ZF Sachs “Official Supplier” for BMW team

Munich/Hinwil – The BMW Sauber F1 Team is intensifying its collaboration with ZF Sachs AG, which becomes an Official Supplier to the team as of 2007. The two partners are no strangers. In 2006 the BMW Sauber F1 Team was already racing with shock absorbers supplied by the company based in the Bavarian town of Schweinfurt. Furthermore, there has been a longstanding collaboration on the BMW production car front, while ZF Sachs has also been involved in the Formula BMW junior talent program for some time.

BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen comments: "Sachs is a dependable technology partner that meets the highest standards. We now both want to make use of this positive, evolved association for communication purposes as well."

Olaf Schwaier, Managing Director of ZF Sachs Race Engineering GmbH, emphasizes: "ZF Sachs and BMW are linked by many years of partnership in the field of production cars as well as motor sport. As an official supplier of advanced rotary damper technology, we now aim to do our bit to ensure that the BMW Sauber F1 Team is successful out on track during the coming season as well."

ZF Sachs Race Engineering, the motor sport subsidiary of ZF Sachs, supplies the BMW Sauber F1 Team with conventional shock absorbers for the front axle and rotary dampers for the rear axle of the race car. Based on this principle, the components simultaneously act as damper and rocker for the pushrods, which are supported by the springs. Key advantages of this rotary damping technology are savings in space and weight. Also, overall frictional losses in the damper system are reduced since there are fewer moving parts. This has a positive impact on response and therefore handling as well.