Blog

We commonly see failed High-Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) on modern Common Rail Diesel Engines resulting in a tangled web of issues, expensive repairs and headaches. The most common symptons are poor startup or a lack of power (especially under hard acceleration).99% of the time HPFP failure is most likely due to internal wear or metal-on-metal contact which often sends metal particles/shavings, also known as "swarf" throughout the entire fuel system. If these contaminants are not removed completely …

This is the story of one customer’s idea to travel the entire length of the UK on just one tank of fuel!If you’re thinking this was attempted by some super-efficient 1.2 TDI Audi A2 with an oversized fuel tank, you’d be very wrong…The customer wanted to see if this was possible in his daily-driven BMW 335d, tuned by ourselves to just shy of 400bhp.Could a car capable of a sub-12-second quarter mile and a 0–60mph time of just 3.7 seconds really complete this 840-mil …

After the disaster of Silverstone for the 750MC RoadSports, we had a few weeks to gather ourselves ready for the Club Enduro race at Oulton Park. This time we would have both cars. All the details and dates for future races we are entering can be found on the Darkside Motorsport Page. Below is the layout of Oulton Park, we would be doing the International) layout, which is the full track: Our TT TDIs have a declared weight of 1210kg without the driver, Class A petrol cars can …

This weekend is the first time the 750MC RoadSports race is not on the same weekend as the Club Enduro Championship until the last race of the season at Donington. ClubEnduro will be on its own at Oulton in mid-September. Last time out at Snetterton, we had a bit of a nightmare, that resulted in Ryan and Dylan's TT coming back with a few extra holes in the engine block that we expected! Ryan didn't plan to do this round, but Dylan was going to jump in his place, however an engine swap in less t …

Last time out at Anglesey for Round 3 of the 750MC RoadSports and Club Enduro Championships yielded mixed results again, but at least by the Sunday we were looking good pace and reliability wise, even if the results didn't show for Ryan and Dylan. Round 4 would be the last time Roadsports and ClubEnduro would be together until the last race of the season at Donington. We were making our way to Snetterton, near Norwich. A track that has not yielded us good results or stress free weekends in the …

Update on Import Charges for US Orders We want to keep you informed about recent changes to import regulations that may affect your order. As of 29th August 2025 the de minimis exemption has now ended, meaning customers may now see import charges applied to all international shipments, regardless of the order value. The good news is that these charges are typically minimal, currently being reported at 10% of the order total.This is on top of the standard tax rate: VAT: We do not charg …

Silverstone was a frustrating experience for me and Dylan, with the TCRs being much faster in a straight line, we were on the back foot all weekend. We salvaged what we could, and luckily still led both championships. Round 3 took us to Anglesey, on the tight and twisty Coastal Circuit, which should suit our cars much better and level the playing field against the TCRs. Dylan was also back in with Ryan, the KOTOUČ Sequential Gearbox modified by a UK company seemed to be doing OK in testing at B …

We had a mixed bag at Croft last time out, you can read all about it in the previous blog, but Ryan and Dylan didn't finish due to the KOTOUČ Sequential Gearbox causing some serious issues (more on that at a later date). Round 2 took us to Silverstone on the GP layout. With very little time to get the car sorted, Ryan decided to sit this one out. This left Dylan without a drive, and after much persuasion, I let him share the seat with me for the Club Enduro Championship Race on Sunday, on the …

Recently we have experimented with Thermal Imaging technology, in particular the TOPDON TC002C Infrared Camera, a specialised thermal imaging camera compatible with iOS Type-C devices such as the iPhone 15 & 16 models. But how does this revolutionize the Motorsport / Automotive industry? Motorsport To achieve record breaking lap times, temperature has a big role to play. Whether this is IAT's (Intake Air Temperatures), EGT's (Exhaust Gas Temperatures), Brakes or Tyre Temperatures, each contr …