Promoted: The unseen world of braking

Formula 1 exists in its own sphere, but demands on brake suppliers in other motorsport disciplines are not so different, as a tour of AP Racing shows

Author James Newbold

Published Jul 4, 2019, 1:34 PM

There are few sights more spectacular for the trackside motorsport fan than 30 squabbling tin-tops barrelling en masse into the Club chicane on the first lap of a British Touring Car Championship race at Thruxton.

From bouncing off the rev limiter in sixth, they stamp on the anchors and crash down the gears, each on the absolute limit of adhesion attempting to scrub off speed, without leaving space for an opportunistic rival to sneak past.

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Author James Newbold

James Newbold is Autosport's Plus Editor, responsible for coordinating website feature content.

In a sign of things to come, having completed his Politics and International Relations degree at the University of East Anglia in 2015, he left his graduation ceremony early to catch the last train to Brussels for the following day's Spa 24 Hours.

After a period as a freelancer, he joined the Autosport staff in 2018 and won the Motorsport UK young journalist of the year award. He initially edited Autosport magazine's Performance and Engineering supplements before joining the website team in his current role in 2020.

A keen enthusiast of anything that can be categorised unusual or niche, he enjoys unearthing little-known stories across all branches of motorsport, but has spent most of his career covering sportscars and is a regular part of the Le Mans 24 Hours reporting team.

He lives with his wife and children in Plymouth, England.