Performance & Racing

PERFORMANCE TYRE INTEREST PIQUES

Australians are looking for more from their return to the roads

As Australians continue their post-lockdown return to the roads, interest in performance tyres among drivers looking for increased handling response and grip for a superior driving experience is a trend to watch in 2022, says Jax Tyres and Auto. A recent tyre test by leading international performance car media brand, Evo, put nine performance tyres contenders through their paces, naming Pirelli’s P Zero PZ4 as the top pick for discerning drivers1 . With Pirelli among a range of options available at Jax, the company says other top performance tyre brands to choose from include Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop, Goodyear, Hankook and Michelin, spanning everything from budget to premium end.

When it comes to helping customers get the most out of performance tyres for their vehicle, driving style and expected road conditions, Jax Tyres and Auto Artarmon boss, Scott Downey, offered some important tips. “To get the most from performance tyres always check the tyre pressure and make sure you’re getting a wheel alignment every six months – these all work together to optimise performance,” Scott said. Founded in 1949, Jax Tyres and Auto says it is one of Australia’s most well respected and professional tyre and mechanical retailers, specialising in the sale and service of tyres, wheels, brakes and suspension and vehicle safety checks. The company operates through more than 85 stores in Australia, serving more than 60,000 customers monthly. For more information, visit www.jax.com.au

1.https://press.pirelli.com/evo-magazine-names-pirelli-p-zero2021-the-best-ultra-high-performance-tyre-of-the-year/

PERFORMANCE SUSPENSION SOLUTIONS

Racing Shocks Australia offers performance dampers for motorsport and custom street applications

Exhibiting for the first time at the Australian Auto Aftermarket Expo in 2022, Racing Shocks Australia will have on display various shock designs manufactured by its suppliers based in the USA, manufactured for motorsport, specialised vehicles and for the custom car-bike scene. All shock products sold are rebuildable and can be serviced. The modular design of the systems enables upgrades and replacement of damaged components and is often cheaper than purchasing a complete replacement unit. Many of the internal componentry of the entry level shock models have been derived from or are interchangeable with the professional motorsport series shocks. With over 27 years of experience in professional motorsport, Racing Shocks Australia says it can offer solutions and advice to help the business owners assist customers who are involved in motorsport. “The ability to adjust the shock remains the biggest factor that can transform the vehicle’s handling from performance for the track to comfortable daily cruising,” Racing Shocks Australia’s Rob Palermo said. “No other component can do this in the suspension. Long-term, the brand and products we supply outlast many competitors and provide a greater value for money. “The ability to customise the adjustment range also makes these more specific and unique for the application and customer. We provide shock dyno graphs of every shock we sell so the owner can make informed decisions on adjustments and setup direction. “We can also provide solutions for designs of older vehicles that have the spindle attached or integral to the strut leg or who may have them modified for racing whether it is circuit or drag racing. JRi Shocks manufacture a cartridge that can be fitted within the original OEM dimensions and offer the ability for a very large adjustment range. “It is an ideal solution for strut-based vehicles that drive on the road but also are raced on the drag strip. The JRi cartridge is available as single or double adjustable units and easily accessed for adjustability at the strut tower.” The JRI Shock line of products include the popular Builder series range which can be supplied as coil over or a divorced spring/shock setup, either as single or double adjustable units. These shocks were designed for the custom car and Hot Rod scene. Racing Shocks Australia explains that JRi Shocks also has an innovative system called J-Ride, its top of the range product. This electronic damper system has pre-programmed adjustments to alter the damping values for various road terrains. This system has been used in motorsport in NHRA Drag Racing classes, Off-Road UTV Vehicles and on SEMA car entrants, custom cars and 4WD builds in the USA. The ability to tune the units in low and high-speed velocity as well as separately in compression and rebound is not able to be achieved by many other manufacturers who provide electronic damper systems, it says. “The J-Ride systems ability is unique and would be of high interest to manufacturers of 4WD suspension systems to pass GVM requirements when modifying for extra towing capacity,” Rob said. “Many current systems often don’t have the ability to achieve the desired results. The offering of adjustable shocks by some companies is not always properly represented. The J-Ride system can provide a solution to many of these vehicles. “We also offer servicing, repairs and custom revalves to our customers who use Penske Racing Shocks, Nitron, Dynamic Shocks, Sachs, Ohlins, Proflex and many more brands. If these can’t be repaired, we have full confidence we can offer a replacement solution as the Australian Sales and Service representative for JRi Shocks and Motion Control Suspension.” Racing Shocks Australia will be displaying at Stand P46. For more information, visit www.racingshocksaustralia.com.au

DBA AND TICKFORD RACING EXPAND PARTNERSHIP

Disc Brakes Australia has re-signed an extended partnership with the Supercars team

Disc Brakes Australia (DBA) and Tickford Racing have extended their partnership into the 2022 Supercars season, with the leading brake developer continuing its role as the official brake partner of Tickford Racing. The extended partnership with Tickford Racing will see the DBA brand present on the headlights of all four of the team’s Ford Mustang Supercars and on the driver suits and crew shirts, as well as a continued relationship with vehicle enhancement business Tickford, which debuted a DBA brake package on Tickford-enhanced Ford Rangers and Mustangs in 2021. DBA General Manager of Sales ANZ, Shane Jeffreys, commented on the continued collaboration, which came as Tickford Racing enters four Ford Mustangs in the 2022 season. “As we continue to expand our involvement in motorsport, we are very happy to continue our relationship with Tickford Racing into 2022,” Shane said. “Our partnership with Tickford Racing aligns well with DBA’s heritage in motorsport and our focus on dedication and innovation, which has made for a very enjoyable partnership over the last year. “We jointly got off to a running start in 2021 with Tickford’s on-track success and continued across the year with different activations and innovations across Tickford’s race and road going operations, and we’re looking forward to celebrating more successes and milestones in 2022.” Tickford Racing Chief Executive Officer and Team Principal, Tim Edwards, expressed his enthusiasm for the expanded relationship with DBA and the 13-round season ahead. “There’s a lot of excitement around Supercars and our team at the moment and extending our partnership with DBA just adds to that,” Tim said. “As a team and business that strive to be the top of our industry, having partners with similar goals and histories is a real plus, and we certainly have that with DBA. “We have a big year ahead and are looking forward to continuing to develop our relationship with DBA and sharing more successes on and off the track.” For more information, visit www.dba.com.au or phone DBA on 1800 730 039.

VCM PERFORMANCE BACKS RISING PORSCHE STAR

Rising Porsche star Christian Pancione is stepping up to the top-tier Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Series in 2022

Christian Pancione will drive the #76 VCM Performance/HP Tuners Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Type 992 race car prepared by championshipwinning Porsche campaigners McElrea Racing. The 20-year-old moves up from the Michelin Sprint Challenge Cup. He was a race-winning title contender before the pandemic cut last season short, finishing on the podium at the first round at Phillip Island before winning the Sydney Motorsport Park round with two race wins and a second. “It was a tight battle between Ryan Suhle, me, and Callum Hedge, but I was confident I had just as good a shot at winning the title as the others,” Christian said. “It was disappointing, the pandemic cut the season short after just two rounds, but we’ve all got the same story to tell.” Christian also contested five Carrera Cup rounds last year in a part-time learning campaign in preparation for this year, finishing ninth in points in a significantly positive experience. “The step up in competition was noticeable; it was much more fierce racing with the top 10 all within 2/10ths of each other, so it was a lot closer and a whole lot easier to dent panels,” Christian said. “Racing with guys like Craig Lowndes and David Wall, experienced guys who don’t back down and make you earn your spot, was a great experience. “If I got to go back to the Challenge Cup last year as planned, it would’ve helped massively. That didn’t happen, but the experience has helped me be better prepared to step up full-time this year, and I’m looking forward to it.” The first round of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Series is at the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix at Albert Park on 7-10 April. For more from VCM Performance, call on 03 9763 7599, visit www.vcmstore.com.au or email sales@vcmperformance.com.au