Untitled - VB-Airsuspension

Right up to the limit
The Dakar Rally – the toughest test of them all for both
human and machine
Ready for a cool dip: The desert trail is dusty and
sweat-inducing and requires absolute driving skill
42_ Te c hn ol o g y an d t r e n d s
S
earing heat during the day, icy temperatures at night, craggy mountains, soft
dunes and winding jungle trails with
steep, rocky descents. Contestants in the Dakar
Rally have to battle their way though an array of
tough conditions. By truck, car, quad or motorbike, the greatest off-road race in the world is
the ultimate endurance test for competitors
every year.
success was attributable first and foremost to his
technical expertise. As a development engineer
with WP Suspension, a chassis developer and
producer of world renown, Iginio Voorhorst had
become fascinated by his field of work. The technical expertise he acquired during his time with
the company came in handy when he was setting
up his car for the Dakar Rally and working to optimise its performance.
In the early days, the Paris-Dakar long-distance
race started in the French capital and went half
way across the world to finish in Senegal’s main
city, Dakar, just as its name suggests. The route
came to represent a bridge between two very different worlds, as envisioned by the race’s founder
Thierry Sabine.
Genuine all-round talents
Since that time he has been putting his heart and
soul into sponsoring and supporting “his own”
teams at the Dakar Rally every year. His commitment stems not only from his passion for racing:
“VB-Airsuspension develops and produces air
spring systems for chassis in lightweight vehicles
In 2009 the rally relocated to South America. Last
year’s contest took competitors 9,000 kilometres
straight across Argentina, Bolivia and Chile in 13
days. The annual test of endurance is usually interrupted by just a single day of rest, which tends to
be scheduled somewhere around the middle of
the contest. The remainder of the time is spent on
the move, covering as much as 1,200 kilometres
a day and reaching top speeds in excess of 180
kilometres an hour.
Iginio Voorhorst – Developer and adventurer
Incredible as it may seem, it’s not only race-pros
like top driver and eleven-times Dakar Rally winner
Stéphane Peterhansel who subject themselves to
the rigours of the competition. Less experienced
works pilots and even privateers dare to embark
on the adventure as well.
One of them is Iginio Voorhorst, founder and
director of chassis specialist VB-Airsuspension
and a long-standing ContiTech customer. When
the automotive engineer joined the Dakar for cars
in 2009, his boyhood dream came true. Without
a doubt, the experience of his two-year roundthe-world trip in a 4x4 in 1991 and 1992 was a
great advantage to him. Ultimately, however, his
their air suspension GINAF trucks. Purpose-built
for off-road racing, these incorporate the kind of
advantageous, progressive technology that is permitted in the Dakar Rally for trucks.
In Iginio Voorhort’s experience, air suspensions
deliver a definite competitive advantage. Compared with conventional systems, such as steel
springs, they respond considerably more gently,
enhancing the vehicle’s road contact. They also
compensate for uneven road surfaces by smoothing the effects of stones and potholes more sensitively than conventional systems. As well as
offering added protection for both the vehicle and
its delicate equipment, air suspensions reduce
the physical strain on drivers. Being less shaken
about, they can concentrate more fully on the
“road” and use their reserves to stay focused over
longer distances and at higher speeds.
“The physical principles of the rolling lobe air
suspension are fundamental to the advantages it
offers when it’s used in a vehicle with air springs.
Its progressive spring characteristics allow us to
reconcile the high levels of comfort arising from
gentle responses with extreme sag-resistance –
because as a spring is compressed, it hardens
consistently,” explains Marc Leinemann, project
engineer with the Air Spring Systems OEM business unit.
that are used for commercial or private purposes –
ambulances and campervans, for instance. Air
springs are vehicle components that perform
invisibly. They work away on the underside of the
car, where they are normally totally unseen by
customers. But in a rally like Le Dakar their abilities really come to the fore. There’s visible evidence of what they can do,” explains the 48-yearold. Because air suspensions are not allowed in
the Dakar Rally for cars, Voorhorst’s teams fielded
Another advantage of the system is that it can
be regulated. Air springs are height-adjustable,
so ground clearance can be varied. This can be
of benefit to the driver when a vehicle becomes
stuck, for example. “It saves a lot of time which
you would otherwise spend shovelling away the
sand,” says Voorhorst. “Even to me,” he adds,
“the dimensions of these strengths, which work
to huge advantage, came as a complete surprise.
I find them utterly convincing!”
Trusting partnership
VB-Airsuspension has been a ContiTech customer
for seven years. The Air Spring Systems busi- >>
2014 saw the 35th Dakar Rally take place. Each year
2.2 million spectators show their support for the daredevil
­drivers – with cheers and action along the route
4 4_ Te c hn ol o g y an d t r e n d s
The VB-Airsuspension team
mastered the rally with confidence
and was able to celebrate a very
personal success
ness unit supplies the sleeve-type rolling lobe air
springs Iginio Voorhorst needs to keep his daily
business ticking over. The components are primarily used in passenger and goods transportation.
Even though air suspensions are traditionally
found in the chassis constructions of heavy-duty
commercial vehicles, other vehicle segments
also harbour growing potential for additional
applications.
“Demand for air suspensions in lighter commercial vehicles is growing all the time,” reports
Meike Zettel-Sümnick, Sales Manager for Europe
with ContiTech Air Spring Systems. So far they
have been the preserve of top-of-the-range cars
as they are still considered a high-tech product.
But air springs are, in fact, extremely versatile.
They offer a smoother, more comfortable ride and
variable vehicle heights in trucks. Moreover, in
long-distance off-road racing like the Dakar Rally
they have a distinct competitive advantage.
With this broad range of possible applications
in mind, ContiTech Air Spring Systems has specialised in the development and production of
air springs for an extensive spectrum of vehicle
classes. It produces them to customers’ specifications, always keeping in mind the specific requirements of the climate and road conditions they will
be used in.
“Good material combinations, optimised compounds that suit the system’s final application and
the highest quality are what makes ContiTech air
springs special,” comments Paul Neumüller, Key
Account Manager with Air Spring Systems OEM.
Conical rolling lobe air springs for fast repairs
The truth of what he says is confirmed by those
who use them, especially in tough conditions:
As a sponsor of the VB-Airsuspension teams in
the Dakar Rally 2014, ContiTech Air Spring Systems provided rolling lobe air springs for their air
suspensions.
Originally designed as standard for use in the
chassis of heavy-duty commercial vehicles,
the springs are “produced in such high quality
that they can withstand even the most extreme
stresses and strains of a desert rally,” Voorhorst
explains. “That makes them ideal for Dakar.”
Out on the rally their advantages are apparent not
only en route but also during a breakdown – which
is why special conical rolling lobe air springs are
used in the Dakar competition. Compared with
conventional spring-based damping systems,
they are much quicker to replace and so save significant amounts of time. Given that chassis components are regularly replaced as a precaution
during the race, speed of repairs is an important
factor for success.
Many competitors in the Dakar Rally embark on
the adventure without a team of mechanics, meaning they themselves are responsible for maintaining their vehicles. This puts them under additional
pressure, as the lack of time often leaves them
unable to carry out repairs with any frequency
or indeed at all. After a hard day’s racing, they
are likely reach their destination in the middle of
the night, with just a few hours to prepare their
vehicle and themselves and catch up on some
sleep. Faster repairs quite simply save them a lot
of stress. Instead they can invest their strength
in overcoming the unexpected challenges of the
next day’s racing.
With these innovative technologies and solutions,
ContiTech and its customer VB-Airsuspension are
making a major contribution to the safety and success of drivers in what’s probably the most exciting rally in the world: Le Dakar.
And one thing is for sure: Ultimately, victory will
come to those who are best-prepared and bestequipped. The rest is down to luck.
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Contact:
Marc Leinemann, [email protected]
Paul Neumüller, [email protected]
Meike Zettel-Sümnick, [email protected]