RECARO AUTOMOTIVE SEATING

RECARO Audi TT RS (Picture: © flitzfoto.de)

For all “Nordschleife” (North Loop) fans and touring car enthusiasts, the Nurburgring 24-hour race is THE motor sports event of the year – and it is that time of year again at 5 p.m. on Whit Sunday 19 May 2013. More than 200 teams in 20 classes will be racing to cover the greatest distance through the “Green Hell”.

The field traditionally includes many teams that rely on RECARO products. Ideal for long-distance races with several driver changeovers are the new racing shell seats, such as the RECARO P 1300 GT and RECARO Pro Racer. Combined with a flexible adapter, these allow forward-backward seat adjustment, so that each driver can set the optimal distance to the pedals with one hand – a major bonus in terms of achieving optimal ergonomics and the best vehicle control. Anyway, RECARO wishes all fans, drivers and team members safe and exciting 24-hours of racing and plenty of enjoyment on and around the track!

Uwe Alzen “Hellride”

Anyone wanting to get a driver’s eye view of a high-speed lap on the “Nordschleife” should go to RECARO’s YouTube channel (see link at bottom of page) and watch the inboard video of the 8 minute18 second lap (GP circuit + “Nordschleife”!) driven by Uwe Alzen in the 2012 qualifying round. Using a RECARO race shell (naturally), the old hand clocked a record time for any lap ever driven in the context of the 24-hour race.

All further information about the 24-hour race in the Eifel mountains can be found at: www.24h-rennen.de.

This year, a GPS-based service is being launched for the 24-hour race – for all those who always want to know precisely where “their” team is at any time on the “Eifel switchback”. Internet access is at: www.24stundenonline.de. Even more convenient and offering additional info is the (free) app for iPhones and iPads: itunes.apple.com. A guide to the app is available here.

To watch the fast Alzen lap (with commentary), go to: www.youtube.com

RECARO Lounge (Picture: RECARO)

Safety in motorsport starts with the seats. That’s why hobby and professional race car drivers shouldn’t make compromises in the quality of their racing shells and consoles. That’s the quintessence of RECARO’s safety campaign in motorsport, which was launched at the long distance racing championship at the Nürburgring (VLN) last weekend. In a lounge at the Nürburgring designed especially for this event by the motorsport team from Kirchheim, drivers, technicians and decision-makers from the over 200 participating long-distance racing teams were able to learn about the current RECARO product range. “The teams were happy to take us up on our offer”, explains Romi Doser, Senior Manager Communications at RECARO Automotive Seating. “What was at least as important as the opportunity to present our products was the chance to collect information about what drivers, mechanics and team principles really want; that information is an important input into our project planning.”

Kazunori Yamauchi und Romi Doser (Picture: RECARO)

Gran Turismo is riding with RECARO: During the race the sponsorship of RECARO Automotive Seating for the Motorsport Schulze team was made official. Effective immediately, the team’s Nissan GT-R will be equipped with RECARO’s top model, the RECARO P 1300 GT racing shell. One of the team’s drivers is no one less than Kazunori Yamauchi. The fast Japanese driver is not only vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment, but is also considered the mastermind of the cult racing game Gran Turismo. It’s therefore no wonder that Yamauchi, as an admitted fan of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, hasn’t just used the “green hell” as one of the courses in his landmark video game, but also takes every opportunity to fight for points himself on the course in Germany’s Eifel region. Now, he can do this with the maximum level of safety and security that only a RECARO P 1300 GT offers. The racing shell has also been adapted to fit the individual ergonomics of each driver in the team using the seat’s special removable upholstery pads.

More: www.recaro-automotive.com

Ford Focus „TrackSTer” (Picture: autoblog.com)

There’s no discussion among sportscar fans: the Ford Focus ST is one of the best cars in its segment. An exclusive project car that had its debut at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show (7th to 8th Febuary, 2013) is now showing the real racetrack potential of the Ford hatchback. The „TrackSTer“ is the first of three cars within the RECARO sponsored “Project ST” – a joint project of Ford, the well-reputed Californian tuning specialists “Fifteen52” and rally driver Ken Block, the star of many notorious “Gymkhana” videos on YouTube.

The “TrackSTer” is a Focus ST, re-engineered in every detail to obtain maximum track performance, remains street legal. The original ST got a completely new engine (with about 500hp), transmission and suspension components, all-around body work and an extensive interior upgrade – including RECARO Profi XL race shells. The “TrackSTer” will appear at numerous US car shows during 2013. There the car is also working as a rolling display for the tuning parts used. A partial list of the parts will be available to all Focus ST enthusiasts seeking to “TrackSTerize” their own Ford.

“As the ‘Project ST’ cars mark the top level of present time track performance they match precisely with the key elements of our brand”, says Ed Hessell, Senior Sales Manager at RECARO Automotive Seating in North America. “With the great attention the ‘TrackSTer’ project has yet received from the public it is a perfect marketing platform for us. It fosters the link between RECARO and high level sports cars in the perception of our target group.”

Ford Focus „TrackSTer” (Picture: autoblog.com)

Ford Focus „TrackSTer” (Picture: autoblog.com)