Photo courtesy of JustRacing.com

For: Immediate Release     Date: December 09, 2005    Contact: Dan Barnes

December 9, 2005—Torrance, California USA –StopTech Balanced Brake Upgrades® provide an essential piece of the puzzle for top racers in the most challenging production-car events. StopTech-equipped cars led and finished on the podium at the National Auto Sport Association 25 Hours of Thunderhill race, which ran from 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 3, through 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 4 at the Northern California track.

SSF Imported Autoparts 1995 BMW M3 Lightweight

Keeping on keeping on is nothing new for Hans Kopecky’s veteran racecar, which has been a fixture in BMW events for several seasons. Equipped with a front-axle, 332 x 32mm StopTech Balanced Brake Upgrade, the SSF Imported Autoparts M3 was originally classed in E0, but was fast enough early on to be bumped into ES, the “no rules” class, after the race started. A well-developed machine, the car circulated Thunderhill without significant problems and finished second overall and second in class. Even without brake ducting, the first set of Pagid 4-4 pads lasted 19 ½ hours before requiring replacement. The only spare pads the team had were intended for street use, but held up admirably as the team hammered on them for the final 5 ½ hours.

ART/ESX/C&D/TC Design/JustRacing.com 2005 Subaru WRX STI

The ART/ESX/C&D/TC Design/JustRacing.com 2005 Subaru WRX STI finished third overall and third in ES class, an auspicious debut for the first professionally-entered STI in North American road racing. Weighing in at more than 3000 lbs with fuel and driver, the conservatively-tuned Subaru completed pre-event testing, practice, qualifying and 25 hours of racing on one set of StopTech AeroRotors®.

A heavier, more powerful car on narrower, less-aggressive tires than the SSF BMW, and also without brake ducting, the Subaru experienced a higher rate of pad wear, requiring three changes of the Pagid front pads over the course of the race. Said team manager and crew chief Marshall Pruett, “There were no problems with the rotors, they were perfect.”

The Subaru encountered no major problems and circulated the track with consistency, Car and Driver Editor-in-Chief Csaba Csere among those sharing driving duties. Lead driver Gary Sheehan commented, “I thought the brakes were good in the beginning. When I got in for my last stint, they felt the same. They were amazingly consistent…[They] would stop the car at the limit of the tires every time.”

Mindover Motorsports 1998 Porsche 911

The Mindover Motorsports 1998 Porsche 911 also ran a four-wheel StopTech Balanced Brake Upgrade, qualifying second only to a fast but fragile Toyota Spec Racer that dropped out of the race early on. Driver Randy Pobst said, “I loved the StopTech brakes, the quick response, the long-lasting firm pedal.”

“Oh, my gosh, could we outbrake people,” Pobst continued. “The StopTechs really let us take advantage of the Yokohama slicks. These brakes are a distinct improvement over stock. I don’t know how they could have been any better.”

Driver Craig Stanton offered similar praise, saying the StopTech Balanced Brake Upgrade is “out of the box, one of the best brake systems I’ve ever used. I’d be happy to run a StopTech system any time.”

The Mindover Motorsports Porsche inherited the lead late in the evening and showed a dominant performance until about 6:00 a.m., when the transmission stuck in fifth gear. Pobst was driving at the time and continued circulating the course, taking advantage of the Porsche’s broad torque, good brakes and tires. “We were still the fastest car on the track, but about 8 seconds down from our previous pace.”

Repairs were attempted, but failure to correct the problem led to a decision to retire. With effective cooling ducts, Randy said the brakes had held up admirably. The car’s first set of pads were still in place and “looked like we could have gone the whole way.”

Photo courtesy of Tobias Kösters

Bullet Performance 1995 BMW M3

The Bullet Performance 1995 BMW M3 used a StopTech 332 x 32mm Balanced Brake Upgrade on the front, paired with stock rear calipers. A valve broke at 10:30 p.m., and the car lost two hours while the cylinder head on the 3.2-liter straight six was replaced. All brake pads were replaced during the time in the pits, and the car rejoined in 40th position, 60 laps down. With a consistent strategy, Bullet Performance worked its way back up through the pack to finish 16th overall and 2nd in its E0 class, with no more attention paid to the brakes.

Bullet Motorsports Speedlab/HKS 2000 BMW 325i

The Bullet Motorsports Speedlab/HKS BMW used a four-wheel StopTech Balanced Brake Upgrade and showed good speed, but struggled with drivetrain challenges, first replacing the differential only to have the engine let go later in the race.

StopTech Brakes for Your Car

By partnering with race teams such as these, StopTech continues to demonstrate the performance advantage of its Balanced Brake Upgrade concept, along with the durability of its components under the harshest use. Unlike many racing components, the exact same two-piece AeroRotor discs and six-, four- and two-piston calipers used by these successful racers are included in the Balanced Brake Upgrades StopTech engineers for street and track day cars. Located in Torrance, California, Stoptech LLC is the leader in Balanced Brake Upgrades for production cars and has three patents in basic brake technology and one other pending. With a worldwide network of resellers, StopTech’s product line includes Balanced Brake Upgrades for approximately 450 applications, two-piece Direct Replacement AeroRotor Kits, braided stainless-steel brake lines and slotted and drilled original-dimension rotors. StopTech also stocks a wide range of performance brake pads. The company’s website, www.stoptech.com, is a clearinghouse of performance brake information, and provides details on StopTech products.

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For more information contact Dan Barnes at (310) 325-4799 or by email at dbarnes@stoptech.com.