Luke Arpino competes in the 2025 Armed Forces Race Challenge (AFRC) series
Luke Arpino of the RAF is currently racing in the Armed Forces Race Challenge (AFRC) in his Mazda MX-5.
Arpino competes in Class D (up to 135bhp/tonne) of this 750 Motor Club-organised series, whose main aim is to primarily provide a motor racing community for service personnel and veterans.
For the 2025 season, Arpino uses EBC Brakes’ USR discs and Bluestuff pads in his car, with two class wins achieved in the debutant round of the year at Donington Park Circuit.
Read how the weekend unfolded in his own words below…
“The first race of the AFRC 2025 season was at Donington Park’s National circuit. The race day started off with heavy rain; the track was completely sodden. Qualifying was very fun and slippery, and I spent too much time going sideways to set a decent lap.
“Race 1, the rain got heavier from our earlier qualifying session, but I opted for semi-slicks rather than a wet tyre. This was risky as pretty much everyone else was on a wet tyre option. However, I found the tyre was a good choice, only getting loose on a few parts of the track. A crash occurred on lap 1, causing a red flag, then we had to restart. On the restart, I got to P1 in class and was battling with C and B classes. Bringing it home P1 in class – my first win in the AFRC! The brakes were the key to lap, allowing me to close the gap to the quicker-class cars.”
“Race 2, the track dried for the 2nd race. Starting P1 in Class I had a good start and increased my lead. Not long after, another off-track occurred, causing another red flag. As I came up to the stranded car that was off-track, a Marshall pointed me into the pit lane. I entered the pit lane and to my surprise and confusion no one joined me. I wasn’t meant to enter the pit lane at all. As the grid formed back up, I was forced to start from the pit lane, which meant I wasn’t allowed to start until every car had past the pit exit. Very displeased with this outcome I put my pedal to the metal and pushed the limits of the car. With only 8 minutes left of the race, I went from P30 to P13. Finished P1 in class. I was over the moon and think it was one of my best drives to date.
“With mixed conditions and mixed luck, it had been my best results in racing so far, with two P1s.”
Bluestuff NDX Street/Track Pads
Bluestuff serves dual purposes as an exceptional fast street pad for premium fast street use and an entry-level trackday pad. Beds in fast for street use on premium cars with ZERO noise, squeal or vibration. A fantastic all-rounder for fast cars.
USR Slotted Brake Discs
Precision-made slotted brake discs for road and track day/club racing use. Manufactured in the UK or USA and made from high-quality, R90-approved grey iron rotor/disc blanks to exacting standards. Offering consistent and reliable braking.
