Time to get the car back together, front bumper on, a few bits of paint re-touched, a couple of sound deadening bits removed that I hadn’t done. Seat and side bar back in and the car and back on its four ‘move around’ wheels.

Its now ready for its pre-Donington clean and first race weekend of 2017.

One thing I had to bite the bullet and purchase was a new set of wet tyres, while in Class C you can use any road tyre on MSA list 1A the Toyo’s I kept as wets were the race tyres I used in my first season in 2014 and most of my second season in 2015. They were cooked to death with no give whatsoever and at Snetterton they were useless. On a recommendation from Oliver at Preptech I decided to purchase some Uniroyal Rainsports from my regular suppler at Camskill.

I was lucky enough to win two Dunlop Direzza’s in the end of season raffle so I purchased a new rim and took the worst left handed one I had in my existing 5 tyres and put them on. This gives me two spares, one left and one right.

The MG Trophy has decided to adopt the soon to be mandatory tow straps on every corner rule. This is supplied to us in kit form that has been specially commissioned by the Trophy. Fairly straight forward fitting especially as I have the front bumper off and out the way a supplied bracket fits on the front beam mounting bolts then tie wrapped onto the corner of the bumper (when re-fitted). While in the front, I re-loom the o/s/f indicator that got ripped out by the recover truck at Snetterton.

The rear straps require a little more effort, drilling a 13mm hole 50mm behind the existing hole in the chassis up through into the boot floor. The supplied bolt then fixes in through the strap and bolts in. This time two slits are cut in the corner of the rear bumper to wedge the loop in place rather than under the bumper.

After the bush upgrade, next was adding longer studs to the front hubs for the 10mm spacers. This is one of the changes that I am not convinced will beneft to much but I will do it anyway. Two sets of M12 x 1.5 x 63mm studs and some 10mm spacers ordered I take two spare hubs apart. While they are apart its best to replace the wheel bearings so these are pressed in.

Realising to press the studs in I need to drill the holes in the hub out to 12.5mm I order a hardened drill bit that lasts two seconds in Dad’s pillar drill at the first attempt. This puts the process on hold until I can visit an engineering shop and get them machined out rather than eat drills!