PRTC

CASTROL RACING RAISES OVER $50K FOR PETER MAC

The team’s fundraising campaign for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation has concluded

Castrol Racing’s recent fundraising activities at the Sandown SuperSprint and beyond have concluded with an impressive final number donated to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation. A collaborative project between Castrol Racing driver Thomas Randle and family, Tickford Racing, and Castrol, the campaign raised a total of $50,669 which will be directed to the ONTrac at Peter Mac Victorian Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Service. Along with support from hundreds of race fans, donations from Castrol, Snowy River Caravans, ACT Fence Hire, Infinium Advisory, Herzog Steel, TPF Sports, and more bolstered the donation tally. An additional donation was raised via auction of the bonnet of the Castrol Racing Ford Mustang from the Sandown event, which was managed by Lloyds Auctions and raised $3,100. A further significant contribution to the foundation was also made by a rival in pit lane, with a generous donation made by the Saunders Family Foundation – co-chaired by Erebus Motorsport’s Betty Klimenko – adding an exclamation point to the fundraiser which will directly aid the ONTrac program in supporting young people with cancer. The project also raised more than just donations, with Castrol, Ryco, and Dream Simulation donating hot lap rides to over 15 patients and Peter Mac staff, which took place at a team ride day following the Sandown SuperSprint. Castrol also donated 100 tickets to the Sandown event for staff and young people in the Peter Mac program to attend the event, with Supercars also granting them grid walk access on both Saturday and Sunday. For more from Castrol, visit www.castrol.com.au

WAGNER MOTORSPORT AND BILSTEIN TEAM UP

The companies recently partnered up to complete a Porsche 993 conversion

Wagner Motorsport and Bilstein recently partnered up for a Porsche 993 conversion. The 1995 model has been fully converted into a racetrack ready RSR with a Bilstein suspension system. Wagner Motorsport from Kolbermoor (Germany) near Rosenheim is a Bavarian company that specialises in the repair and optimisation of Porsche sports cars. Owner Hans Wagner and his son Manuel focus on the installation and tuning of suspensions. Bilstein has been its only choice for suspension systems even before the company became a Bilstein suspension expert in 2013. “It was always clear to us that only Bilstein was an option. Because Bilstein is the suspension manufacturer that works best on Porsche vehicles in our opinion,” Manuel Wagner said. When asked what he would do if a customer asked for another brand, he responded: “In these cases, we can usually convince our customers of our favourite brand.” Recently, Wagner Motorsport has converted a 1995 Porsche 993 into a racetrack ready RSR. This serves as a demonstration vehicle to showcase what is possible to its customers. The 993 was stripped down to the bodyshell and a 3.8-litre six-cylinder boxer engine was installed. Thanks to a flat-slide intake system, a Fuchs stainless steel racing exhaust system and optimised engine management, the classic aircooled unit mobilises an appropriate 330hp. This will do for now, they say, but the team is already working on increasing the engine power. Wagner Motorsport, in collaboration with the Bilstein Service Centre N.T.P. in Bolzano/Italy, also fitted a special version of the Bilstein MDS two-way racing suspension. It says this ensures maximum performance and can be adjusted in ten clearly perceptible clicks in the rebound and bump stage. The Porsche completed its first test drive at the Salzburgring. “The package worked excellently, especially the suspension,” Manuel said. The green-painted racing car has brought the company more attention and Wagner Motorsport says it is ready to accommodate additional customers with a workshop that was recently expanded by 225 square metres. To learn more, visit www.bilstein.com or the company’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/bilsteinde

AEROFLOW ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROLLER

Allowing you to tune the throttle curve

The Aeroflow Performance Electronic Throttle Controller (ETC) unit is a throttle response controller that allows you to tune the throttle curve of the vehicle’s engine. By providing new points of reference for the vehicle’s throttle mapping this will either sharpen or dampen the vehicle’s throttle response.

This is designed to work with most fly by wire throttle vehicles which tend to have delay from the moment the accelerator pedal is pressed. The ETC reduces and eliminates this delay by giving you the ability to adjust the throttle’s sensitivity. The ETC unit is equipped with a clear display and settings menu for easy operation. There are three road driving modes (Normal, Economy, Performance) which offer different settings for different driving styles and conditions. The Performance mode and Economy mode also feature up to nine adjustable settings in each mode. The fourth driving mode includes an anti-slip mode designed to easily move the car in low friction terrain and the unit also offers the antitheft mode that is built into the unit. The ETC is easy to DIY install, says Aeroflow, which explains you can purchase the unit itself and the required harness sold separately to suit each specific vehicle. This harness will allow you to plug in-between your factory pedal assembly and pedal plug. The wiring is then simply run through the dash and the unit is mounted in a suitable location. For more information on Aeroflow Performance products, visit www.aeroflowperformance.com

XTREME CLUTCH PERFORMANCE UPGRADES

For the Toyota GR Yaris

A new range of performance upgrade clutch kits have hit the market to suit the Toyota GR Yaris that are ideal for everything from daily driven vehicles with minor performance modifications all the way through to purpose-built motorsport applications. Xtreme Clutch, which is a part of the Australian Clutch Services group of brands, is well known for being quick to market with the latest clutch upgrades for high performance vehicles and has been progressively adding to its range of upgrades for the GR Yaris since mid-2021. The brand now has a kit to suit all levels of performance. Xtreme Clutch initially launched a single-mass flywheel conversion kit for the vehicle at SEMA show 2021. This kit includes a custom-made single mass flywheel, lightweight alloy pressure plate and is available with either a sprung organic or sprung ceramic friction disc. Xtreme Clutch says this kit is ideal for very highpowered street cars or motorsport applications. “The single-mass flywheel conversion kit is ideally aimed at vehicles that have had significant performance modifications or are being used in motorsport applications such as circuit racing or tarmac rallying,” Australian Clutch Services Mechanical Engineer, Stewart Furze, said. Xtreme Clutch recently added to the range with an upgrade designed to utilise the factory dualmass flywheel. This kit includes a custom 240mm alloy pressure plate designed specifically to bolt to the factory style dual-mass flywheel. Xtreme Clutch says the upgrade offers almost OE levels of dampening for minimal noise and vibration changes, while increasing the torque capacity of the clutch to 560Nm – making it ideal for lightly modified street cars. “The new dual-mass flywheel kit is the ultimate solution for daily driven vehicles that have been modified,” Stewart said. “We only look to develop performance upgrades for dual-mass flywheels in very specific vehicles where we require that extra level of dampening. “As it turns out, the GR Yaris was the ideal platform to develop this upgrade and we have tested it in-house with one of our vehicles and have seen fantastic driving characteristics and performance.” The dual-mass flywheel kit is available with a rigid organic friction disc and is also available with a replacement dual-mass flywheel if required. The final kit in the range is a 184mm twin plate racing clutch designed specifically for motorsport applications that require a very high torque capacity but also minimal rotational inertia to improve throttle response. This kit comes with a lightweight alloy pressure plate, 4140 chromoly flywheel and two sprung ceramic friction discs. Xtreme Clutch also offers service kits for this clutch assembly that can be used to rebuild the kit when it gets to the end of its normal service life, which is ideal for motorsport applications where higher wear rates are experienced. The service kit comes with replacement friction discs, intermediate plate and main casting, meaning the clutch can be rebuilt by simply resurfacing the flywheel and replacing the internal sacrificial components. All of the kits in the range include a variety of options to incorporate concentric slave cylinders, flywheel bolts, pressure plate bolts, and an alignment tool to ensure ease of installation and long-term durability. For more information, please visit www.xtremeclutch.com.au or www.australianclutch.com.au

BURSON AUTO PARTS RENEWS SPONSORSHIP WITH LTRF

The company’s partnership with Lamattina Top Fuel Racing has been extended

Burson Auto Parts and Lamattina Top Fuel Racing were recently excited to announce the renewal of their marketing partnership as naming rights sponsor for the Shane Olive-driven Lamattina Top Fuel Racing (LTFR) Dragster. “Burson Auto Parts is delighted that we could play a part in lighting up the pinnacle of horsepower in Australian motorsport for the first time in many years,” Burson Auto Parts Marketing Manager, Anthony Hughes, said. In their inaugural year as a team, Shane Olive and the Burson Auto Parts LTFR team enjoyed an impressive season, culminating in a breakthrough event win at the Nitro Champs. “There were so many highlights, including the stellar work done by Shane Olive in his first season and the commitment shown by all of the Top Fuel teams that that put together world class vehicles for all six rounds,” Anthony said. Both Shane and rookie nitro Crew Chief Luke Marsden are now taking the experience and steep learning curve from their debutant year and applying it to the new season. “I think as a team we achieved everything we set out to do for our first season,” Shane said. “We have a few new goals we want to achieve, and with the continued support of Burson Auto Parts, it makes for an exciting season.” “I am thrilled with all that Shane and the team have achieved in their first season and we are proud to be representing, and to have the support of the country’s leading trade supplier of parts, tools accessories and equipment in Burson Auto Parts on Shane’s car,” LTFR team owner, Phil Lamattina, said. “Burson Auto Parts has also supplied the team with some new tools and the crew will be doing everything they can to get the Burson Auto Parts LTFR Top Fuel Dragster in the winner’s circle as many times as possible.” After just one season, the inaugural Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship has already set the bar for event promotion and spectator experience in drag racing. “Burson Auto Parts also thanks Andy Lopez and the promotions team for making Top Fuel events special for every entrant, attendee, viewer and sponsor of the series,” Anthony said. “Burson Auto Parts is very excited to help light up series two of the championship for a total of seven rounds, with the inclusion of South Australia, Queensland and Alice Springs. This season is sure to create many more future fans of this amazing category of motorsport.” The first round of the 2022/2023 Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship kicked off at the Red CentreNats in Alice Springs on September 2. Burson Auto Parts says it is Australia’s most trusted trade supplier of parts, tools, accessories and equipment with more than 200 stores located across the country. The proudly Australian company celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2021. For more information, visit www.burson.com.au