontier...

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Previously, we'd had to hire a trailer for each race weekend. This was because we didn't own one as we had nowhere to store it. We've now bought a trailer which is kindly being stored temporarily by John Wilson, who also lives in Worcester and will be racing in the MR2C in 2007 in car #17!

Meanwhile, things have been changing on the home front to accomodate the trailer. This weekend saw the creation of a new section of driveway and a large gate was installed to keep everything secure. We've taken up a section of block paving in the garden which will be replaced by concrete as hard standing for the trailer.

Expensive and time consuming projects like this rarely get considered in the scheme of things when one decides to enter the motorsport arena. However, our lives will be made so much easier because of the changes. We can't wait to have them completed and have the trailer stored securely at home.


"Get the wheels in-line...Get the wheels in-line!"

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Karen's car is now booked into Powerstation in Tewkesbury on the 5th March to have the geometry reset after the suspension changes. (www.powerstation.org.uk). While it's there, it'll also have a session on their rolling road to try and optimise the fuelling and make the most of the modest power available from the trusty little 4-AGE engine.

The car will then be used for the first time with its new setup on March 16th at an airfield trackday with Motorsport-Events. (www.motorsport-events.co.uk). Hopefully, this shakedown session at Hullavington will reveal no major problems and will allow Karen to familiarise herself with the suspension changes and gip levels offered by the Falken ZE512 tyres.


Getting The Lowdown.

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After a seemingly long weekend of work, the car is now sitting low on its cut down springs. On Saturday Richard removed, cut and replaced the rear springs. He replaced the rear ARB droplinks, and also the rear toe arms. All the work was done inside the garages in the dry and comparative warmth.

On the clear and sunny Sunday further work consisted of changing the brake pads front and rear, and the bleeding of the system to ensure fresh fluid going to the calipers.

The dent in the passenger side front wing was also smoothed out, and some primer sprayed on to temporarily prevent rust. The wing will soon receive a skim of filler and some more paint to return it to its former glory. The rear arches and rear valance also require similar treatment due to some rust bubbling under the paint.

Many thanks to Darren who although feeling poorly from a bad cold, did the work on the brakes and shared the work on the dented wing. A dedicated motorsport enthusiast!


Happy 1st Birthday to Karen Phillips Racing.

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It was exactly one year ago today that Karen's racing website was launched. A big thank you goes out to all those who have contributed during the year, and for the support from Karen's sponsors. Here's to continued success in the coming year...


The Daily Grind.

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Karen’s husband Richard had already followed advice from Kevin Poole and Steve Vince, by cutting the bottom coil off one of the PI springs on the race car (Driver’s side front spring). However, what they hadn’t mentioned is that the spring is then so short, that jacking up the car can cause the top of the spring to fall out of place. Not something the pit crew wanted to worry about when replacing brake-pads or wheels.

Richard and his friend David spent a good deal of time at the weekend trying to sort out a solution. In the end this involved using cable-ties to secure the spring to the strut top, and a small jubilee-clip to keep the spring attached to the bottom of the strut. Once sorted, the other front spring was cut down and fixed in a similar manner. The front ARB droplinks were also replaced with uprated items from www.twosrus.co.uk

The new lighter alloy wheels wearing the Falken ZE512 tyres were fitted and the car was gently lowered to the ground. The difference in the ride height was dramatic, and the car now more closely resembles the cars that were winning races in 2006.

The rear springs now need the same attention. Further to this will be the fitment of new rear toe arms and some polybushes. There's still so much to do before Karen can hopefully give the car a shakedown sometime before the first race meeting at Snetterton in Easter.


“The Falkens have Landed”.

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Karen’s Falken ZE512 tyres were delivered and were fitted onto the new racing wheels by Craig at Dawson Tyre Services (Tel. 01905 758888). It was only when fitting them that we discovered they are directional, and thus two are configured to run in the correct direction for each side. This will mean at least two spares are required, one for each side of the car. We’ll be interested to see how they compare to the Yokohama A539s used in the MR2 Challenge last year.


About Karen Phillips

  • Karen races her Impreza WRX in the Classic and Sports Car Club (CSCC) Modern Classics series, with her husband Richard as a 2nd Driver. The races are mini-endurance events involving a driver-swap. Karen has previously raced in the Nippon Challenge, a race series for Japanese and Asian cars. Karen has been racing since 2006, having started in the MR2 Challenge.
  • Please check this site regularly for updates on Karen's progress through the season and developments with her race car.

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