Dallara
Producer of the chassis used by Hitech GP, Dallara is the most successful manufacturer in the history of Formula 3.
Dallara Automobili da Competizione was founded in Parma in 1972 by its current president, Gian Paolo Dallara. After working for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso, he wanted to pursue the dream of working in the world of racing cars.
Successes in Formula 3 – first in Italy and then throughout the world – plus acclaim in America with IndyCar, together with a continued focus on innovation have led to the company being regarded as one of the most important players in motorsport worldwide. Today, Dallara specialises in designing, manufacturing and development of racing cars while striving for the highest standards of quality, performance, safety, and customer support. It also provides consultancy services for major manufacturers.
Innovative techniques that are synonymous with Dallara include use of carbon fibre composite materials; aerodynamics using wind tunnel testing and CFD; vehicle dynamics through simulations and testing; plus fast and flexible production of high quality prototypes.
Every weekend some 300 Dallara cars run on tracks around the world in various formulas. The company is present in all Formula 3 championships. It is also the sole supplier of cars in the IndyCar championship, Indy Lights, GP2, GP3, World Series 3.5 by Renault and Super Formula. Dallara builds cars for instructional leagues such as the Formulino, for the Formula E championship and participates in the USCC.
In recent years the company’s engineering activities have expanded, both for racing cars and for high-performance road cars. The consultancy services offered by Dallara are used by many of the world’s leading car makers, including: Alfa Romeo, Audi, Bugatti, Ferrari, KTM, Lamborghini, Maserati.
From 2007, Gian Paolo Dallara was joined by Andrea Pontremoli, who after leaving his role as president and CEO of IBM Italy assumed the position of Dallara CEO, with the aim of cultivating innovative strategies for the development of the factory in Parma.
2012 saw the opening of Dallara IndyCar Factory, an engineering centre in Indianapolis. A hub for research and development, it’s driven by the concept of ‘Edutainment’ that drives a passion for technology and innovation through fun, exciting experience.
Dallara in Formula 3
Formula 3 is the most successful racing series in the world. With its numerous European, American, Asian and Australian championships, it’s considered as the leading school for professional drivers. This category has produced many talented drivers who have gone on to win Formula 1, Sport and IndyCar series, including Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Will Power.
Success on the track happened quickly for Dallara. After its debut in 1978, and the first Italian championship in 1980, a fierce battle broke out with the French and English rivals for the international market, until the Dallara F393 – with its competitive level of aerodynamics and the introduction of the single-fronted shock absorber that’s still used today – has ensured that about 90% of the F3 cars in the world are by Dallara.
The FIA obliges a 4-year regulatory stability to contain the annual operating costs for the teams. In the years when a new car was being requested, the production peaks stood at more than 80 cars, exceeding 150 over the following three years.
Dallara has a network of technical support and spare parts for all races and test sessions. The company offers clients a wide range of consulting services at its Varano factory.
HWA
HWA supplies HitechGP with the Mercedes-Benz Formula 3 engine that powers its drivers towards the chequered flag.
HWA AG was founded in 1998 as a spin-off from AMG, which was established in 1967 by Hans Werner Aufrecht. HWA AG was established as the Mercedes Benz customisation specialist.
Towards the end of 1998 Aufrecht sold a majority interest in AMG Motorenbau und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, as it then was, to DaimlerChrysler AG. In the process of disposal, motor racing – what is today the AMG-Mercedes Team in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) – and parts of the customised vehicles construction business were spun off and transferred to HWA AG.
The vehicles and vehicle components business develops and builds sports cars for Daimler AG and Mercedes-AMG GmbH. In addition to its DTM racing team, since 2003 HWA has developed, manufactured and serviced racing engines for the Formula 3 European Championship and the British Formula 3 Series.
Mercedes-Benz in Formula 3
The first Mercedes-Benz Formula 3 engine, named M271, was developed from the production engine of the C-Class and E-Class. The engine made its debut in the opening race of the 2002 German Formula 3 Championship at Hockenheim. Markus Winkelhock, who later became a DTM and Formula 1 driver, claimed the first victory for the Formula 3 engine at the Nürburgring in 2002. Between 2003 and 2012, drivers with Mercedes-Benz engines won seven out of nine possible drivers’ titles in the Formula 3 Euro Series. The FIA Formula 3 Championship has been contested since 2013. So far, the title has gone to drivers and teams powered by Mercedes.
The Mercedes-Benz F3 414 is based on fundamentally new engine regulations for the 2014 season that no longer prescribe the use of an engine from a production model. The F3 414 is a thoroughbred racing engine with four cylinders, a maximum capacity of two litres and direct injection. Under FIA regulations, the air restrictor has been increased in size from 26 to 28 mm, resulting in higher output: The Mercedes-Benz Formula 3 engine now develops well over 200bhp. Like its predecessor, the unit was developed by Mercedes-Benz motorsport partner HWA AG.
Nurturing young talent
Mercedes-Benz has a long tradition of developing young racing talent. During their time in Formula 3, a number of drivers, including reigning Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton (MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS), four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and the youngest winner of a race in DTM history, Pascal Wehrlein, all utilised Mercedes-Benz engines. Austrian Lucas Auer is the 17th driver to move up into the DTM after competing in Formula 3 in a car powered by a Mercedes engine. New opportunities for nurturing young drivers in a systematic manner have now opened up in the AMG Customer Sports Programme since its successful introduction. The best illustration of this is the switch that Maximilian Götz has made from the gullwing race model to the Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM.
Brembo
With Formula 3 regulations allowing teams to choose their brake supplier, this is a crucial area of car development.
For more than 30 years, Brembo Racing braking systems have helped the most successful teams in motorsport win the world’s most prestigious races.
Brembo offers a comprehensive range of products dedicated exclusively to motorsports and designed to deliver the best in the most extreme conditions: consistent performance, superior braking power, precision and control, and resistance to very high temperatures. All Brembo products for racing applications are the result of ongoing research and development in collaboration with the world’s most prestigious teams, and of a manufacturing process conducted entirely in-house, from design and machining to bench and track testing.
Brake pads
In the motoring world Brembo is known for its exceptional discs and calipers. For several years Brembo has also manufactured brake pads that guarantee extremely high performance. They are organic pads, also ceramic-based, available in four different compounds: RB 170, RB 340, RB 350 and RB 330. Each offers superior characteristics to meet the needs of any competition driver or rider, from sprint races to endurance challenges.
Discs
High performance that’s always certain
For more than 40 years Brembo has been fitting cars managed by the most prestigious teams in major motorsport competitions with their discs. The end result: hundreds of World Championships won.
Drawing on this DNA, from extremely high precision machining and incredibly rigorous quality control, Brembo offers an extraordinarily wide range of discs due to various ventilation solutions, slotting and fastenings.
The choice of slotting can have an impact on vehicle performance. For this reason, depending on the application, Brembo has come up with various patterns for machining brake discs. By crossing slotting, ventilation and fastening (with pawls or teeth), an infinite number of combinations is available – ideal for the development of new braking systems.
Calipers
A wide, customisable range
Ever since 1975, when Enzo Ferrari chose to have Brembo brakes fitted on his single-seater race cars, Brembo has been developing and fine tuning ever-higher performance braking systems.
Brembo brake calipers provide limitless possibilities for personalising the braking system on the vehicle being outfitted: Forged or billet machined; with two, four or six pistons; and fitted with a fixed or mobile bridge.
Brembo offers an extremely wide range of solutions, covering the specific needs of all major competitions including NASCAR, Prototypes, GT, Formula 3, Endurance and Rally.
Fluids and pedals
Details that make all the difference
For perfect operation of its braking systems Brembo offers two different brake fluids designed specifically for the racing world.
LCF fluid, DOT approved (Super-dot 4), suitable both for the track and the road, is a basic fluid with excellent characteristics. HTC fluid is not intended for road use, and is suitable only for the track. Designed for extremely high performance vehicles, this brake fluid represents the pinnacle of fluids available on the market today.
Another accessory Brembo offers is the racing foot pedal unit, a brand new accessory created for competition vehicles. Billet machined, this foot pedal unit is suited for competitions that demand top performance.
This unit is customisable to meet the needs of any driver. Both the brake/clutch unit and the accelerator have fully adjustable pedals and plates, while the master cylinders – all push type – are available in various diameters and versions.
Master Cylinders
Enduring performance
All Brembo brake master cylinders are made with cutting-edge procedures, using extremely high precision internal machining that guarantees excellent performance and long life. Forged or billet machined, these master cylinders are the top of the line available today in the racing sector.
A clear advantage of Brembo brake master cylinders lies in the lost travel adjusted at the factory. In addition, all Brembo master cylinders can be serviced, making the life of the master cylinder virtually infinite.
