12 minute read
PRTC
BILSTEIN DELIVERS MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE
For the BMW 3 Series
Bilstein says it is proud to offer sports and threaded suspension systems for the BMW E30, G20 and all models in between. In 2022, the BMW E30 3 Series celebrates its 40th birthday. The first M3 was based on this model, and it became the most successful touring car of all time. The M3 has inspired every BMW 3 series right up to the 316. Bilstein, a company that has been active in the racing scene, notes that agile handling is one of the most important factors in creating an enjoyable driving experience with the BMW 3 Series. One of Bilstein’s specialties is finding optimisation potential. The company says it offers several suggestions to upgrade the BMW 3 Series for maximum performance. Bilstein says that one major upgrade that is inadequately catered for by the factories is lowering, with maximum values of around 15 millimetres. However, it says the Bilstein B12 Pro-Kit sports suspension allows for lowering of up to 40 millimetres for models in the E30 Series. For the cars from the G20 Series, Bilstein offers up to 55 millimetres, for example, with the Bilstein EVO S, or SE with support for electronic shock absorber control, and T1 threaded suspension systems. Benefits of lowering include a sportier appearance, higher cornering speeds, and improved ride comfort. Race track enthusiasts also have the EVO R at their disposal. This racing suspension even allows a lowering of up to 70 mm. In terms of suspension technology, Bilstein says its B12 Pro-Kit can set E30 models on a course towards the M3. The current BMW 3 Series (G20) has been on the market for three years now, and Bilstein says its products can enhance its performance virtually infinitely. Bilstein says the EVO S threaded suspension system combines maximum performance and comfort with its cool Anthracite look. With its tighter characteristic curve, it reportedly allows higher cornering speeds than the standard
AUSTRALIANS TO TAKE ON THE WORLD
A host of Aussies will compete at the FIA Motorsport Games in France across October 26-30
Motorsport Australia will again field a team of Australians to compete in the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games, with the first team members now confirmed. Stephen and Brenton Grove will again represent their country in the GT discipline, the pair backing up their 2019 bronze medal at the most recent version of the Games. Motorsport Australia can also confirm that Stephen Grove will take on the honour of being the Team Captain at the event, which will be based at Circuit Paul Ricard in France in October. “I’m really excited to be returning to the FIA Motorsport Games in 2022 to represent Australia once again,” Stephen said. “Personally, the added bonus will be the privilege of being Team Captain. I look forward to working with all of Australia’s competitors and hope we can bring home some great results for our country.” Meanwhile, Brenton was also eager to take on the best in the world. “We were quite disappointed when the last two games were cancelled due to COVID, so I’m thrilled to be back in France,” Brenton said. “We know the car much better now and have some experience at the track so we’re hopeful of another podium finish for our country.” Motorsport Australia Director of Motorsport and Commercial Operations, Michael Smith, congratulated the Groves for again proudly representing their country. “Stephen and Brenton are great ambassadors for our sport and following on from their success at the 2019 FIA Motorsport Games, we are proud to have them representing both the country and Motorsport Australia at this year’s games in France,” Michael said. “Stephen is also the obvious choice for Team Captain, given his significant experience in all facets of motorsport, as well as the passion and drive he has to perform, no matter the category he might be competing in. “We’re hopeful of announcing more competitors in the coming weeks and certainly encourage anyone else eager to take part to reach out to us to find out more.” This will be the second time the FIA Motorsport Games take place in its current form, following a successful debut in 2019 in Italy. There, Australia ended the event equal second, having claimed a gold medal in Esports, as well as the Grove’s bronze medal in GT. The expanded games in 2022 means even more disciplines and more competitors will be able to suspension system and offers more ride comfort than the off-the-shelf M suspension system. Thanks to the further development of the internal fixing of the spring cap, Bilstein says it allows lowering by up to 55 millimetres and offers a dualtuned shock absorber setting. The otherwise identical EVO SE variant also supports a factory-fitted electronic shock absorber adjustment. Bilstein says it has tailored its sharper variants of the EVO series to sporty drivers. Track day fans can adjust the EVO T1 individually to any racetrack in just ten clicks (rebound and compression stage) via an aluminium adjustment wheel. The maximum lowering is up to 55 millimetres. For more information, visit www.bilstein.com
take place across the following categories: GT, GT Sprint, Touring Car (TCR), Endurance, Formula 4, Rally2, Rally4, Historic Rally, Karting Sprint Sr, Karting Spring Jr, Karting Endurance, Karting Slalom, Cross Car Jr (off road), Cross Car Sr (off road), Auto Slalom, Drifting and Digital/Esports. While Motorsport Australia will provide various support in the lead up to and during event, competitors will be required to fund their own entry and event budget. Motorsport Australia will also confirm details of the selection process for the Digital/Esports category shortly, with a local competition to take place to find the potential Australian entrant. The event will also be broadcast in Australia, with specific details to be confirmed soon. Any interested competitors should email communications@motorsport.org.au for more information and cost estimates.
Craig Lowndes and Declan Fraser will pilot the Supercheap-Auto sponsored entry
Triple Eight Race Engineering recently announced the return of its Supercheap Auto-backed wildcard for the 2022 Bathurst 1000. One of the most iconic names associated with the Bathurst 1000, Craig Lowndes, will team up with Triple Eight’s Super2 young-gun, Declan Fraser for this year’s Great Race, with the latter making his Supercars debut at the famous Mount Panorama Circuit. The wildcard features the iconic #888. It will be Lowndes’ 29th start in the Great Race, a race which he has won a staggering seven times, with his most recent win coming in 2018, the same year he retired from full-time Supercars racing. “I’m thrilled to be teaming up with Declan for the Great Race, and I’m so excited to guide him on his journey into the Supercars. I’m also thrilled to be representing Supercheap Auto at the mountain for the first time in my career. It will feel a little strange not being in a Red Bull Ampol car for the first time in a long time, but we’re all one team here at Triple Eight,” Craig said. “I grew up watching Lowndesy at Bathurst like every other kid did, so to see my name on the side of this car alongside his heading to Bathurst is super special, surreal even. I’m excited to get everything underway and see how it all pans out. To be associated with such a massive brand in Supercheap Auto, and for them to back me when they had a lot of drivers to choose from is an amazing feeling. I can’t thank them enough for enabling me to kick-start my career in Supercars in a pretty big way,” Declan said. Supercheap Auto first became involved in Australian motorsport as a team sponsor 25 years ago and were the naming rights sponsor of the Bathurst 1000 from 2005 to 2020. “The Supercheap Auto wildcard entry is about bringing our team and fans together to share our passion for the Bathurst 1000. We love this sport and its fans, and we are always looking to capitalise on our amazing partnership with Triple Eight in the Supercars championship,” Supercheap Auto Managing Director, Benjamin Ward, said. “To have a legend of the sport like Craig representing our brand this October will be a dream come true for all of us here at Supercheap Auto. Craig’s partnership with an up-and-comer like Declan, at the infamous Mount Panorama circuit, is the ideal storyline for our wildcard program which continues the theme of pairing youth with experience. We hope fans get behind Lowndesy and Declan and follow us on this journey to the Great Race.” For more from Supercheap Auto, visit www.supercheapauto.com.au
CENTURY BATTERIES EXTENDS SUPERCARS SPONSORSHIP
The battery manufacturer has locked in a multi-year sponsorship of famous Mount Panorama bridge
Century Batteries has announced an extension of its partnership with Supercars, expanding its presence at Mount Panorama from the prominent Century Batteries Chase, to now also include the famous Century Batteries Bridge approaching Murray’s Corner. This iconic piece of Australian motorsport will now be adorned with the Century’s blue and yellow branding until at least 2024. A video has been released to unveil the new signage, which has been put in place ahead of this year’s Repco Bathurst 1000. Earlier this year, the famous Australian battery manufacturer extended its partnership as the Official Battery of the Repco Supercars Championship, also until the end of 2024. “We love our partnership with Supercars and Bathurst, so when the opportunity arose for us to secure an iconic part of Mt Panorama for the motor-race that stops the nation, it was an easy decision,” Century Batteries Marketing Manager – Automotive, Andrew Bottoms, said. “For the millions of people watching Bathurst on TV and the massive crowd at the event itself, when they look at the Mountain, they’ll also be looking at Century Batteries Bridge, with an eye-catching Australian-design to match our Australian-made batteries. “We’re proud to be involved as the Official Battery of the Repco Bathurst 1000 and you can expect to see the Century Batteries Bridge for many years to come”. This new agreement continues to build on Century’s long-standing support of motorsport across a diverse range of categories. “Fans around the world will see the famous Century Batteries branding on one of the most iconic parts of the Mount Panorama circuit, just before the final turn,” Supercars General Manager – Commercial, Jamie Black, said. “This commitment to further build their support of Supercars shows that Century Batteries values our current relationship and we’re thrilled to know the Century Batteries signage will be at Mount Panorama for the next three years.” Century Batteries explains it is Australia and New Zealand’s oldest and most recognised battery manufacturer, employing over 600 people. The iconic blue and yellow Australian-made battery manufacturer first became the Official Battery of the Repco Supercars Championship and the Bathurst 1000 in 2019. For more information, visit www.centurybatteries.com.au
XS INJECTORS PARTNERS WITH TA2 MUSCLE CARS
CoolDrive Auto Parts’ XS Injectors has formed a new partnership with the PROMAXX Performance Exhausts TA2 Muscle Car Series framed by Hytek as the new “Official Injector.” The two-year agreement will see the ‘exact match’ XS Injectors fitted to the McLaren race engines which power the expanding series. “XS Injectors are excited to be partnering with the TA2 Muscle Car series and are proud to see the competitors race with the world’s most accurate fuel injectors,” CoolDrive Auto Parts Product Manager for Performance Fuel Injectors, Simon Richards, said. “High performance and attention to detail is in our DNA, it has been a pleasure to work with the TA2 category to develop a fuel injector solution that meets the high demands of the TA2 competition.” The XS Injectors offering is a game-changer for performance tuners who seek precision. After two years and over 3,000 hours of product development, coupled with a combined 45 years of performance fuel injector experience, XS Injectors have been designed to revolutionise flow testing and data matching and are the most accurate injector sets available. While typically allowable performance tolerances can be up to nine percent, CoolDrive Auto Parts says XS Injectors are able to offer unparalleled matching, with tolerances within one percent on flow rate and two percent on dead times. This has reportedly been achieved by each injector having over 6,500 flow points recorded to create a complete flow profile. A highlight of the XS Injectors range is the ‘exact match’ data for each set of injectors, which vastly reduces final tuning time, with both flow rate and dead time performance equalised, with each set coming complete with bespoke downloadable data files for all popular tuning software platforms. The TA2 Muscle Car engines are built by McLaren Engineering in the United States, and deliver 525hp in the Howe Motorsport built PBR-spec chassis. The cars arrive in Australia as a turn key race car with excellent spares, back up and on-track service from Queensland based PBR Distributions, featuring current bodied Ford Mustang, Chev Camaro and Dodge Challenger race cars with limited aero and low grip Hoosier tyres to promote close racing. “With the right treatment our engines are built to last up to three seasons, therefore we need components that are manufactured to that performance and reliability level,” TA2 Technical Manager, Cameron Sendall, said. “Given that each injector set is supplied with individualised tuning data, and all are matched, we are guaranteed of the best all round performance from the moment you hit the start button. “And it’s a bonus they are an Australian company that we can support as well.” The TA2 Muscle Car Series is a six round national series which has also expanded regionally this year with the launch of TA2 West for competitors in Western Australia, plus additional Northern and Southern regional series to cater for the growing number of competitors on the East Coast alongside international expansion to New Zealand. XS Injectors and XSpurt Injectors joined CoolDrive earlier this year following the family-owned company’s acquisition of Injectors Online in its move into the performance product arena. For further information on XS Injectors, visit www.cooldrive.com.au
