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ORRCON - STEEL WITH SPEED |
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Thursday, 28 August 2008 |
When many people think of steel the first thoughts that come into their
mind is black, dirty and heavy. However, Orrcon is a steel company that
is always thinking outside the square when it comes to getting people
excited about its product and ensure it is used in a variety of
applications.
One of the latest projects using Orrcon product is the recently launched Ford FG Falcon V8 Supercar.
With the FG model based on the Falcon XR8 road car, the new race
car was jointly designed and built by leading Ford teams, Ford
Performance Racing, Triple Eight and Stone Brothers Racing, in
conjunction with one of the world’s top racing engineers Paul Ceprnich.
Ford Performance Racing was responsible for the upfront design and
build of the shell, Triple Eight led the aerodynamic package
development and the homologation process.
The FG project has been over six months in the making with the first chassis taking almost three months to manufacturer.
During his career Ceprnich has worked with some of the top line manufacturers and racing teams in the world.
Since the late 1990s Ceprnich has resided in Australia and was the
lead engineer for the successful Paul Morris Motorsport operation in
the Super Touring and V8 Supercar Championships. He was also a part of
the winning LMP team at the 1999 LeMans 24 hour race and has previously
worked as a part of the ALMS series in America.
In addition to the project of building FG Falcons Ceprnich and his
team at PACE Innovations are also consultants for the Lamborghini team
in the FIA GT and LeMans Series Championship
“The FG Falcon project has certainly been an exciting one and it is
great to be able to use an Australian-made product in the process,”
said Ceprnich.
“Effectively all of the steel used in the chassis that isn’t chrome
moly is Orrcon supplied product. We have used 100mmX100mm RHS in the
outer chassis rails along with 100mmX50mm RHS and 75mmX50mm RHS
throughout the build process. Orrcon were able to source sheet material
on 0.8mm, 1mm and 1.2mm thickness for use in the floor of the car.
“Also incorporated in the build process were various other Orrcon products used to manufacturer the jig.
“All of the steel used in the FG project has been top quality and
the service provided to us by the team at Orrcon Steel has been
sensational, not only have they provided the team at PACE with
faultless products but also useful product and technical knowledge.”
Once the work of Ceprnich and his fabrication team is complete, the
chassis is then sent to the respective Ford team to finish the chassis
and implement their running gear, panels and other components.
The fit-out process on the initial ‘test’ car was completed by the
Ford Performance Racing team prior to the car taking to the circuit for
the first time at Sandown in early June.
A total of three fabricators with input from the designers and
engineers worked on the process for a month once the chassis entered
the Melbourne factory ensuring everything was in readiness for a
demonstration run by the new model.
Since the initial model left the PACE workshop at Yatala in
Queensland during February, Ceprnich and his team have produced another
four FG base chassis to which have already been distributed to the Ford
teams in the V8 Supercar Championship.
By the end of the year Ceprnich anticipates the team at PACE will
have produced almost a dozen Ford FG Falcon V8 Supercars using Orrcon
product and ready to take to the circuit early next year at speeds up
to 300 km/h.
FPR is one Ford team that has already received its first FG Race
car and it has been all systems go to ensure the car will be ready for
its debut.
“After being a part of the build process for the test car, it has
been great to get our first FG ‘race’ chassis into the workshop to put
the finishing touches to it,” said FPR Fabrication Manager Tim Collard.
“The chassis comes to us all but complete, effectively we put in
some extra mounts here and there, a little bit of reinforcement where
our engineers believe is required and then it is set to get fitted out
with running gear before being ready to hit the track.”
When the Ford FG Falcon V8 Supercar does take to the circuit for
the first time, Orrcon product will be there for more than just a fast
ride - it will be a part of the new era in V8 Supercar racing.
Mark Winterbottom in action aboard the #5 Orrcon FPR Falcon at Barbagallo Raceway
One of the latest projects using Orrcon product is the recently launched Ford FG Falcon V8 Supercar
Paul Ceprnich is one of the world’s top racing engineers
Effectively all of the steel used in the chassis that isn’t chrome moly is Orrcon product
Ceprnich and the team at PACE Innovations
A look inside the FG Falcon V8 Supercar
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