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| Racing For Holland To Use New Suspension Technology
Developed By Creuat And Corus In Le-Mans 24 Hour |
The
Racing for Holland team entry in this year's gruelling 24-hour Le
Mans race will be using a unique hydropneumatic interconnected
suspension system designed to maximise the racecars' traction, grip
and stability, which ultimately will help it go faster.
The
new system developed by Creuat, a Catalan suspension technology
specialist, with material knowledge, expertise and support from
Corus, one of the world's leading steel producers, has tested very
well in the build up to the 2005 Le-Mans 24 hour race and has
quickly demonstrated its potential to help the Racing for Holland
team improve the vehicle dynamics of its racecar.
Commenting
on using the Creuat suspension technology, Jan Lammers, Racing for
Holland driver and winner of Le Mans in 1988 said: "We have been
very impressed during testing on how the new system can help
maximise vehicle stability and improve traction and grip, especially
over irregular, bumpy surfaces. It will give us much more
flexibility in the set up of our racecar depending on physical
conditions during the race and we are confident that it will help us
produce a good result."
In conventional suspensions,
components such as the springs and dampers are fitted to each wheel
and react to individual wheel movements only. The Creuat system,
however, is designed to incorporate all the elements in a central
device, linking front and rear suspension together. Importantly,
instead of just reacting to individual wheel movements, the Creuat
system can allow the vehicle's suspension to react separately to
roll, pitch and vertical body movements, thus helping to control
weight distribution among the wheels.
Josep Fontdecaba,
Engineering Director Creuat added: "Racing for Holland will be able
to take advantage of the adjustable damper and spring rates for roll
and pitch to maximise stability and softer vertical and axle
crossing movements to maximise traction and grip. The Le-Mans 24
hours race is one of the longest and toughest in the world and we
believe that the new suspension system will give Racing for Holland,
the only team using this technology, a competitive edge this
weekend."
The Creuat system has also been successfully
trialed and tested in a number of other prototype vehicles ranging
from large off-road to niche sports cars. Mr Fontdecaba continues:
"However, hydropneumatic suspension systems rely on strong yet
lightweight materials to contain the gas used as the mechanical
spring. It is therefore very important that the right materials are
used which is why we have worked closely with Corus utilising their
knowledge of materials, processes and vehicle engineering to help
develop our new suspension technology."
Kevin Draper, Manager
Product Market Development Automotive, Corus Strip Products IJmuiden
said: "Corus is a company at the forefront of understanding material
properties and their applications. We are delighted to add our
extensive expertise, particularly in the area of lightweight
high-strength steels, to the development of this new suspension
technology and wish the Racing for Holland team success in the
Le-Mans 24 hour race."
The 73rd annual Le Mans 24 hour race
takes place on Saturday 18th June starting at 4pm. |
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| Source: |
Automotive PR |
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| Portal:
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Motoring
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| News
Type: |
Business
News |
| Category: |
Business
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| Sub-Category: |
News
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| Sub-Record
ID: |
8201153300.23906 |
| Release
Date: |
16/06/2005 |
| Release
Time: |
08:43:13
AM |
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