Some interesting reading there! I remember AmD very well from back in the day (90s, early 2000s), when it was Geoff Everett (who sadly passed away) and a couple of other guys. They were the VAG engine mapping & tuning pioneers, and also race car setup 
They are not to be confused with the current 'AmD Essex' or 'AmD Tuning' who are nothing like what AmD used to be. I'm not sure how many times they've changed hands, but in the 2010 era, they weren't particularly good.
Aero plays a massive part. Ever noticed how MK5s feel a bit sketchy and vague well past 100? Lowering and stiffening helps, and also removing the stock rake, but they're just not that great aerodynamically. Too much underbody lift. Maybe underbody some aero parts from the A3 might help? All those plastic winglet things on the wishbones and full underbelly covers front and rear. The front end air flow is a big factor also as you say, hence why the race cars angle the radiator stack at 45 degrees or more and airflow passthrough the bonnet instead of allowing it flow through into the engine bay, which is massive drag
All those wings, splitters and louvred wings we laugh at on road cars, yeah, those things really help on race/track cars Have you seen that crazy MK2 16v Turbo on Misha Charoudin's YouTube channel? That thing was covered in DIY bodgey looking aero, but it was fast as fook round the ring because of it!
Powder coating looks great. Yeah the HPFP followers don't wear out if you keep on top of oil the maintenance, and it's generally only those stupidly stiff HPFPs from Loba and APR that chew though followers. That's why I liked the VIS internals as it uses the stock spring
What I would also say is focus on yourself as a driver as well as preparing the car. You probably won't remember Maurice Reeves. He was famous for blasting round Castle Coombe in his pretty simple MK2 track car, whac ich beat dozens of much more powerful and sophisticated cars. It was purely down to driver skill and the right mods
How is the bimmer going then? still taking it apart all the time like the ed30? Miss it at all?
Its the process of de-gassing the air con put me off doing it myself originally, but I may have another go.
A wavetrac diff is high up on my want list for sure, I think it will find easily a couple seconds per lap in its current form.
Interesting about the r32 battery setup, never thought to do it that way but you're right its all available used.
I didn't know that avout AmD, assumed it was the same firm they just abandoned that motorsport side of things.
Yeah I've found the rear feeling light and unpredictable in high speed turns occasionally, I've blamed it on other things in the past but it could be rear lift as the rear is super draggy. Yeah those "winglets" and bits and bobs would be interesting, I would like to see if I can construct a flat floor out of cardboard for the rear first of all and attach seecurely with full suspension movement, if so I can make a very thing aluminium one or just go with the off the shelf stuff which must do something. Yeah I would love a tcr style intercool/rad ducted to a bonnet vent, should be a massive difference in cooling.
Yeah I mean, when you see the tcr cars with aero or any club racing car with huge budgets (like Darkside and Area motorsport) they look great but anything home made half the time looks sh*t 
but cannot deny it works. Yes I know very well that mk2 you're talking about.
Yeah you're absolutely right on the driving, but something I'm on top of. I've done a bit of karting with some success in the past and I've probably put in about 6 or so hours per week on my sim setup for the past 3 years, I race with a league now which is made up of enthusiasts/couple of club racers and 1 or 2 pro drivers which has seen the biggest improvement for my driving by far as you push to find tiny amounts of time you wouldn't look for if you're just practicing on your own. I'm also a Ross Bentley super fan, the blokes a spewing enclyopedia of what is usually unavailable information on driving and racing.
Apart from it getting covered in seagull sh1t every other day (I work by the coast) yeah it's OK
The dirty b@stards even shat on the door handle
I can't really do much to it as it's still in warranty, so no remaps, coilovers, M3 chassis parts or any of that goodness until it hits 100K, boooooo!
It does get the same ridiculous 3K oil change treatment as the ED30 though
Yeah I do miss the ED30's handling and performance. I've always felt MK5s are greater than the sum of their parts. They're so fluid through the twisties and punchy. But for now I need a cruise wagon to eat up the 400 mile a week commute. 50mpg and a smooth auto is more palatable than the ED30's mid 20s and heavy Helix clutch
Is it an environmental responsibility thing that puts you off degassing the AC? I must confess, I just dumped it out to atmosphere on an older car in my more reckless days
Yeah the wavetrac will definitely help. Even on public roads, the unloaded wheel used to spin like crazy on roundabouts, in the dry, and not even going at it that hard tbh. It was on my to-do list. The MK6 XDS ABS upgrade was also up there on my must have mods as it works up to 65mph iirc. The MK5s much weaker TC only works up to 30mph iirc. That in combination with the wavetrac would be great!
Yeah the only issue with R32 battery cubby hole is the GTI exhaust gets in the way, which is why R32s have a much shorter rear silencer, but it's doable with a different silencer. It's a better solution than just bunging it in the boot with a generic bracket as the R32 sits the battery really low for good centre of gravity.
Yeah that was also my complaint about the rear end. It felt too vague and floaty at speed. I think some of it is due to a lack of weight back there. The car always handled better with a full tank versus 1/4 full. The Eibach arbs definitely helped with that though, and also getting the spring/damper rates dialled in, which is the tricky bit!
Good stuff
Even simple things like supportive seats and seating position can help. I tend to slouch in the seat too much, which is really bad for car control. If I sit more upright and pull the wheel closer to my chest, it makes a massive difference. I don't know if you've seen any Chris Harris videos. Kind of like that really. He sits super low, but has the steering wheel as far out as it will go, like he's almost hugging it
You got the MQB wishbone cover deflectory things then
Castle Combe is a decent track. You'll have fun there
