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We shook the car down with a transversely mounted chain-driven ZZR-1100. The package looked beautiful (the picture doesn't do it justice) and worked well but, with space at a premium, the engine was difficult to work on in-situ. Transverse installation - chain-drive rear end We were using what we now appreciate was an overly complex drive-train - a short primary chain taking the drive to an intermediate shaft, where a secondary chain drove the centrally mounted diff.

We expected too much of the primary chain which, despite our TLC, objected by stretching and breaking the more we asked of it. At each round we were spending valuable set-up time tending to the primary chain. Mid-season, we decided to cut our losses and rebuild the back-end of the car from the engine firewall back.

We were back in action after only 5 weeks, with a completely re-packaged rear-end.
The engine is now mounted in-line with drive taken via a mandatory reverse gearbox to a Sierra differential, forming the load-bearing sandwich in the new suspension module.

As always happens in these situations, no sooner had we revamped the back of the car than we found a simple tweak to remove our chain woes.

The aluminium module which tied the original back-end together so effectively is about to be resurrected. You may well see a chain-driven chassis on the track again this season.

The front of the car remains unchanged. Extra-long lower wishbones minimise camber change, while our patented passive suspension endows the car with massive grip under braking, and compliance over the bumps.

How many other cars have you seen keep all four wheels on the ground through Cadwell's hairpin?