Rallysport Engineering to race in Two Ball rally

Brake pad manufacturer TMD Friction is supporting a bid by Essex-based Rallysport Engineering Academy to complete the Two Ball Banger London-Lisbon Rally, raising funds for the local air ambulance.

TMD Friction’s Mintex brand will supply brake pads for the Academy for the 1850-mile road rally in April 2023, with Rallysport’s participation in the event raising funds for Essex and Hertfordshire Air Ambulance.

The team at Rallysport with the CAT Award they won in March

Rallysport Engineering will complete the rally in an old Ford KA, with all preparation on the car being completed by the academy’s young team of budding technicians. The car will be fitted with Mintex brake pads and feature prominent Mintex branding.

Scott Irwin MIMI, head of technical training at TMD Friction, said: “We’re delighted to offer Mintex braking friction parts to the team at Rallysport Engineering, as they embark on the pan-European rally adventure, and all for a good cause.

“It’s great that the Academy’s students are preparing the car for the Two Ball Banger event, which should not only be an unforgettable trip but also inspire the next generation of automotive technicians.”

Jon Reynolds, academy manager at Rallysport Engineering, said: “We’re really pleased to have support from Mintex and run their braking products on the car. It’s our first rally of this kind that we’re taking on and we’re really looking forward to the challenge.”

The route of the London-Lisbon Rally takes crews from the start at Brands Hatch racing circuit to legendary French motorsport venue Le Mans on day one, with day two taking the convoy of Ford KAs along the west coast of France to Bordeaux.

Day three features rolling hills and woodlands of the Gascony region of France before crews begin climbing the Pyrenees mountain ranges. Day four has the field enter Spain with the 329-mile stretch from Burgos to Braga, with the final day of the rally featuring two laps of the Braga race track before the convoy travels to the finish in the Portuguese capital Lisbon.

Rallysport Engineering won the 2022 ‘Rising Stars’ CAT Award for coporate social responsibility.