For my winter testing I had another track day booked at Oulton, again with Lotus on Track, and this time armed with a new set of EBC Yellowstuff brake pads. It was also the first journey out for the van with the MR2 in the back. Lets hope I got the straps right and it doesn’t roll out of the back and down the M56.

I arrived to a frosty damp circuit and with Ians help we set about unloading the car. This went too smoothly for comfort and because we had arrived early we nabbed a garage as the weather looked more than a bit dodgy.

I only had the sighting laps to bed the new brakes in before having to pick the pace up. The pads actually bedded in really well and worked exactly like EBC said they would. Perfect timing as my guests had started to arrive, just as I spotted Ian had put some of the tyres on the wrong way round. D’oh! ‘Guests’ makes it sound posh, but we did have the VT Racing hospitality area setup offering luxurious comfort on a pile of tyres with some carpet sat on the top. It was Ian’s sister, brother in law and a guy I know from work who had come along to see the car and have a ride which he enjoyed.

Ian’s brother in law, Paul, is quite a big bloke (he’s just big, not fat, and that’s not me covering myself either ) and the MR2 isn’t a big car. Getting him in was tight, and highly amusing, because we’re childish, but once in he enjoyed the ride.

During the dinner break the heavens opened with some force just before Ian’s sister, Mel, was getting in the car, nervously looking at the semi slick tyres which were on the car. It’ll be fine I’m sure. On track there wasn’t actually much standing water (compared to Brands anyway) and apart from a puddle in the middle of turn 1 the car went very well. The steep hills at Oulton were making Mel feel sick but she didn’t say anything until she was out of the car. I can’t imagine what it’s like throwing up in a helmet, and frankly I’d rather not think about it either.

The day had passed without drama so all that was left was to load the car in the van. This was only the second time I’d ever done this and any hope of no dramas went out of the window when the car rolled back down the ramps when still attached to the winch. Great! Without the winch the car isn’t going in the van, not unless you have an ability to climb out of the window in a gap of a few inches. After a bit of poking and prodding we realised the clutch on the winch wasn’t engaging correctly, and much to my relief was easily solved with a socket set. Winch fixed, rewound and working – we could go home.