Looks like last month’s adventures at the Bedford Autodrome have taken their toll on the Cupra’s Pirellis. They’re still legal, each having 3-4mm of tread left (they’re all set to expire at the same time thanks to a tactical front/rear wheel-swap a few months ago), but they’ve definitely gone a bit ‘off’.

Actually, this isn’t as serious as it might sound. It’s just that where the limits of the Leon’s cornering grip were once rarely a concern, they’ve now become something to be just a little wary of. This is particularly the case on greasy roads, where the front now nudges a fraction wide more readily than before, with the rear feeling like it wants to edge out when you throw the car into the tightest of turns.

To be fair, the Cupra’s new limits are little different to those of some of its peers at their best, but having experienced what it is capable of I’m all too aware of what I’m missing out on.

There’s no time to fit new rubber to KR07, though, because, as I write, it’s due to leave us in just three weeks’ time. Fingers crossed the roads will stay dry until then so I can get the most out of the Cupra during our last few days together.