Product category:
Gears, brakes, couplings and engines
News Release from: Surface Transforms | Subject: CFRC brake discs and pads
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 30 January 2003
Carbon ceramics put the brake on Indy
Cars
Surface Transforms has received its first order from one of the most successful teams that competes in the US Indy Racing League (IRL).
Surface Transforms has received its first order from one of the most successful teams that competes in the US Indy Racing League (IRL) The order is for the supply of brake discs and pads
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 7 Sep 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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This deal marks the company's first full commercial order in competitive motor racing.
Indy Car racing is the US equivalent to Formula One in terms of top speeds and the sophistication of its technology.
There are 23 teams with around 39 drivers competing in IRL, many with two or three cars per team.
The Directors of Surface Transforms believe this market could be worth up to GBP 0.5 million per annum to the company.
The new order came after successful testing in the USA during the last quarter of 2002.
Surface Transforms will supply the products in conjunction with a specialist brake manufacturer who has been acting as development partner.
In IRL there is far less demand on the brakes than in Formula One because the cars run mainly on oval circuits and usually brake only when they are slowing to enter the pits or for safety reasons.
The characteristics of the company's CFRC brake discs and pads mean they are equally suited to this environment as well as Formula One and can therefore provide significant advantages over existing materials currently in use.
In particular, CFRC materials provide good cold friction, significant weight reduction and better braking capabilities all of which should enable IRL teams to save time under braking.
This could make the difference between teams winning and losing races.
Managing Director of Surface Transforms, Julio Faria, commented: "This order proves our product and technology is commercially viable.
We've been working hard on entering this new market and therefore we're delighted to have received our first order to supply into IRL for competitive racing purposes.
We're pleased that the majority of the development and testing we've completed with Formula One teams has been transferable to Indy Cars, F1's nearest equivalent formula".
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