Mintex Racing proves off-road credentials
TMD Friction’s renowned braking brand Mintex has had success on both the racing circuit and on rally stages, but recent successes in hardened, rally raid environments have set the brand apart for its capability in the toughest conditions.
Mintex brake pads and discs feature as the specification part for various UK motorsport championships, from the one-make Focus Cup and EnduroKA series, to the high-end Vertu Motors MINI Challenge, across both its JCW and Trophy classes, often used as a feeder to the British Touring Car Championship.
In rallying, Mintex Racing friction material underpins the stopping performance of some top-flight Rally2 machinery found on the UK stages, as well as the Historic Rally Car Register (HRCR) Stage Masters championship, and on Mintex distributor Questmead’s Steve Brown’s car as he competes in the UK and abroad.
Recently, Mintex has provided brake pads to teams competing in rally raid events, which are timed rallies where competitors complete point to point stages via checkpoints, on rugged terrain in 4x4 vehicles. Rally raid events are tough and require endurance from both man and machine to stay the course.
Team X took their Land Rover Discovery equipped with Mintex brake pads through a ten-day, 3,000-mile route comprising sand dunes, rough roads, baking heat, steep climbs and descents and dust in the 2022 Sahara Rally by Driven to Extremes, an event that tracked some of the original route of the legendary Paris-Dakar Rally.
Pat Masters, driver of the Team X Discovery and former double Freelander Trophy champion, said: “In all of this extreme driving across arid, corrugated, desert tracks that were used in the Dakar Rally, the only issue we encountered was a severed pipe that we replaced ourselves in the middle of a dried up lake bed.
“We were very thankful of the Mintex brakes’ longevity and performance on the long, treacherous descents in the Atlas Mountains, that never once let us down and put up with punishment far in excess of normal conditions.
“We’re looking to compete again in the NORRA Mexican 1000 within the next couple of years, a legendary off-road event that has run since 1967, again with Mintex brakes on board.”
Mintex has enjoyed success with the RS Off-Road team in the 2023 season of the Freelander Trophy. The crew of Reece and Sean Mathieson took victory in the opening rounds at Walter’s Arena in South Wales and Bovington in Dorset, with a third-place finish at the latest round at Ebbw Vale.
“Our Mintex Racing M1144 pads constantly provide us with the stopping power we need to keep on top no matter how muddy, wet or gritty our car and brakes get,” says Reece Mathieson.
Richard Barton, category manager for Mintex Racing and Classic at TMD Friction, said: “There’s a real versatility with Mintex braking equipment and they’re the weapon of choice for so many different championships on both sealed surfaces and off-road looking for optimum stopping power.
“Our involvement with Team X in their Saharan adventure, and the RS Off-Road team competing in the Freelander Trophy, is further proof of the brake pad’s enduring capabilities in truly demanding racing settings.”
All new Mintex brake products are designed to meet the exacting demands of complex modern braking systems. Mintex braking products are engineered to provide friction stability, comfort and consistently high performance over a wide temperature range and stopping distances.
To find out more about Mintex Racing products, visit https://mintex.com/mintex-racing/?lang=en-gbr.