AUTOMOTIVE SPECIAL 2009

The Dakar Follow in the footprints of two Öhlins engineers as they find their way deep inside the Moroccan desert, in pursuit of the ultimate suspension in the most gruelling competition in the world.

There’s a new Sheriff in the woods Robin Hood and Friar Tuck have long left the forests but their descendants better look out. The bad boys of Rally racing can now lay their hands on the ultimate weapon to conquer the forests.

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For more than 30 years Öhlins Racing has been an intricate part of high-end . Our relentless search for perfection and top quality products have given us solid reputation amongst OEM manufacturers and top level racing teams around the world. Today we can boast with cooperation’s with Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani Zonda and Lotus.

Our racing commitments are a vital part of our R&D philosophy and the combined knowledge from different types of high-end racing teams gives us tremendous inspiration and the unique opportunity to test new ideas in the most challenging environment.

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TTR30 TTX40 TTX46 McPherson Audi DTM 2008 Le Mans 2008 Chevrolet WTCC 2008

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04 14 Print: Intellecta Infolog/Sweden Features: The Dakar SWRT choose Öhlins Follow in the footprints of two Öhlins It is one of the hardest, toughest and engineers as they find their way deep most roll-cage crunching

Cover photo: Subaru SWRT 04 inside the Moroccan desert, in pursuit 20 in the World. WRC is the Crème de la of the ultimate suspension in the most Crème of rally racing and Öhlins has gruelling racing competition in the world. earned the trust to deliver suspension to one of the most respected teams.

TTX36 proves that less is more... There’s a new Sheriff in the woods! Imagine a shock absorber that is light­ Robin Hood and Friar Tuck have long left Art Director: Fredrik Ljungkvist weight, price efficient and built with the the forests but their descendants better 23 same rigorous demands as all other 14 look out. The bad boys of Rally racing high-end automotive racing shock ab- can now lay their hands on the ultimate sorbers from Öhlins Racing. The TTX36 weapon to conquer the forests. is the perfect choice for the picky week- end race driver with serious ambitions. PERFORMANCE Automotive Special 2009 PERFORMANCE Magazine is produced & published by Öhlins Racing AB, Upplands Väsby/Sweden Editor in chief & Publisher: Henrik Samuelson, [email protected]   - A challengeThe forDakar those who go, a dream for those who stay behind. Text and photo by Johan Jarl, R&D Engineer at Öhlins Racing AB

It was somewhere in the middle of the Libyan desert in 1977 that the Dakar race was born. The French rider Thierry Sabine got lost in the Abidjan-Nice rally and when he came back to civilisation he was determined to one day return. The fascinating landscapes of the African desert was the perfect scenery for a race and Thierry wanted as many participants as possible to go into the unknown world of the deserts of Northern Africa.

On 26 December 1978, the first Paris-Dakar race took off from the French capital on Place du Trocadéro. Over 1 000 kilometres on roads, tracks and paths in Algeria, Niger, Mali, Upper Volta and Senegal lay before the 170 competitors in the first race. Cyril Neveu was the first motorcycle rider to cross the finish line on his Yamaha XT500 and Genestier, Terbiaut and Lemordant made the Range Rover brand historic by becoming the first team to see the red lake in Dakar.

The most challenging racing competition on earth was born.

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The Dakar today been one of the most important areas for and they have been using Öhlins products This year the rally started on January 6 in our car distributors in the Öhlins family. The for many years now. They have two proto- Lisbon, , and ended January 21 in dampers are built mainly by using the kit type , one less modified car, one race Dakar, Senegal. It covered a total distance system or the ORQ series dampers. Our and two service . Öhlins did of 7 915 kilometres of which 4 309 were French distributor PFP and Spanish col- two tests with the prototypes before the special stages. The entrants are divided into bikes, cars, trucks and quads. THE INDEPENDENTS ON THE OTHER HAND BATTLE The Dakar is a challenge for both man and THEIR WAY THROUGH THE SAME HEAT, OFTEN TAKING machine. The top riders have their fair share TWICE AS MUCH TIME TO FIND THEIR WAY. of the pounding heat and endless hours of 100 % concentration finding some sort of leagues at HRG have done this for many Dakar and their dampers, 46PRCQ, were way through the wastelands of the desert. years with good results and for this year the upgraded to the latest specs and new set- The difference between these lucky ones “English guys at Aurok also were involved, tings were developed. Major improvements and the horde of independent riders is the providing most of the Bowler Wildcat cars were made to the car and the test gave a fact that the former can look forward to a with dampers. [1] From Öhlins in Sweden lot of valuable experience. well deserved rest after every stage. The it was many years since there was any real service technicians will take care of the involvement in any team, Mitsubishi in -96 The Isuzu drivers for this year were Edi Ori- rest. was the last time. In 2007 we saw the new oli, a four-time Dakar winner, on bike and TTX concept making its introduction into Markku Alén, the rally world champion of The independents on the other hand bat- the off road market and it was time to start 1978. tle their way through the same heat, often focusing on this market. The first batch of taking twice as much time to find their way. the TTX44 had just been produced and the To gain even more experience about the By the time they have reached the end of TTX75 had been shown at both the PRI and rally, I and Magnus Danek, Automotive the stage all service must be taken care of Autosport shows. These are two dampers Racing R&D Manager at Öhlins Racing, de- and in the end they get a couple of hours very suitable for this type of racing but there cided to go to see the rally. The toughest sleep before the next 700 kilometre stage. is yet more to come from this product line. stages for the dampers are in Morocco, so I guess they are quite happy to see the sil- that was where we went. houette of Dakar. To build up experience we started working with the Isuzu Europe team. The Bologna The Trip Background based team is an experienced team fighting 8/1 Rally raid or off road racing has always for the positions just behind the top teams This is not a rally that is easy to follow, since

 The Dakar...

3 they move around 700 kilometres each bers at least ten words. The communica- in Morocco due to its amazing landscape day, so I was expecting one week of travel. tion should not be a big problem but we and old villages where it looks like time It all started with one full day in airplanes made a plan where to go and what to see. has stood still during hundreds of years. and airports… very exciting. We left Öhlins So instead of driving around with Angelina headquarters in Stockholm at ten o’clock in We went to bed quite early. Magnus is ly- Jolie or Penelope Cruz he is now guiding the morning and we arrived in Marrakech at ing 20 centimetres to my right, scary. Just two Swedish engineers. I wonder what he nine p.m. During the trip Magnus asked me hope I get a good night sleep. prefers? if I would do the rally as a service technician if I got the chance. I answered that probably 9/1 - 8 am The five hour trip to Ouarzazate goes over I would, but I really don’t know. It is a very After a good night’s sleep and a good break- the Atlas Mountains. It is the most incred- tough rally for the service personnel, also. fast we start our trip. The plan today is to go ible road I have ever seen with serpentine to the service area in Ouarzazate to meet roads up and down the mountains where I had arranged for a driver and a 4x4 Toyota up with the team and to see how things are we reach the highest point of 2 260 me- before we left, necessary to be able to go going. It is a five hour drive to Ouarzazate tres. [3] The part of the Atlas Mountains out on the stages and to find our way in Mo- so we have some time to take a quick tour around Marrakech is a lot greener than rocco. [2] The travel agency that the Isuzu around Marrakech. Sholien is with us dur- I had expected, but as we get closer to team uses had fixed everything and they told ing the morning in Marrakech and it is very Ouarzazate it becomes stonier and with us that a driver would be very good to have. interesting to see this old city and to hear less vegetation. Both to be able to speak with the police, as him tell stories about it. The famous mar- there are a lot of police controls on the roads ket square Djeema El Fnaa is very calm at We arrive at the service area, the bivouac, in Morocco, and to be able to get some rest. this time of the day but he describes all the just in time to see the first cars coming in, The driver should be waiting for us at the air- port, if not, we would have a big problem. FIRST IS A VOLKSWAGEN FOLLOWED BY MITSUBISHI Mohammed, the driver, and Sholien, his AND BMW, THE EXPECTED FRONT CARS. THE ISUZUS friend, stood there with an Öhlins Dakar HAVE NOT ARRIVED YET. sign, perfect. We made a plan for the week with Sholien translating for Mohammed activities that go on during the evening. I this is stage three. [4] First is a Volkswa- who understood some English but couldn’t would really like to go back on holiday to gen followed by Mitsubishi and BMW, the speak it. However, he spoke French. I don’t experience“ this. Sholien also tells us that expected front cars. The Isuzus have not know a word of French, but Magnus learnt normally he works as a driver and guide for arrived yet. Volkswagen is putting a lot of it in school many years ago and he remem- a movie company. Many movies are shot money into the Dakar project, this is their

 The Dakar...

5 third year and the year to finally beat Mit- rived to the service area yet, it will be a long ouac; it is a good opportunity for the driv- subishi who has been dominating the event night for the mechanics. Suspension tech- ers to discuss today’s stage and also for for several years. Outside their service area nician Adriano Micozzi will service some of the Dakar spirit. During the dinner you sit you see 11 Volkswagen Touaregs on a long the dampers before tomorrow’s stage but on large carpets eating and the local choir line… looks impressive. [5] so far they have worked very well. [7] is performing. Women in colourful dresses are singing and men are playing on the So far it has been a quite good rally for Walking around in the service area is great drums, a bit different from the local piz- zeria back home. Unfortunately there is a EVERYBODY EATS DINNER TOGETHER IN THE BIVOUAC; dismal atmosphere this evening since one IT IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR THE DRIVERS TO bike rider was killed today and four others DISCUSS TODAY’S STAGE AND ALSO FOR THE DAKAR SPIRIT. badly hurt. It is a very dangerous rally and unfortunately there has been some fatalities the Isuzu team but both drivers had some with a fantastic atmosphere. We meet Toby during the last years. problems during the first stage. Orioli had Phillips from Aurok, he already looks a bit to brake hard for a bike rider who crashed tired and it is 16 days to go for him. He is At ten p.m we leave the service area, the “just in front of him and then he got stuck in responsible for the five works Bowlers, 40 last Isuzu has still not arrived. the sand for 30 minutes. Alén started out dampers, and is doing his best to optimise with the Finnish style of maximum attack. the suspension setting for each day, no 10/1 - 5.45 am He wanted to get a good starting position wonder he is tired. Ahhh!!! Don’t like early mornings, let me as they entered Morocco and they passed sleep. Well, we have a 2,5 hour drive to the many cars that day. Unfortunately this driv- We also meet Jordi Higuera from HRG, as start of the special stage and the first car ing style also increased fuel consumption happy as always. He is looking after Toyota, starts at 9.21 a.m., so there’s nothing for and a couple of kilometres before the finish Nissan and Mitsubishi teams from Spain, a it but to jump into the shower. I have been line they were out of fuel, 35 minutes lost lot of dampers for the cars and their serv- waiting to see the cars close up in action there. Guido Toni, chief engineer and tech- ice trucks. We talk for an hour about Öh- so I really look forward to this. However, I nician is doing his best to calm the drivers. lins products and he shows us many nice do not look forward to the 800 kilometre trip Think about Dakar he says, you need to installations he had made. I think I under- going from Ouarzazate to the service area get to Dakar. Tomorrow is one of the rough- stood most of it but I am not sure, Jordi only in Tan Tan. est stages of the rally, so the team is doing speaks Spanish. I don’t understand a word everything they can to prepare the cars. of Spanish. The roads in Morocco are a bit different [6] The standard car has had transmission from the ones you normally see in Eu- problems during the day and it has not ar- Everybody eats dinner together in the biv- rope. There is one lane in each direction

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9 but only the middle section has tarmac… soon he’s back on the road again. These mer. It is missing most of the front and later just enough for one car. Each meeting be- cars are made for this kind of treatment. we hear that he had been aggressive on the comes a chicken race. It’s a bit scary in Many with him make the same mistake, the cars he passed. Because of the dust it is the beginning but you get used to it after only ones who actually manage to take the very hard for the car in front to see what you a while. [8] corner are the ones who are warned by the have behind you. I guess you just hit them spectators who stand on the crest. [10] Af- hard enough and finally they will move. As we arrive at the start it looks like there ter watching the Isuzus we continue our trip is a very thick fog. When we come closer to Tan Tan. [11] We arrive to the service area around eight we see that it is the dust after the bikes. p.m. It has been an OK day for the Isuzu. The sand is more like powder and the vis- On the way we got to see the cars two Mr Alén lost 20 minutes for the same rea- son as Orioli on the first stage, he had to I GUESS YOU JUST HIT THEM HARD ENOUGH AND brake hard for a rider that crashed in front FINALLY THEY WILL MOVE. of him and so got stuck in the sand. Now the roughest parts of the rally are over, but ibility is close to zero. We are offered some more times, one in the middle when they there are still two more days to go before breakfast, once again sitting on a mat in the cross the highway we are travelling on and the rest day when the mechanics get their desert. [9] also at the finish line. Even the locals show chance to do a major service of the cars some interest. [12] and the drivers can get some rest for their “We find a perfect spot after a crest with aching muscles and sore backs. a sharp left hand turn just after it and it is All the time during our trip we see the dust followed by a straight with some bumps clouds from the cars on the horizon. After Our second and last day at the Dakar end- where you can see the cars moving. First being in the car during the tests it is not ed with a late dinner in the bivouac. Large car out is Schlesser in his who was hard to imagine what it would be as a driver steaks of grilled meat are served. I forgot the fastest yesterday. We can’t see him going flat out in the desert. Very hard for the that French medium is Swedish rare, any- from where we stand but we hear from the body over the rocky parts but also so much way it was a nice meal. sound of the engine that he is coming in fun with adrenaline levels at a maximum for fast. I think to myself that no way he will be three hours straight. I can’t help but wishing We arrive at the hotel around 11:30 p.m. able to take this corner. He more or less flies that I would have been born with the skills The hotel is located by the beach in Tan over the crest off the road and lands hard of a rally driver. Tan and we can see the big waves coming into a sand wall. The sands washes over in. I look forward to taking a stroll along the the car but Schlesser just throws in a lower When we stop for a coffee along the trans- beach tomorrow to have a closer look. gear and puts the pedal to the metal and port stage we see Robby Gordon’s Hum-

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11 12 11/1 - 8 pm problem with getting up. He takes a shower OK, I am not so sensitive to hotel standards and gets dressed. It is not so easy to go to and all hotels so far have been nice, but sleep again with all the noise he makes, I this one was by far the lowest level I have just love sharing rooms. The taxi arrives at experienced. The sheets have probably 4.10 p.m. In 17 hours I will be back in my not been changed since last summer and apartment. when you cannot get a shower in the morn- ing I get a bit pissed. The brown cold slush Going to tests or races is great fun and in- that drips from the shower does not look so teresting but the travel part is sometimes inviting and the pale orange juice looks like horrible. I also know that when I come a certain way to get stomach problems. A home I will turn my backpack upside down coffee and a croissant is what half of Eu- and then put in the winter gear. Tomorrow rope has for breakfast so I guess it will do I have a six hour drive to Östersund in the for me as well. northern part of Sweden for a rally test, this is a job full of exciting contrasts. On the agenda today is to get to Agadir from where we will fly back to Stockholm. It Sitting in the plane thinking about what I is not possible to see the cars today since have experienced I am sure that I will go the start is 400 kilometres away in the back to Morocco, maybe to Agadir with a TOMORROW I HAVE A SIX HOUR DRIVE TO ÖSTERSUND IN THE NORTHERN PART OF SWEDEN FOR A RALLY TEST, THIS IS A JOB FULL OF EXCITING CONTRASTS. wrong direction. Mohammed has planned combined visit to Marrakech. The people of to show us some nice places along the Morocco are very friendly and the combina- way, so it will be interesting to be a tourist tion of old cities and modern standard is “for a day. fascinating.

In Tan Tan it was raining so we only took This trip has been very valuable and we a short walk along the beach. Later we have gained a lot of experience about this stopped closer to Agadir on a beach which type of rally and it has given a lot of mo- is famous for its surfing and fishing. [13] tivation and ideas. I am convinced that in Here surfers and fishermen dig caves in two to three years time I will be back at the the cliffs where they live during the sum- but with a chance of winning the mer. One fisherman showed us his cave rally. and also a large turtle shell he had found. Proudly he showed the turtle head he kept So would I do the rally if I got the chance? in a big bucket of salt. Definitely!

Arriving in Agadir we said goodbye to Mo- hammed. He had been a very good driver during these three days. How did he man- age to stay awake all the time? Strong cof- fee, many cigarettes and he had his win- dow open so that air blew into his face. Might have been nice for him, but sitting in the back seat it was very windy and quite cold. During the days it was OK when tem- peratures reached 20 degrees but in the evening it dropped to around 5 degrees.

12/1 - 2.55 am Oh dear God!!! What is happening, how can an alarm bell ring now? We don’t have to get up before 3.55 p.m. Turned out that Magnus has set the alarm one hour too early (we are on GMT now) but he has no

12 The Dakar...

13 13 ORQ-Series The first version of the ORQ-series Off- Road damper has proven a success in all kinds of Rally Raid events. Now we’re up- dating the damper with a swiveling hose, for increased flow potential and ease of mounting on the vehicle.

The ORQ range of dampers is designed with Off-Road and Rally Raid Cars in mind, as well as similar kinds of vehicles where this layout is suitable. These dampers are available in three different lengths. The dampers are of 46 mm piston type with remote reservoirs. They have compression and rebound adjusters together with the Progressive Damping System, PDS. The damper comes with a protecting sleeve and two circlips to help prevent spring wear. Springs, spring platforms and spac- ers for the spherical bearings need to be ordered separately.

Part No Extended length Stroke ORQ 0H02 502 mm 160,5 mm ORQ 0H04 603 mm 215,5 mm ORQ 0H06 660 mm 241,5 mm TPX/TTX Rally dampers Öhlins Racing AB has had a strong grip on the rally series for quite some time, but cars and drivers are in a constant evolution and now it is time to launch the next genera- tion of shock absorbers. Öhlins is proud to present the new TPX/TTX generation of rally shocks.

The new generation dampers are adjustable both for high and low speed compression as well as rebound. McPherson struts fea- ture a dual piston layout, and conventional shocks are twin tube TTX units. Both are fully pressure balanced, eliminating the risk of cavitation and due to low gas pressure, they keep the internal friction level low. First out are Group N gravel dampers for Subaru N12B and Mitsubishi EvoIX.

Features: Part numbers: * McPherson struts feature 44mm Twin SUR 1I50 Subaru Impreza N12B Lf gr. SUR 2I50 Subaru Impreza N12B Rf gr. Piston Technology TPX, 3-way adjustable SUR 3I50 Subaru Impreza N12B Lr gr. SUR 4I50 Subaru Impreza N12B Rr gr. and fully pressure balanced with piggyback reservoir and Progressive Damping MIR 1I00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII-IX Lf gr. MIR 2I00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII-IX Rf gr. System, PDS. MIR 3I00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII-IX Lr gr. MIR 4I00 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII-IX Rr gr.

* Conventional shocks are 44mm Twin Tube Smooth to Medium Gravel TTX:s, 3-way adjustable and fully pressure MIR 5J50 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X Lf/Rf balanced with piggyback reservoir and MIR 3J50 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X Lr MIR 4J50 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X Rr Progressive Damping System, PDS. Smooth Tarmac MIR 5J52 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X Lf/Rf MIR 3J52 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X Lr MIR 4J52 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X Rr Öhlins has had a strong grip on the Rally series for quite some time, but cars and drivers are in a constant evolution and now it is time to launch the next generation of shock absorbers to prevent the bad boys of motor sport from getting out of bounds. Written by Henrik Samuelson, photo by Fredrik Ljungkvist

Rally is growing by the minute and the list of series and classes is far from short. This is why Öhlins presents a new rally shock absorber that will cover the Group N, Su- per2000 and a plethora of other rally class- es.

Peter Kärr, Product Manager for the auto- motive segment at Öhlins Racing explains; “Our focus was to launch a new rally damp- er with high performance specifications that could meet the tough demands from our customers. Second of all we wanted to an application that could fit into a wide range of various Offroad vehicles.”

The Tech Spec The new rally shock absorber is a com- pletely new package, loaded with fresh thinking and innovative functions that will give a tremendous amount of handling and performance back to its master at the steering wheel.

The shock will be fully pressure balanced There’s a new sheriff over a wide range of adjustments, meaning that cavitation is virtually no longer a prob- lem. Thanks to this innovative technique, the shock can have a low gas pressure, in the woods keeping the level of friction to a minimum.

The Öhlins crew of engineers has put a lot of thinking into the new shock and they The function of this new technique, called with the TTX44 shocks. Designed to work have come up with a really powerful design TPX, is based on pressure build-up rather together, they worked flawlessly. Things re- inside the strut to maximise the perform- than a pressure drop. ally took off. ance: a twin piston technology concept. When it comes to adjustments, there will be The TTX44 has just made its successful Imagine two pistons, both with a shim stack a wide range of external set-ups on high- début in the segment thanks to on the low pressure side. A bleed valve in and low speed compression as well as its pressure balanced twin tube design and the piston rod supports the oil pressure in rebound, thanks to the pressure balanced conveniently located adjusters right on the the closed compartment between the two design. cylinder head. pistons, giving a fully pressure balanced suspension. The shim stacks help the 2x2 solution “We were amazed by the significant change shock to work in a very controlled manner During early testing, the team of engineers of handling and performance when we through compression as well as rebound. soon coupled the TPX McPherson strut started to test the new suspension set-up

16 There’s a new sheriff in the woods

on a Mitsubishi EVO9. At that stage, with- focus on winning. A private racing team and there are plenty of teams out there in out a complete setting bank for the shocks with a reasonable budget would also be a search of high performance products that with no prior experience by the TPX func- perfect match for us.” will cut precious time when they go rally- tionality, it ought to be impossible to cut ing.” special stage times like we did”, Peter says There has always been a natural focus on with great admiration. optimizing engine power, chassis and over- all weight reduction, but teams have come The future TPX customers to realise that suspension is an important How would you describe the typical TPX44 ingredient of success. customer? “I would not be surprised if we find TPX “The typical customer is a top driver in the technology in all sorts of rally champion- national or international elite with a serious ships in the future. It’s a powerful product

17 ALR/TPX Öhlins is proud to present the new ALR TPX/TTX All Round Rally& damp- er range.

The new generation of TPX/TTX Rally damp- ers have proven themselves in the toughest of conditions. Now we’re further expanding the range with a set of universal struts and dampers, aimed at the rally and, specifical- ly, rallycross markets. The ALR struts and dampers are three-way adjustable, where the McPherson struts feature a dual piston layout, and conventional shocks are twin tube TTX units. Both are fully pressure bal- anced, eliminating the risk of cavitation and due to low gas pressure, they keep the in- ternal friction level low.

There is a whole range of optional parts for you to tailor your dampers to your specific needs.

Part numbers: Features: ALR 0I03 Allround rally TPX 479.5 / 171 ALR 0I23 Allround rally TTX 468 / 155 * McPherson struts feature 44 mm Twin ALR 0I05 Allround rally TPX 545.6 / 199 ALR 0I25 Allround rally TTX 560 / 172.5 Piston Technology TPX, 3-way adjustable ALR 0I07 Allround rally TPX 659.3 / 226 ALR 0I27 Allround rally TTX 594 / 206.5 and fully pressure balanced with piggy- back reservoir and Progressive Damping System, PDS.

* Conventional shocks are 44 mm Twin Tube TTX:s, 3-way adjustable and fully pressure balanced with piggyback reservoir and Progressive Damping System, PDS. TTX46 MT MkII /TTX40 MkII The Öhlins TTX40 four-way adjustable rac- ing shock has been a tremendous success, providing top results in the LeMans, Cham- pCar, Indy Racing League series etc. Since the introduction of its McPherson counter- part, the TTX46MT, it has been the shock to beat in as well, all bility and control, especially at high damp- over the world. Now it’s time to take racing ing frequencies. For increased rigidity and to another level. Öhlins Racing is proud to durability, the piston shafts are now 14 mm present the new TTX40/46MT MkII shock, on the NH06 and NH08 varieties. a further improved version of our flagship. Accompanying the new TTX40 MkII, is the As before, the TTX40 MkII twin tube damp- McPherson strut TTX46MT MkII. The con- er features a 40 mm solid piston and a cept features a 46 mm solid piston with through rod shaft, eliminating the require- a through rod of 30 mm, providing a rigid ment of an external reservoir. The design and lightweight strut. To further improve the is fully pressure balanced with a positive rigidity, the outer tube is made from a spe- pressure build-up throughout the adjust- cial aluminium alloy. Still a four-way adjust- ment range, eliminating the risk for cavita- able, it provides a wide range of adjustment tion as well as enabling the use of low gas without even taking the strut off the car. Of pressure, keeping the internal friction at course, it has all the benefits from a positive bay. The top eye can easily be re-clocked pressure build-up. Part numbers: without opening the damper. TTX NH01 TTX40 MkII 207.6/48 The TTX40/46MT MkII comes with the MkII TTX NH02 TTX40 MkII 243.6/56 The TTX40 MkII is still a fully independent version of the well proven Valving Reference TTX NH03 TTX40 MkII 264.6/68 TTX NH04 TTX40 MkII 321.6/80 four-way adjustable, but due to a new de- Program (VRP). This computer model of a TTX NH06 TTX40 MkII 390.6/100 sign of the valves, it offers even better sta- dyno will allow you to find damping curves TTX NH08 TTX40 MkII 480.6/130 without a dynamometer. It will reduce build- TTX NI16 TTX46MT MkII 317/116 univ strut ing time tremendously and allow exact BMF 5H01 TTX46MT MkII BMW E90 front BMF 6H01 TTX40 MkII BMW E90 rear damping adjustment out in the pit lane. POF 5H00 TTX46MT MkII Porsche 997 front Download it for free at www.ohlins.com. POF 6H00 TTX40 MkII Porsche 997 rear Subaru World Rally Team choose ÖHLINS suspension in 2009 WRC Written by Henrik Samuelson | Photo from swrt.com

The World Rally Championship (WRC) is the crown jewel of rally racing and only the best of the best get the chance of supplying technology and expertise when the manufacturers choose their team members.

Öhlins Racing AB has been an intricate part of racing in over thirty years and with over two hundred World Championship titles under the belt the company has got a solid reputation in advanced suspension technology. It is with great pride that Öhlins Racing AB can now confirm that Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT) has chosen the Swedish suspension manufacturer to become Official Technical Partner in their fight to win the WRC title.

Magnus Danek, R&D and Racing Manager When does this cooperation go live? firm, and as a consequence the rigidity of for the Automotive business area at Öhlins We will join SWRT in their tests in Novem- the suspension will be tested to its maxi- Racing gives his thoughts about the new, ber/December and throughout the winter, mum capacity. thrilling project with SWRT: but things will start to get really serious To be able to better understand how a when we get close to the opening rounds suspension unit works when hitting a stone What does the new SWRT contract of the WRC races in Cyprus and Portugal in in 150 kilometres per hour, you really have really mean? March-April next year. to work with the most professional racing It is a cooperation with an initial testing pe- There are actually three types of tests teams in the world, preferably in the WRC riod and then we have a two year contract and we are represented at them all. First, where the limits are really tested to the max period following the initial testing phase. we have the Development tests where new in all aspects of the car. This is something technique is scrutinized; for example how unique and very interesting. Who will drive with Öhlins a new differential is working or just different Another great thing about this coopera- suspension onboard? types of basic research. Öhlins will have a tion is the new, much higher intensity in Both Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson will clear focus on these types of tests. Sec- R&D and all experience that we procure ride with Öhlins suspension in the SWRT. ond, we have the Pre-Event tests where the will eventually find its way to our other rally team tries to find a “look alike” track some- products. Is this the first time in WRC? where before the upcoming event to get No, we actually worked with Mitsubishi from the car as ready as possible for the coming How special is a WRC car compared to 1991 to 1997 in the WRC, where we pro- race. a Group N? duced the suspension and had a partner The third type of tests is the final “shake- The Group N car is actually not that far from that took care of the actual support during down” just days before the race and by then a standard car at the end of the day. Trailing the season. everything must be trimmed to perfection. arms, up-rights, spindles and wishbones We also had a contract with Toyota from are almost identical, just a bit reinforced. 1994 up to the end of their factory racing What can we learn from a WRC contract? The WRC cars, on the other hand, are project in 1999. An interesting detail is that Let’s put it like this, a Group N car get its completely built from scratch. The chassis we actually had a very similar technique fair share of rough treatment, but you can’t must of course correspond to a certain ex- to the one that we have today in the TPX really compare it to a WRC car in full speed. tent to the original “design” and the attach- damper. It was of course less refined, but The WRC cars are driven in a completely ments must be the same. Everything else still. different way and the chassis is much more is more or less modified in one way or the other. SWRT in the WRC. We already have a quite neat in the design, if I may say so. As an example the Group N car (N14) Group N contract and we know that it is has got McPherson shocks in the front and a very professional group of people behind Second, I think we have just the right size conventional shocks in the back, but on the it all. They are all very structured and have in terms of company structure. We are not WRC it is McPherson front and rear. a long experience in racing, and the engi- a big enterprise with long delays from deci- neers are really good too. sion to action and we are not small enough Is it tricky to handle the rule book when to run into problems if we need to handle developing new suspension in WRC? Another great thing about SWRT is their a problem on short notice. We are just Of course there are rules to be followed, as way of looking ahead and there is very enough in all aspects. in all other motorsports, and there are chap- little of stressful, last minute changes be- ters concerning the design and functionality tween races. They have the strength to look It doesn’t hurt, either, that we have more of a shock absorber. The shocks can’t be beyond the next race and try to find new than thirty years of racing experience and connected to each other in any way and techniques and perfection in every detail in over two hundred World Championship ti- electronic solutions aren’t allowed. a very controlled manner. This philosophy tles to our name. SWRT will of course use The rulebook will actually become even gives us the possibility of delivering the most this expertise in the best possible way and tighter in 2010 to halt the high costs in the optimal suspension technique, because we we are all here to help them out the best championship, and a concrete result of this have time on our side. we can. is the ban on roller bearings in suspension which I know some competitors use today. Why Öhlins? From a raw material point of view there We have a very good basic function in our are some restrictions, too, but the most new rally shock absorber with almost no traditional materials such as aluminium and downsides. It has a very good dynamic steel are OK to use, and we have no inten- response and it has a very good pressure tion of introducing other metals into our line control. Our intention from the start of this of components. project was to design an understandable and uncomplicated hydraulic architecture What does it mean to you and your engi- and during thousands of hours in our dynos neers to work with this WRC contract? we haven’t seen any strange pressure It is truly fantastic to be able to work with drops or other odd behaviour. It is actually TTX36 PROVES THAT... Written by Henrik Samuelson | Photo by Fredrik Ljungkvist LESS IS MORE The hunt for seconds is an The TTX concept finds ongoing quest for race tech- its way back home nicians and serious teams, all The TTX technique was born in the race over the world. This autumn car industry with the TTX40. The baton was Öhlins will provide the For- then passed on to the motorcycle division to mula and Sports car segment find a smaller, lighter and more price com- with a new high-tech master- petitive product and the resulting TTX36 was piece from the craftsmen at the perfect combination of high-end racing the Swedish based engineer- technology and value for money. It has since ing and production headquar- proved its worth in, for instance, MotoGP ters. The TTX36 is finally here. and Superbike racing.

A short history lesson The re-entry into the Formula and Sports car The original TTX concept was born on Amer- segment is actually quite logical. The TTX40 ican soil by Öhlins engineers that wanted is still the crown jewel in the product range, to find the optimal suspension set-up for now updated and renamed the TTX40MkII. open wheel race cars in the CART and IRL But there are still a lot of teams and indi- series. Twin Tube technology, a completely vidual drivers out there in search of high pressure balanced system, and convenient spec shock absorbers that won’t break the external adjusters on the cylinder head gave bank. For them the TTX36 delivers top level remarkable advantages for the teams that technology at a competitive price. tested the new shock absorbers. Cavitation was suddenly not a problem anymore and Let’s get technical the computerized Valving Reference Pro- for a moment gram (VRP), with a complete setting bank As the TTX36 features a solid piston and for the shocks, saved heaps of time and all damping characteristics are set within money for the teams that got their hands the external valves, the dampers will never on the TTX40. have to be disassembled to be revalved.

The TTX concept started to spread through- As all other TTX products, it is fully pressure out the Öhlins product range and soon af- balanced through an extensive range of ad- ter the introduction of the TTX40, engineers justments from the click settings. at the Motorcycle division at Öhlins found a way to use the technique in hypersport The range of chassis that can be fitted with bikes. the TTX36 is wide, thanks to a module plat- form strategy, making it really easy to cus- Valentino Rossi, an icon within the hyper- tomise the shock absorber to the specific sport world, was one of the first riders that type of car. got the chance of using the new TTX tech- nique on his Yamaha Factory Racing bike in The TTX36 will be the future midrange MotoGP back in 2005. product in the Formula and Sports car fam- ily and it will provide added value and per- After just two years as an exclusive racing formance to the customer. As a bonus the product, the TTX36 was launched on the shock absorber is designed to cut precious aftermarket for serious riders and it soon seconds on the track. became a slam dunk for Superbike cham- pions and hypersport junkies.

22 TTX36 During the last couple of years, the Öh- lins TTX40 racing damper has been a tremendous success, providing top re- sults in the LeMans, ChampCar, WTCC series etc. The twin tube design pro- viding positive pressure build-up has proven itself far superior to conventional techniques. Low internal friction, vast adjustment range and responsiveness even at the smallest strokes are amongst its virtues.

Now it’s time to bring TTX performance vast just from the turning the adjusters, Part numbers: to a wider audience. Enter the TTX36. and yet if revalving is needed, it can be TTX NH31 TTX36 241/68 done without having to take the damper TTX NH32 TTX36 301/98 Based on last year’s successful mo- apart. TTX NH33 TTX36 341/118 torcycle damper, which has proven its TTX NH34 TTX36 401/148 worth in international racing as well as The adjustment knobs are conveniently national championships, the TTX36 is located on the cylinder head, easy to due to replace the old ST44 mid-range reach and offering a wide range of fully Formula and Sports car damper. pressure balanced adjustments. Cavita- tion will no longer be an issue. Focusing on adjustability, durability and ease of maintenance, the TTX36 delivers Starting off with four different length va- the performance of a high-end product rieties, the TTX36 can be fitted with 1,5” at mid-range cost. Utilising a twin tube or 2” springs. The units are delivered design with a solid piston, all damp- without springs, spring platforms, end ing is generated in the external valves. eyes and mounting spacers and pack- This means that the adjustment range is ers.

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