CLOVER, S.C. (Aug. 1, 2006) — Performance Friction Corp. has been named the official brake supplier for the 2007 Champ Car World Series.
The company will build the complete wheel end brake system—pads, discs, calipers and hardware—for the new Élan Motorsports Technologies' Panoz DP01 Champ Car chassis. “Our common goal with Elan and Champ Car was to build the highest technology brake system available in racing, to provide unrivaled speed and controllability for closer competition than ever before. In the end it came down to performance, and our package has significant advantages over the competition,” said Darrick Dong, director of motorsports for Clover-based Performance Friction.
Performance Friction's Champ Car package includes numerous proprietary technologies to improve control and speed. Its ZR39 caliper features a monobloc Metal-Matrix Composite (MMC) construction for superior stiffness to mass ratio and four-piston four-pad configuration “for unrivaled bite and control,” the company said.
In the 2005 Champ Car World Series, Performance Friction disc- and pad-equipped cars held the fastest lap, pole position and race win at every one of the 13 races, including leading 1,327 of 1,369 laps, according to the company.
“Performance Friction's 19-year-long association with the Champ Car series has been the cornerstone of our race program,” said Don Burgoon, president, “and we are proud to be chosen as the official brake supplier for the DP01 chassis. We look forward to working with Elan, ChampCar and the teams in supporting the development of this a world-class open wheel series.”
The company is a longtime supporter of open wheel racing and claims cars running with its brake systems “won in excess of 151 world and national championships in 2005.”