ARPRO® motorsport safety products up to 45 percent lighter
Build times and safety improved by impact resistant ARPRO for NASCAR and IRL ARPRO, has been selected by US motorsport supplier Bald Spot Sports (BSS) and design partner the Createc Corporation for its lightweight impact-resistant properties to enhance safety. This material allows 45 to 50 percent weight reduction and enhanced energy management during a crash. ARPRO also enables NASCAR and IRL teams to build multiple versions of racing safety equipment from a single driver fitting session. Until now race car seats required the driver and team to be present when each race seat was made. The traditional process used epoxy resin and expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads moulded around the driver. Now, BSS digitally scans the original seat permitting Createc to CNC cut the ARPRO to exact dimensions for an accurate duplicate. “Adding JSP products into the mix was a natural next step. With ARPRO, the process of creating a comfortable and safe racing seat is repeatable. No epoxy is required, so weight is reduced by more than 45 percent and risk of human error is mitigated,” explains Cameron Cobb, Manager of Construction & Specialty Products, Createc Corporation. For more than five years, BSS and Createc have been the ultimate racing alliance, bringing innovative ARPRO to the track and offering greater force reduction in a variety of impact situations. In addition to the manufacturing advantage, ARPRO delivers safety improvements. “Some collisions happen at 200mph, and Bald Spot is working to provide the driver with the ultimate in protection when it comes to force reduction technology,” continues Cobb. “ARPRO helps support this objective. It is one of the most efficient safety materials available, providing more energy management than traditional seat materials. In third-party testing, our seat material absorbed 30 percent more energy on the first impact and 60 percent more energy during the second impact than other seat materials currently in use.” The ARPRO seat has won praise from all quarters: “We’re wheel to wheel and bumper to bumper every weekend, and the team’s success depends on protecting our driver,” comments Dave Kenny, Engineer on the NASCAR Cup Series at Penske Racing. “Our track time is extremely valuable, and we need to be focused on racing. We work to nail the first seat fitting and then duplicate it all season. We believe in the lightweight BSS products because they save us time and money and offer quick turnaround. Our team’s drivers like Kurt Busch are very happy with this product.” “Driver protection is of paramount importance and ARPRO is strong enough to cushion impact, yet light enough to maintain competitive edge. As ARPRO is the only material used, lead times are also reduced,” explains Paul Compton, JSP’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Europe. ARPRO is used extensively in automotive applications, and is resistant to high temperatures making it ideal for use in a wide range of motorsport such as the World Rally Championship (WRC). ARPRO’s extremely high strength-to-weight ratio is particularly beneficial in motorsport safety; withstanding multiple impacts without significant deformation and returning to its original shape following dynamic stress. “The demanding nature of motorsport requires reduced time from the CAD suite to the race circuit, and this project is further proof that ARPRO is ideal for motorsport applications,” concludes Compton.
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