BRT Tries to Catch a 'Brake'

Summit Point, W.V. - Braci Racing Team debuted the 2024 season at Summit Point Motorsports Park this past weekend. BRT has been struggling with the brakes on the Civic since last season, fighting a soft pedal with rear brakes locking up on every corner entry.

BRT Chief Engineer Daniel Szwarc explained how they addressed these issues through an extensive off-season development program:

“We found out the car had an electrical issue that caused ABS to be disabled as well as the electronic brake distribution to default to 50/50 bias, explaining the lock-ups. We were able to diagnose and fix this issue over the winter break, as well as develop both a splitter and rear wing for some much needed aero.”

However, when the team first fired up for Friday practice at the 2024 debut event, BRT Driver Martin Szwarc felt that the car wasn’t actually stopping, having to apply the brakes long before the turn markers just to make the turn. After a disappointing qualifying on Saturday with the brake issue persisting, the team set about making further adjustments.

“After many theories were thrown around by other friends and competitors, we decided to simply adjust the throw of the brake pedal to increase the initial bite and the amount of pressure at the floor. With that change completed and a full brake flush with Torque’s high temp RT700 fluid, the Civic brake issue had been resolved!”

Despite the temperatures being a brisk 48F on Sunday morning, Martin Szwarc was able to shave a full 2 seconds off his qualifying time from Saturday, setting a 1:27.068. The team managed to place 2nd this weekend in the Sportsman class and 15th out of all 26 competitors in SCCA Big Bore Run Group.