Stock Car bets on new gearbox technology

The 2008 Nextel Cup Stock Car season hasn’t even began and the category’s engineers are already preparing surprises for the 2009 championship. One of the confirmed changes for next year’s races is the gearbox. The ranges used today, the Brazilian Bertolotti and the Argentinean Saenz GT-910, will be substituted by a similar one used on the Grand American Daytona Prototype, from Xtrac.

Well-known on international circuits, Xtrac develops mechanical parts used on different kinds of competition cars, and collects rewards on almost all categories in which it is present. To assure and stimulate the client’s confidence, the company likes to mention that cars with their units have won, during 24 years, 134 prizes: 24 Formula 1 World Championship titles, 20 CART titles, 14 Indy 500 victories, 20 Touring Car Championship titles, 22 World Rally Championship titles, 8 Le Mans/Daytona 24 Hour victories, 13 Dakar Rally victories, 5 NHRA Drag Racing Championship titles and 8 AMA MX/SX Championships.

According to Xtrac Inc. president Peter Digby, the changes that have been made on the chosen standard so it could fit perfectly on brazilian Stock Cars are minimal. Only a few adaptations were necessary. The new gearbox is ready and might start being produced on a larger scale for final testing.

Developed five years ago, the unit has since been used on four American championships organized by Grand AM. The results improve day by day and, the new gearbox, used by 100 cars on races that can last up to 24 hours, is considered the world’s best in it’s range.

Another important fact that Digby lays great emphasis on is that the new part offers, besides the mechanical quality, a good price. “To reduce the cost of the gearbox we started to produce them on a larger scale. It’s an adaptable gearbox and can be used in a variety of cars. By enlarging the production we can reduce our costs. All this without damaging the quality, of course”, he explains.

When asked about the advantages of the Xtrac product over the ones that have been used on Stock Car, the England born engineer answered with the best of British discretion, “We like to say you fit it and forget it. It is completely reliable, with a very low probability of breaking. It was tested on races that last a whole day, and nothing is worst than to be almost winning until the gearbox breaks. Now this risk is being reduced”, he concludes.