29th July 2006 - Performance Friction® Named Official Brake Supplier to Champ Car World Series

The 2007 Champ Car World Series is set to be more competitive than ever before with world-class equipment in the new Élan Motorsports Technologies' Panoz DP01 chassis. Performance Friction® will serve as the official brake supplier, applying their championship winning experience to build the complete wheel end brake system (pads, discs, calipers, and hardware) for the new 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, Performance Friction® - Director of Motorsports.

Performance Friction's Champ Car package includes numerous proprietary technologies to improve control and speed. The ZR39 caliper features a monobloc Metal-Matrix Composite (MMC) construction for superior stiffness to mass ratio and 4-piston 4-pad configuration for unrivaled bite and control. The patented Direct Drive™ disc attachment system and patented slot pattern offers more bite and less drag.  Carbon Metallic® pads are at the center of the system providing the ultimate in bite, torque, and release characteristics.

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 1327 of 1369 laps. Sebastien Bourdais and Newman-Haas Racing clinched back-to-back Champ Car titles with the help of Performance Friction® discs and pads. "Performance Friction's 19 year long association with the Champ Car series has been the cornerstone of our race program 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," said Don Burgoon, Performance Friction - President.

A long time supporter of open wheel racing, Performance Friction® brakes won in excess of 151 world and national championships in 2005, more than any other brake manufacturer in the world. Performance Friction first entered the race market in 1986, developing competition brake pads for racers around the world.  As they pushed the envelope of brake pad technology, a need for improvements in disc metallurgy and design were evident. Performance Friction's improved disc offered increased thermal stability, improved release characteristics, and reduced drag. As the premier disc and pad manufacturer in international motor sports, Performance Friction applied experience gained in pad and disc development to design a line of low drag quick release monobloc calipers utilizing numerous proprietary technologies. "Controlling every major component of the brake system allows our brakes to outperform the competition in every aspect, including bite, torque, release, drag, and most of all driver control,” Don Burgoon – Performance Friction President. Championship winning race technology developed at tracks around the world is directly applied to the products Performance Friction produces for the street. With the goal of making the absolute best brakes on the market, No Compromises™, there is no doubt that Performance Friction has become the world leader in brake technology.

Source: Performance Friction Press Release