2026 Q2 Review - Hillclimb Car

The first task undertaken to get the hillclimb car ready for the 2026 season was to install a TSS tubular rear subframe. Compared to the standard subframe, the TSS subframe is lighter and seemed to be stiffer, which should help us control the car when cornering. When installing the subframe, we took the opportunity to install some adjustable rear toe arms, which can be adjusted to help stability when braking. If you follow our social media channels we showed the subframe swap without the difficulty to fit it!

The fuel tank needed to be reshaped slightly (we used a hammer!) for the new subframe to fit properly, which took a while to do, as it was critical that the subframe sat flush on the chassis.

Next on the list was to wrap the turbo up pipe and downpipe and to fit them. Funk motorsport's 25mm wide heat wrap was used for this, and after reinstalling the pipes, it was time for the next job.

It is eventually the plan to race the hillclimb car in rounds of the Belgian hillclimb championship. To do this, the car must be compliant to FIA hillclimb regulations. As the car is already compliant to Motorsport UK regulations, who derive their regulations from the FIA, there aren't many changes required. On the list, however, are in date seats and harnesses, an electronic battery cut out switch, and plumbing the external wastegate to the downpipe. An electronic battery cut out system was chosen, and after a few days of wiring, this was installed in the car, replacing the older style handle pull cable on the scuttle panel. The car could then be driven to get an alignment with the new rear subframe installed. A set of NGK PFR7B spark plugs were installed as it was suspected that the PFR6B grade were at the power limit for their heat range. Following an initial test drive and mapping session, all seemed to be in order, although a small misfire would occasionally be creeping in after the car had been idling for a while.

Another little job was to raise the engine mount to gain additional clearance between the EJ25's cylinder heads and the front subframe. This was done via a set of small shims which were slotted in place between the Hardrace engine mounts and the front subframe.

With the coolant swapped over to VP Racing's Stay Frosty coolant, it was time to get the first event of the year underway - the Abingdon Carnival Sprint!