Fras-le North America Inc., one of the largest friction material manufacturers in the world, will exhibit at AAPEX 2011, Nov. 1-3, at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, NV, with a unique twist. The company has turned part of its booth (#2658) into an interactive foam cast display of a Class 8 truck to show off its sponsorship of Formula Truck. Fras-le has been an official sponsor of this unique motorsports circuit for more than 10 years.
For most AAPEX attendees, the term "Formula Truck" is most likely a complete mystery. While U.S. motorsports fans are fixated on the major automotive circuits like NASCAR, NHRA and Indy Car, the fixes are a bit larger in South America. Formula Truck, one of the largest racing series in South America is a motorsport spectacle in which Class 8 truck tractors compete in a 10 race season, held from March through December.
A 5 ton Formula Truck races at an average speed of 100 mph (160 kph) using high performance engines and modified suspensions. The truck bodies are also open for modification, as long as they maintain the appearance of the factory-delivered vehicle. Of course, roll cages are installed and the cabs are strengthened to ensure driver safety.
"Fras-le found a way to simplify the pit crew’s job during the races," said Randy Mordue, director of sales and marketing for Fras-le’s North American commercial and light vehicle aftermarket. "Traditionally, a set of brake pads would not last for an entire race, so the trucks had to have replacement pads installed mid-race. That was until Fras-le created a friction formula that could withstand the demanding braking conditions and ultra high-temperatures."
Fras-le equips the trucks with a specially formulated brake pad that lasts an entire race. This advancement in brake pad technology benefits Fras-le’s customers, as well as end users in markets around the world. Fras-le brings this same level of quality and technology to its line of disc brake pads for the North American automotive aftermarket.
The Fras-le AAPEX booth will display the company’s brake pad line for light and medium-duty vehicles that includes more than 300 new part numbers to meet an array of performance requirements in three platform-specific formulations. Fras-le Ceramaxx is an innovative brake pad technology product that features advanced ultra-premium ceramic friction materials. Fras-le Magnum Pro is the professional’s full-coverage choice for premium semi-metallic and premium ceramic formulations. Fras-le Extreme Service is a semi-metallic formulation, engineered for severe-duty applications.
For more information about Fras-le, phone: (800) 243-2959, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.fras-le.com/nabrakes.
