Members in Motorsport: ZF takes partnership with motorsport legend to new heights

ZF TAKES PARTNERSHIP WITH MOTORSPORT LEGEND TO NEW HEIGHTS

Craig Lowndes is set to continue his long-standing relationship with ZF into a second decade

Motor racing at the very highest levels can subject components to the absolute extremes of performance, temperature and durability that cannot be replicated in laboratories or test environments. ZF Aftermarket says that is why it, and its Sachs brand, have been synonymous with global motorsport since 1923. ZF utilises its Sachs motorsport program as a development platform for its range of original equipment and aftermarket shock absorbers and clutches, and as validation of their performance and durability. Formula 1, World Rally Championship, Formula E, sports car competition, DTM German Touring Cars, off-road racing, drifting, and of course on home soil, the Supercars Championship, have all witnessed this proactive development and testing of Sachs products. An enduring partnership

When you think of Australian motorsport, it is natural to think of Craig Lowndes. Craig’s on-track credentials place him at the top tier of the sport, with the recent 2022 Bathurst 1000 event seeing him make his record-breaking 300th Supercars event start. Outside of his Bathurst success, he claimed three Supercars titles in 1996, ’98 and ’99, along the journey registering over 100 championship race wins. Craig has also twice won the Bathurst 12 Hour aboard Ferraris in 2014 and ’17 and has raced extensively abroad. Off track, he is the recipient of an Order of Australia Medal, he won the Barry Sheen Medal five times, and the Peter Brock Medal in 2013, while also being voted the fan’s choice as Supercars’ most popular driver four times. ZF recently announced that Craig is set to continue his long-standing relationship with the company into a second decade, with confirmation that the seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner has signed on to represent the company across all market segments. Since 2013, Lowndes has been a representative of ZF’s Sachs brand as a technical and product expert, after extensively relying upon a range of Sachs-engineered shock absorbers and clutches in his storied competition career. That emphasis on the passenger vehicle market will now switch to an all-encompassing partnership, which will see Lowndes move into a ZF Technical and Product Expert role, that also focuses on the company’s diverse offerings in commercial vehicles, marine products, rail and more. ZF says this partnership expansion is of major significance and will allow ZF another platform to showcase its award winning, and ever evolving cutting edge technologies and products as the world transitions towards e-mobility solutions. “For me, it is great to be continuing to represent ZF and its various brands in an expanded role as the ZF Technical and Product Expert,” Craig said. “Over the years, it has been fantastic to work so closely with the ZF team, the distributors of their products and end customers. “It’s been great to see the company grow in this time, and how they have stayed ahead of the curve with some incredible technology advancements. “The wide array of products in different fields that ZF produce is really impressive, and I can’t wait to continue to tell the story of how these innovations are shaping the future.” By drawing on his motorsport experience into everyday driving, Craig is essentially in line with ZF’s global engineering team, who are constantly applying lessons learned in the motorsport arena for use in the passenger vehicle range of products. For ZF, the move to extend the long-standing partnership was simple. “Throughout the past decade, Craig has become a part of the family here at ZF, and we are proud to continue our relationship,” ZF Group Oceania Managing Director, Mark Lowe, said. “Craig brings an incredible level of authenticity and credibility to the role – he has an impressive understanding of how complex automotive systems work, thanks to his early life as a motor mechanic and more recently through the engineering expertise he earned in his racing career. “With his continued involvement in motorsport and on TV, his influence across a broad crosssection of the community continues to place him as a fan favourite and a household name. “We can credit much of the success of the growth of the Sachs brand in the marketplace to Craig’s campaigns, and while he will continue to be the face of Sachs, we look forward to him taking on board a wider brief across the entire ZF business. “By leading the ZF Technical Expert campaign, Craig has the knowledge and skillset to add real substance to the program, plus the ability to amplify it to a much larger audience of workshops around the country.” Outside of Sachs, ZF’s local lineup of products includes offerings from Lemförder, TRW and WABCO, plus an extensive array of ZF-branded components and services. For more from ZF, visit zf.com/au