A new season, new Team, and new hope. This year the Racing For Kids Subaru BRZ will be prepared & contested by MD Autosport. Late in the off-season the SPC Series officially released their new 2026 technical regulations which resulted in a mad rush to get the race car in compliance and optimise its performance. […]
MONT-TREMBLANT SPRING CLASSIC
MAY 29-31, 2026
The second Round of the season took us to the picturesque Circuit Mont-Tremblant. After a fairly successful first Round a fortnight ago at Mosport, we were excited to see what this weekend would bring because we had an upgrade for the #12 Racing For Kids Subaru BRZ. As part of the new for 2026 technical regulations a front Splitter and rear Wing are permitted, however there are restricted virtual “boxes” in which these parts must fit into.
“The front splitter must remain completely flat and can extend up to 3 inches, measured from the vertical contact point with the bumper.” “The maximum height of the highest part of the active surface of the rear wing must be equal to or less than a line parallel to the ground passing through a point located 3 inches below the highest point of the roof.” We knew the type of devices we wanted for the car, and specifically in the case of the rear wing, we were not looking for a large wing producing maximum downforce. We found several manufacturers of wings, and while some of them looked very effective at producing a lot of downforce, we surmised they would also produce a lot of drag and that would hurt us on the straights given our limited straight-line performance compared to our competition. What we needed was a wing that produced reasonable downforce & stability with minimal drag. We found a manufacturer that made a high-aspectratio, high efficiency wing. This is just what we were looking for. These carbon fibre wings are made to order and take some time to produce which is why it was not available for the first Round at Mosport.
The wing came with beautifully made swan-neck pedestals but they positioned the wing too high. The wing needed to be lowered so it would comply with the technical regulations. The wing manufacturer was not willing to custom-make a set of pedestals for us so we had to figure out a way to lower the wing ourselves.
I called Kim, an airplane friend of mine with a lathe in his condo (yeah you heard that right) to ask if he could make a drop-down bridge for the pedestal. Kim came by the shop and took some measurements. After discussing his thoughts for the bridge, Kim suggested we get Pat (another airplane friend of ours) involved since Pat has access to a CNC milling machine. So, as conspired, Kim drew the CAD file and Pat manufactured the bridge. It was then given to the team at MD Autosport for installation.
Fan interaction at Circuit Mont Tremblant was great! Given that the people who decided to build their cottages next to a racetrack (a track that’s been in operation since 1964, long before the cottagers arrived) are still lobbying hard to shut down one of the best circuits in the country, and arguably the world, it’s nice to see fans still coming to this venue to watch and support the races. Even though there was periodic rain throughout the weekend, the fans were still there cheering us on. And of course we can’t forget the kids. Seeing their faces light up when we ask, “Would you like to sit in the race car?” is always special.
Practice
Friday was hampered by rain, but the forecast for the rest of the weekend called for dry weather during our sessions. Although the rain was not conducive to setting-up the car for racing in the dry the following day, we still used these sessions to try different “wet setup’s” just in case the weatherman was wrong and it ends up raining for one of the races. What we found was, on this circuit in the wet our Subaru BRZ was struggling to putdown power on corner exits. Even though the set-up changes we made during practice made incremental improvements they weren’t enough.
We were going to have a hard time if it rained in the race. The #7 Hyundai Veloster N was incredibly fast in the wet and sat atop the timing chart, so I was a bit surprised when in casual conversation at the end of the day his crew-chief declared “the car has amazing electronics for controlling yaw and traction”. Our Subaru’s electronics? = Nope.
Qualifying
Saturday dawned dry with no rain in the forecast for the remainder of the day. On track the balance felt good, and the grip in the high-speed corners felt better compared to the last time we were here. The combination of suspension and aero upgrades were an improvement. Our opening laps were disrupted by traffic, resulting in lap-times that would have placed us in P4. We however managed to find some open space and laid-down a scorcher to qualify P1!
Race 1
We made a good start from Pole and led the opening laps but halfway through the race we encountered a couple issues which were to plague us the rest of the weekend. The brake pedal pressure was inconsistent and the car was not stopping as well as it usually does, and the tires began to ‘fall-off” (i.e. loose grip). This compromised our speed into the corners, which allowed the #7 Hyundai Veloster N to close-in and eventually get by.
Our pace was still fairly good as we kept close to the Hyundai, but a few laps later the #34 Mini Cooper JWC out-braked us into the Turn-8 carrousel. In an opportunistic move the #22 Toyota GT86 tried to follow the Mini up the inside, skidded and slammed into our passenger-side door. The hit, luckily, did not contact our wheels/suspension. After ascertaining our car was still drivable we set about chasing the #34 Mini Cooper JWC. The braking issue persisted which certainly grabbed your attention and led to some “pucker” moments, but we didn’t give up the fight. We eventually caught and passed the #34 Mini Cooper JWC, three laps from the end, to finish in P2. Once the car was back at our trailer the Team did a great job of straightening the door to make it look presentable.
The unexpected has a funny way of ruining a good plan.
Race 2
Sunday morning was overcast & damp but the tack was drying quickly. After the random position reversal system to determine the starting positions for Race 2 & 3, we gridded in P2 behind the #51 Mini Cooper S, with the #7 Hyundai Veloster N right behind us. We made another good start to lead the field into Turn 1, but the #7 Hyundai Veloster N got by us on the run down to the Turn-8 carrousel. Our Subaru BRZ was feeling good, and I was comfortably keeping pace with the #7 Hyundai Veloster N, so the plan was to be extra easy/careful with the tires to save them for later.
The first half of the race was uneventful as we followed the #7 Hyundai Veloster N but then, while being extra kind to the tires, the grip “fell-off” anyway and we began to struggle. Then two laps from the end, we were balked by a slow car exiting the pits. This allowed the #34 Mini Cooper JWC to get close enough to hassle us, but we held on to finish P2.
Race 3
For the last race of the weekend we started P3 behind the #7 Hyundai Veloster N and #34 Mini Cooper
JWC respectively. We made a good start to move up to P2 ahead of the #34 Mini Cooper JWC, however at mid-race as my tires & brake pedal started to degrade he was able to get by. The next several laps were spent keeping the leading two in sight. With two laps to go there was a flash rain shower and things got slippery! We closed-in on the #34 Mini Cooper JWC on the last lap but not enough to get by before the checkered flag, finishing in P3.
Although we are always striving for the top step of the podium, a string of three podium finishes is not a bad way to round out the weekend. See you at the next round of the SPC Championship at Calabogie Motorsport Park.
