A leap into the unknown - that's what faces Frank Wrathall and the Zircotec supported Dynojet team this coming weekend when they tackle Thruxton, the fastest circuit on the calendar and venue for the 3rd meeting of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season. Last year Thruxton was swamped by rain for much of the BTCC weekend and, though Wrathall made the best of the conditions, he didn't learn a lot about the Hampshire circuit. Frank commented "I'm not sure what to expect from Thruxton, to be honest. It will be a bit of an unknown for most people because the only time it was dry there last year was right at the end of qualifying. I think there's a lot to learn about the tyres; it will be interesting, but at least most people are in the same boat."

During the all-too-brief dry interlude at Thruxton last year Frank was on track at the right time and on the right sort of Dunlop tyre; he qualified his Dynojet Toyota third on the grid. In the races he found the Avensis perfectly matched to the wet conditions, recording fifth place in the opening race of the day, fourth place in race two and then a brilliant third, holding off Jason Plato, in the finale.

Last time out, at Donington, Frank endured a trying weekend of car problems, including a turbo boost issue which blunted his pace. He is hoping for better at Thruxton: "I think we've got to the bottom of our engine problems; we will be giving it a run on the dyno before the meeting, and hopefully it will back to full health. We had good pace at Thruxton last year and the Toyota has felt absolutely mega so far this season. We just need everything to come together, a bit of luck on our side, and I am sure the results will flow."

Frank holds 11th place overall in the BTCC drivers championship and is seventh in the Independents Trophy. Dynojet Racing is eighth among the teams and ninth in the Independent Teams Trophy.

Racefile:
Saturday 4 May 2013: practice at 10.00 & 12.40, qualifying 15.25
Sunday 5 May 2013: pit lane walkabout 09.45; race 1 12.00, race 2 14.30, race 3 17.15

Circuit details: www.thruxtonracing.co.uk
Watch: qualifying live on itv.com/btcc; races live on ITV4, ITV4HD & web

Zircotec supported JMW Motorsport took 4th place in the opening round of the European Le Mans Series at Silverstone, driving a Ferrari F458.

The Silverstone outing was shorter than planned when the race was red flagged half-an-hour to the end because of the heavy rain and poor visibility. The team were undoubtedly heading higher having already done their last stop during a safety-car period, contrarily to the three leading cars, so they were probably heading for a top two position. The real winner however was the rain!  

The JMW car is fitted with ZircoFlex heatshield materials along with a Zircotec ceramic coating on its exhaust system. 

Zircotec and Team Dynojet have announced the renewal of their technical partnership for the 2013 Season.

Following two successful years, Zircotec and BTCC Team Dynojet are to continue their technical partnership. Team Dynojet's Toyota Avensis, driven by Frank Wrathall, uses a range of Zircotec's products, ultimately offering gains in performance, reliability and safety. "We started to use Zircotec's exhaust coatings as a way of solving reliability issues," says Frank Wrathall Snr. "However, we realised that it offered much more. Under bonnet temperatures were reduced, thus lowering the charge temperature, resulting in more power. This was coupled to improved turbo response. We could also cut the cockpit temperatures, making it more comfortable for the driver."

As part of the partnership agreement, Team Dynojet provides valuable feedback to Zircotec's technicians on development parts and provides a useful test bed for new products.

Team Principle Frank Wrathall Snr. and the driver, Frank Wrathall Jnr. were caught on video discussing Zircotec and its products at the recent Autosport International Show. Watch the interview>

"The advantages of these coatings are astounding," writes Gemma Hatton, explaining how Zircotec coatings can be fitted and forgotten about as the thermal insulation benefits are almost instantaneous and the durable nature of our coatings means they require little or no maintenance. Hatton also details how Zircotec products such as the ZircoFlex® heatshields, reduce temperatures in both the engine bay and cockpit; she then explains the advantages this delivers for driver concentration, component lifespan and engine performance and reliability. Over the past year Zircotec has enjoyed strong partnerships with both race teams and OEMs, which Racecar Engineering covers in its feature.

The article explains how our ThermoHold® for composites coatings were used in the development of Aston Martin's One-77, along with detailing JMW Motorsport's use of ZircoFlex® on the teams' Ferrari GTE 458. If you would like to read the full feature along with other interesting developments in motorsport technology then simply pick up the April issue of Racecar Engineering.

While Zircotec's thermal products continue to find extensive applications in the world of motorsport and supercar development, our products are also available for less extreme vehicles. Zircotec coatings and heat shields can benefit amateur and enthusiast race teams, classic car owners, car modders and manufactures who wish to solve any underlying heat issues and optimise thermal management to gain benefits in vehicle performance.

With Aston Martin's approval, we can now discuss how Zircotec's carbon composite coatings help to manage heat on the One-77 Supercar.

The One-77 combines advanced technology with stunning Aston Martin sportscar design to create possibly the world's most desirable automotive art form. Based on a highly sophisticated carbon-fibre One-77 chassis with a hand-crafted aluminium body, this 7.3 litre V12 - 750 bhp (760 PS, 559 kw) supercar will deliver exhilarating performance for a strictly limited number of discerning Aston Martin customers.

Our ThermoHold^® for composites material is applied to the car's diffuser; engine air intakes; and engine compartment chimneys; enabling Aston Martin's designers to specify lightweight and aesthetic materials for these high temperature environments. Carbon composite materials are generally unsuited for use in such high temperature regions and traditionally this leads to vehicle makers opting for more conservative materials that add weight. Alternatively they rely on bulky heatshields that ultimately blunt performance. Our discreet ceramic coating protects the One-77 composite components and in the case of the diffuser, enables exhaust gases to pass over the carbon composite surfaces.

Zircotec's coating not only protects the One-77 composite induction system from heat but also ensures that the air intake temperature is lower. Moreover, a decrease in this temperature creates a denser charge and is a feature relied upon by many of our motorsport teams.

Our coating process utilises a modified gas plasma flame running at 12,000°C to apply our proprietary ThermoHold^® based ceramic coating. The coating is a true enabling technology, and with patents pending, this coating is expected to find numerous applications within the automotive and aerospace industries.

Follow the link to view the full press release on the Aston Martin One-77.

Motortrades Insight Magazine features Zircotec and its recent launch of ZircoFlex^® GOLD and ThermoHold^® GOLD (for Composites).

Follow this link to view the article.