NORTHVILLE, Mich. — Fras-le North America Inc., one of the largest friction material manufacturers in the world, exhibited at AAPEX 2011 at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nev. with a unique twist. The company 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" was 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 forFras-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 company says.
The Fras-le AAPEX booth displayed 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-leCeramaxx 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.
