Shepheard and his co driver John McCarthy have campaigned the SACHS Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X using Sachs shock absorbers and clutch throughout this year’s Australian Rally Championship after completing a torturous final round of the series in Victoria where the Queensland driver was sixth outright in a rally shortened by a torrential summer downpour.
Shepheard piloted the SACHS Rally Team Mitsubishi across the vast range of terrain and conditions in this year’s ARC, from the smooth tarmac of Tasmania to the rough forestry roads in the hills of the Sunshine Coast hinterland and the heat and dust of Coffs Harbour underlining the performance and reliability of the Sachs competition shock absorbers and competition clutches.
Steven Shepheard says it is great that ZF (through its SACHS brand of shock absorbers and clutches) has signed on with the team to continue its support in 2011.
“We have been absolutely rapt with the performance of the car this year and the support of ZF has helped lift us to a better result in this year’s ARC,” said Steven Shepheard.
“When you have six rounds spread across such a wide range of terrain and conditions you have to have shock absorbers that not only perform but which are also reliable and dependable and that is exactly what SACHS represents,” he said.
“The ARC is a very tough championship and our team has gained a lot of experience through the various rounds,” he added.
The SACHS Rally Team impressive results in 2010 and the professional approach it takes to the sport convinced ZF Services Australia to continue its backing in 2011.
According to ZF Services Australia marketing manager Lars Mehlan the GSA Team not only offered the company a great marketing and sponsorship opportunity but also delivers a huge amount of technical and testing feedback.
“The SACHS Rally Team has an enormous amount of experience over many years especially with Steven’s father George Shepheard who has been involved in motorsports for decades,” said Lars Mehlan.
“The feedback that Steven and the team can deliver with the knowledge and expertise of George and (Steven’s brother and team manager) Reg is a valuable asset for SACHS brand in Australia and we are really pleased to have them on board again in 2011,” he added.
The highlight of the year for Steven and the SACHS Rally team was his podium finish in the Rally of South Australia, which was the first time the team had finished on the victory dais in an ARC rally.
ZF Services Australia services the Australian market, distributing Sachs products to the industry, along with advice and information to the Australian market.
With its modular Sachs Racing Clutch System (RCS), ZF Sachs Race Engineering offers a high degree of variability for racing clutches. The system can be configured to provide individual solutions for specific vehicles and tracks.
Globally, sponsor ZF has a strong pedigree in motorsport through its ZF Sachs Race Engineering arm. Its engineers have been partners with a number of leading Formula One including Ferrari and Mercedes GP, as well as with the dominant Audi R15 team at Le Mans, the VW Dakar Rally Team and the all conquering TeamVodafone in Australian V8 Supercar Racing.
This vital work in these ultimate motor sport categories yields direct expertise that filters through to the ZF SACHS road products as specified by Original Equioment Manufacturers in Europe, Asia and Australia.
The focus for ZF Sachs Race Engineering with its racing clutches has been on ensuring low weight and moment of inertia, in order to attain maximum engine acceleration and shorter shift times. This is achieved with the help of smaller clutch diameters and selected materials.
ZF Services Australia services the Australian market distributing SACHS replacement products to the industry for both passenger and commercial vehicles.
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