Members in Motorsport: Pedders springs to new level of motorsport success

PEDDERS SPRINGS TO NEW LEVEL OF MOTORSPORT SUCCESS

The company and its products are thriving across a wide range of racing disciplines

Pedders Suspension and Brakes is a family-owned and operated automotive business that has a rich history in motorsport, both in Australia and internationally. As an automotive business that constantly strives for innovation, quality and performance, there is an obvious synergy between the Pedders values and the pursuit of achievement in motorsport. Pedders first made a name for itself in rallying, where Ron, Mark and Scott Pedder were all highly competitive. In fact, Scott Pedder claimed the 2014 Australian Rally Championship and even competed in the World Rally Championship in 2015 and 2016 in the WRC2 category. While the family no longer competes at the top level, Pedders is still actively involved in rallying – recently unveiling a new sponsorship of Australian Rally Champion, Harry Bates, as he prepared to make his debut in the World Rally Championship at Rally New Zealand in the Pedders-backed Skoda Fabia WRC2 car. Pedders has also been a long-time supporter of the Supercars Championship – Australia’s top tier touring car category. The company has been the Official Suspension Partner of the Supercars Championship with a commercial and technical partnership since 2020, and the Pedders Damper By Supashock is also the Official Control Damper of the category – meaning all teams and drivers race on the same Pedders By Supashock shock absorber. The relationship between Pedders and the Supercars Championship was stepped up even further recently, with a new extended partnership announced at the Sandown SuperSprint which will see Pedders become the Official Control Spring supplier to the entire category from 2023. “Pedders and Supercars have been working closely together during the development of the new Gen3 Camaro and Mustang race cars,” Pedders Suspension and Brakes Managing Director, Scott Pedder, said. “This exciting announcement will mean Pedders Official Control Springs and the Pedders by Supashock Control Damper will make up the complete Supercars Gen3 control suspension package, which is something we are very proud of.” The brand’s involvement in Supercars doesn’t end there either. Pedders also shares a technical and commercial partnership with Erebus Motorsport, where Pedders supplies motorsport-grade springs to the team while the brand’s logo is visible across the team’s two Holden Commodores. While the brand’s Supercars sponsorship is the hero of its motorsport program, Pedders also supports young up and coming drivers such as 18-year-old Australian Trans Am racer, Jackson Rice, and franchisees also support local grassroots motorsport at all different levels around the country – including across Hyundai Excel racing, HQ Holdens, karting, and more. With such a long-ranging, wide and varied footprint, it is clear that motorsport has to have been extremely beneficial for the Pedders brand over the years. “It is no secret that our family has always maintained a passion and enthusiasm for motorsport, while understanding the commercial benefits that it can have for automotive businesses,” Scott said. “Motorsport has been extremely beneficial for the Pedders brand over the years – not only increasing brand awareness across multiple market segments, but also giving the brand credibility. “We believe any automotive aftermarket business can benefit from the learnings and processes implemented across motorsport teams. “For instance, motorsport team members have strong team relationships, adapt quickly to change and develop products quickly and to a high standard to keep up with the competition – these are all processes and lessons that can be adapted to any automotive business to gain a competitive advantage, and this is why Pedders maintains close relationships with its motorsport partners.” The benefits are clear when it comes to product development also, adds Scott. “Motorsport teams require highly innovative solutions in short timeframes to overcome problems and remain competitive,” Scott said. “A great example of this is our new Supercars Gen3 Official Control Spring which has been designed by Pedders in partnership with the Supercars technical team, and manufactured by Pedders at our spring plant in Melbourne. “This is a unique project that requires a highly specialised spring design, testing and evaluation of multiple spring rates, and all in a relatively short timeframe to meet a set deadline. “The experience of creating motorsport-specific parts like this one over the years has strengthened our innovation qualities and has lead to product improvement – and this benefits all of our end consumers.” In addition, Pedders is able to leverage its motorsport sponsorships in a variety of ways to provide experiences and engagement for the benefit of various business stakeholders. “We run social media competitions and share motorsport content through our channels while accessing motorsport personalities as brand ambassadors. Our motorsport sponsorships also benefit Pedders’ staff, franchisees and customers via a range of leveraging strategies currently in place,” Scott said. Heading into 2023, Pedders maintains an extremely positive outlook on the motorsport environment as the Supercars Championship heads into the new Gen3 era, headlined by the new Camaro and Mustang Supercars. “Motorsport remains an aspirational and engaging sport that will continue to be an important part of the Pedders marketing mix into the future,” Scott said. For more information, visit www.pedders.com.au