After a couple of months of heavy expenditure I was finally able to enjoy the Clio again. The arrival of fairer weather was welcome and the end of last month saw another trip to Elvington airfield. Up until this time all of the days I'd attended had been on the same wheels and tyres I was using for the road. However, knowing the surface to be quite abrasive I invested in a set of 4 alloys from a later "phase 2" 16v which, with tyres included, came to a reasonable £50.

So with a set of Goodyear Eagle Venturas on the front, down to their wear blocks, and 2 new Firestone Firehawk fuel savers on the back I set about testing out the handling with the new shock absorbers and bearings. Whilst there was still a noticeable improvement in damping, with the roll on to the outside front a lot more progressive now, it still took some time to get used to the lighter steering and making sure I wasn't over-steering the wheel in to the bends.

With a bit more confidence in the grip levels I was probably carrying a good 10mph more in to the sweeping top bend than I had at my previous visit in January. Whilst some of the track cars (205s and mk2 Astras) still seemed to be reeled in rather easily, the 16v was also able to keep some of the other track users in Elises and Imprezas honest, and that was with a passenger. Unfortunately my exuberance led to the small matter of the power steering fluid spraying out of the pressure cap, all up the inside of the bonnet, down the wing and also on to the exhaust manifold. By the end of the day the new steering pump was making horrible noises and the Venturas were finished. Still, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day out and I got to take a friend and the better half out a few times to show them what this trackday-ing is all about. On a day where the track specials had been dropping out with problems, both seemed amazed at the level of punishment a small road car could take in comparison.

With only a week to go before a trip to Anglesey, with fellow writers Matthew Hunt and Ben Bradley and friends, I thought I'd better get to the bottom of the problem with the power steering. The car has always had problems with leakage from the cap but I've always been told this is quite normal. Further digging revealed that the Renault 19 16v, with which the Clio shared its engine, was fitted with a cooling pipe for the steering fluid. It seemed like a simple enough task to fit it, but as a test of whether cooling the return pipe would have any effect I decided to try and wrap foil around it. Upon removal of the reservoir it seemed that the workshop repair manual was a little inaccurate in its representation of where to fill the fluid to, and markings on the bottle (that are out of sight when in situ) revealed that ULF had been running a trifle low. After a quick top up and bleed the steering was beautifully silent. Job done then, and no mucking about with any tin foil.

Then on the Friday before the event, the 6 monthly curse returned. I returned to the car park, from work, to find that someone had kindly driven in to the rear passenger ¼ panel, the result of which is a scarred tailgate, one broken tail light, a scuffed bumper (new last year) and a buckled ¼ panel. Unfortunately Our Majesty's finest have done nothing about collecting the available CCTV footage and there were no witnesses. A quote from the last bodyshop that saw the car revealed that a new rear ¼ would probably mean a financial write off, so at this moment nothing has been done other than to replace the light unit. Dent specialists aren't willing to do anything so it looks like a new panel or DIY panel beating job.

Anglesey, however, was a brilliant day out with superb weather and stunning views of the mountains across the water. The worn Venturas had been replaced with a pair of worn F1s, but grip was disappointing. It would appear I was probably a little too enthusiastic getting on the power in some of the slower corners and grip was subsequently lacking. I also managed to nearly set fire to more power steering fluid and must thank one of the other attendees for lending a rag to soak up the excess fluid. Fortunately I had brought a spare bottle for such an event. The afternoon session saw a more relaxed approach and the difference became apparent, with a slight increase in grip and no further PAS incidents.

Finally, I recently bumped up the numbers of the Williamsclio club attendance at the annual French Car Show. Whilst the array of slammed, multi-coloured hi-fis was not to my personal tastes, I was looking forward to an hour on track with the rest of the club. This time, however, I opted to put the ailing Goodyears on the back with the Firestones up front. Cornering was interesting to say the least. While the front seemed to grip well with the Firestones, the back was quite loose. Perfect, I thought! That said, the behaviour of the Goodyears through the faster sweeping bends was what raised my eyebrows for they appeared to be almost squidgy, squirming around while I tried to keep a constant throttle and steering input. Despite all this abuse they still don't appear to be wearing particularly badly, something which can also be said of the Firestones; at £30 a tyre I think they could turn out be somewhat of a favourite when it comes to trackday tyres, with good wear rates and reasonable grip even on the rougher airfield surfaces.

So that's it for this month. Aside from a nasty battle scar down one flank the Clio has behaved impeccably. Next on the agenda is a much deserved oil change and a home made catch tank for the power steering fluid.

Photos: Matt Hunt, Richy & Phil Abbot