As the weather begins to warm up and the track season begins, the Clubsport Garage team embarked on their first track day of 2025 - we're headed to Bedford Autodrome, neatly-nestled between Northampton & Cambridge. Before we made the 2-hour trip to the track in our F87 BMW M2 Competition, lets take you through what's changed on the car.
Winter Changes
We made a number of changes to the vehicle over the winter; focusing on both handling and braking after chasing the overall balance of the car during our last outing at Donington Park.
Braking
We're currently in the process of trialling a range of different braking compounds on the original blue BMW callipers, wanting to find the full potential of them before going down the route of a Big Brake Kit. Bedford was to see a set of PFC '11' circuit compound brake pads put through their paces, paired with a 2nd set of Girodisc Rotors.
Wheels & Tyres
Gold proved to be bold with our last choice of wheels, and whilst the general feedback on the wheels are positive, the colour was certainly a bit of a marmite choice! Sticking with Titan 7 T-M20's, we went back to basics with a new set in matte black, which we feel suit the car well and accent the other black features on the vehicle. These wheels are ideal for track use due to their lightweight and strengthened forged formulation.
I personally think the sole reason Jack went to black was to hide the brake dust and tyre pick-up that I have great pleasure in moaning about having to clean off of them (sorry Jack!!).
We're also testing a range of semi-slick tyres to find what we believe to be the best choice on this platform. We opted for Yokohama A052's in a staggered 295/30/18 & 265/35/18 set up this time around.
Full Geometry Setup
We left Donington with a feeling that the car wasn't quite at it's full potential setup-wise, so we reached out to our good friend and Ex-Formula 1 Mechanic, Joe Nutter at Joey's Speed Shop to perform a full geometry setup and corner weighting on the car. Joey made the trip down to Essex from Yorkshire, spending the day on the South Coast working his geometry magic.
Two good customers of ours; Piers Hickin & Bradley Daws also came down for the Joey treatment, owning an E92 BMW M3 & F87 BMW M2 respectively, which would also be heading to Bedford for the day. We'd like to thank Joey for his efforts on all three cars, as well as being his usual charismatic self during what was a busy but enjoyable day! We highly recommend the knowledgeable Joey's Speed Shop for any setup requirements needed.
Both cars feature Protrack One Wheels, wrapped in Yokohama AD09 Tyres, a Bimecc Stud & Nut Kit, as well as products from Ridgeline Motorsport, Millway Motorsport and more, all supplied by Clubsport Garage.
To the Track
Arriving on what was a warm Friday morning in Bedfordshire, surrounded by a myriad of BMW 'M' cars, we jumped straight in to the car and queued up for the sighting laps. Influencers Shmee150 (below) & Joe Achilles were also in attendance for the day.
Both Jack & Lewis were behind the wheel today, getting plenty of laps under their belts to experience all of the changes made on the car. For me, I assumed my usual position behind the camera to document the day, with some passenger laps in the afternoon.
Jack & Lewis found the new PFC 11 & Girodisc brake set up performed very well, handling the heavy braking zones with ease, with plenty of life left in the pad by the end of the day - proving they are a lasting, reliable upgrade. We're on our second set of Girodisc rotors now and they continue to prove to be ever-reliable.
The Yokohama A052's are a strong contender for our favourite tyre that we've tested thus far, offering incredible grip (even from cold), as well as offering a reassuring feel and predictable feedback under load, lap after lap.
The highlight of the car for us was the new geometry setup. We found there was a touch of oversteer previously, but after few laps with the new setup, we found the car felt more neutrally balanced, which tied the whole package together well. With some clicks on the Nitron R3 Suspension as required, the changes were so substantial that both drivers almost had to re-learn their driving style, for the better thanks to the car feeling much more stable overall.
Rounding off the Day
In conclusion, it was another successful day. We really feel as though we're getting in to that sweet spot with the car now, treading ever closer to the ultimate Clubsport configuration. We still have a number of additions we'd like to make to the car, including some aero components we didn't quite manage to get on to the car in time for this track day, but they may well make an appearance for the next one!
For me personally, it was another new track to shoot at. And whilst I was limited to where I was permitted to photograph due to the lack of barriers, the unorthodox autodrome offered something a little different in terms of photo opportunities and was an enjoyable experience, albeit not getting all the shots I set out to.
When visiting your Brand's Hatches, Silverstones and the like, you're much further away from the tarmac and safely behind the barriers, giving you free rein to roam the perimeter of the track to get the best shots. A media pass will be an absolute must for my next visit to Bedford to obtain better access!
