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XPart supported MG race teams gear up for 2010

9th March 2010 Print
MG TF LE500

The MG racing community is set for an exciting start to the season as MG TF race driver Paul Luti and student race team Lunar Racing put the finishing touches to their cars. Luti will be racing in the MG Trophy Championship and will also make an appearance in his popular ZT 520 at MGLive! at Silverstone in June, while Lunar Racing plan to compete in the Peter Best Insurance and the Britcar Production championships. With parts support from MG Rover parts specialist XPart, the teams are all set for a good season’s racing.

After a productive winter development period, Paul Luti and his team, Dreadnought Racing, have shaved an impressive 20kg from the total weight of his MG TF LE500, and have also fitted a sophisticated new data logging system to the car, which allows them to fine tune to each circuit by measuring everything from steering angle to the movement of each suspension damper. Lunar Racing is upgrading the engine of its Britcar ZS entry to produce at least 260 bhp, and is also developing a new inlet manifold and throttle system to support the upgrade.

“Last year was a development year for the new TF in racing terms, as it was the first time the car had competed on track,” comments Paul Luti, Dreadnought Racing. “We’ve worked hard on the car’s set-up over the winter and are now at the same weight as the front running cars, which can’t be underestimated in such a closely fought championship. We aim to win even more races this year and will be pushing hard to win the overall championship.”

With two MG ZS 180s in the Pest Best Insurance Championship and another in the Britcar Production Championship, 2010 will be a busy season for Lunar Racing. With an all-student pit crew and race mechanics, team Lunar is the only under-18 race team in the country to compete in a professional race series. Team leader and teacher Paul Kneeshaw has high hopes for the 2010 season.

“We’re hoping for a top three finish for the MG ZS 180s in the Peter Best Championship and we also hope to build on our successful fifth place in the 2009 Britcar Production Championship, again finishing in the top three. The students have pulled out all the stops over the winter to prepare the cars for competition, and have worked particularly hard on the MG ZS engine upgrade.”

Lunar Racing’s first race of the season will be in the Britcar series 13th March at Brands Hatch, while the MG Car Club championships kick off on 11th April, also at Brands Hatch. For further information, visit racethemg.com and lunarracing.com.

For further information on XPart’s and its worldwide supply of MG Rover parts, please visit xpart.com.

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MG TF LE500 MG