In the middle of the race I heard something break

This conversation is over’, that’s what editor Bassam told me as we discussed the performance of the Golf GTI and the fact that we have improved our performance during the summer months.? When I mentioned to him that I still have the air conditioning system in the car, he didn’t want to hear any more.? The system could weigh up to 60 kilograms and should logically be removed, but, while everybody is trying to stay cool by shaking their doors, I get to have cool air before the start of the race.?

The summer months were a welcome break to figure out what to do with the Golf GTI in terms of performance improvements.? I sent the car to DXB Racing (the Dubai racing performance specialists) for an alignment and to sort out the engine misfiring problem.? The alignment was so off in the front that DXB Racing was surprised the car steered at all.? The engine problem was just a matter of cleaning everything up a little.? The car now runs well and is very reliable.?

We had a problem with the CV joints as the grease boot would come off and all the messy black stuff would spill out. It’s not a major problem but it was becoming an annoyingly recurring problem.? The CV joint was fixed for $ 500, the alignment for $ 160, and my pocket was lightened by $ 200 for grease, oil and brake fluid. I also needed a new set of front tyres for $ 700 as the old ones were completely worn, and hardened up during the summer.?

This season’s first National Race Day was on the short Club Circuit. I qualified 16th out of 19, which meant I was 3.5sec behind the leading Golf of Mark Hannak - an absolute monster with 380bhp at the wheels.

At the end of the season last year, we were running 5sec behind Mark on the same circuit. Seems the improvements over the summer made a difference. After a long battle, I finished the first race in 12th.?The second race was very similar: I started 12th and finished 13th. ?I wasn’t able to get a lot of traction out of corners as the inside wheel would spin until the car pointed straight.? The CV joint had leaked again, and another visit to the garage was needed.? This time it was the inner CV joint on the left side. And another $ 500.? The next National Race Day was held on the International Circuit, which favours top speed and good brakes.? I qualified 20th out of 30 entrants, and was over five seconds behind Mark, but less than two seconds slower than a nicely prepared Golf driven by Nabil Moutran.? I had no confidence in the brakes and was braking well before everybody else. The brake pedal was very soft until it started to bite, and when it did, it was nearly all the way to the floor. Then, in the middle of the first race I heard something break. The car felt strange but I now had more traction out of corners. It was the control arm of the front stabiliser bar that had broken.?I also had a problem with a leaking CV joint but managed to finish in 16th position.?

In the second race the vibration from the CV joint was so bad that I had to end my race on the third lap. I was very happy with the improvement on the car but realised that the standard brakes are just not up to the task.? We’ll be installing a nice Brembo brake kit and an upgraded engine chip for more go.? I’m looking forward to the next race when Martin will be driving the ‘new and improved’ Golf. And yes, we’re keeping the air conditioning.