Performance
Coilover
-PSG
Racing Damper
System
-RDS
Formula Student
Racing Clutch
System
-RCS
ZF SACHS Motorsport History
ZF components and systems contribute to the success of Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher and rally legend Walter Röhrl, at Le Mans and in the Paris-Dakar Rally, in Grand Prix cars and heavy-duty racing trucks and in many more motorsports events.
As one of the worldwide leading suppliers of the automotive industry, ZF Friedrichshafen AG is also committed to motorsports. The ZF Race Engineering subsidiary develops, produces, and distributes ZF core products in the field of driveline and chassis technology particularly for race car applications. From Formula 1, WRC, and DTM to amateur race series and tuning vehicles, renowned motorsports teams rely on innovative technology and first-class service by ZF. Spectacular sports successes document the technical competence and reliability of ZF products along the lines of: The best for the best.
The roots of ZF in motorsports reach all the way back to the beginnings of automotive history. Even in the early days of Grand Prix racing, the best teams banked on the products from ZF. In 1998, ZF pooled its motorsports expertise in a separate, spun-off company.
Approximately 85 employees work at ZF Race Engineering GbmH in Schweinfurt and deal exclusively with motorsports issues. Operating on an international level, ZF Race Engineering develops, designs, produces, and distributes motorsports clutches and shock absorbers for top-class sports and national racing series as well as for renowned automotive manufacturers, tuners, and specialist vehicle retailers.
In 2013, ZF Race Engineering GmbH is celebrating its 15th anniversary.
Success is our Sports: Winning is the Goal
Be it Formula 1 or 24 Hours of Le Mans, DTM or European Truck Racing Championship and further international racing series like Super GT or V8 Supercars, ZF’s shock absorbers and clutches contribute to achieving the decisive head start. We congratulate the teams supported by us on their outstanding successes.
Formula 1
In the royal league of motorsports, the racing cars of Scuderia Ferrari – the most successful team in Formula 1 history – as well as the vehicles of Sauber, Ferrari, Lotus and Toro Rosso drive with shock absorbers and clutches from ZF.
DTM
In the past, ZF Race Engineering already contributed to many individual DTM race victories and title victories as highly sought-after supplier. In the most popular, international touring car racing series, the three premium manufacturers Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz have relied on clutch systems by ZF. Their characteristics are: high-quality materials, great reliability, extensive durability. In the 2013 season, ZF’s partner BMW won the manufacturer ranking, followed by Audi. Mercedes-Benz was ranked third. Mike Rockenfeller from the Audi team won the driver’s ranking as DTM champion.
WEC/24 Hours of Le Mans
The three Audi R18 e-tron Quattro, each equipped with a clutch and steering system from ZF, crossed the finish line in the first three places. The two vehicles of ZF technology partner Toyota Racing drove to places four and five and completed the impressive overall results for ZF. 14 times in the last 15 years the overall winner used ZF products.
ZF motorsports developments
ZF is an innovation-driven company that develops volume production-ready products based on its own research and development efforts and thus invests in the future in a targeted way. This also applies to motorsports. ZF Race Engineering’s development objectives for all product segments encompass installation space optimization, weight reduction, and performance enhancement. We distinguish ourselves from our competitors thanks to OE standards, FMEA, project transfer and process management, and the know-how from ZF Friedrichshafen AG’s volume production.
In the product design process we use FEM, and for verification we use the latest generation of test equipment (including MTS linear pulser, rotational test bench and test machines for determining characteristic curves). Simulation of operating loads on the chassis are performed using the four-column testing rig at the ZF Engineering Center in Schweinfurt.