The SKF name has become synonymous with motorsport through the provision of a turn-key sponsorship that involves products, technical advice and specialised service.
SKF has been a proud sponsor of Toyota Motorsport since 2010. "We decided to sponsor Toyota Motorsport following a mutually beneficial thirteen year relationship with Hallspeed and Nissan Motorsport", says SKF's Gary Czapski , Manager - Automotive Division.
Toyota Motorsport Team Principal, Glyn Hall, says he has been working closely with SKF for over fifteen years. "Our first association dates back to when I was with the Volkswagen Dealer team. The relationship continued when I joined Nissan and now at Toyota Motorsport, where we participate in the non-circuit race disciplines of off-road and rally - conditions which put vehicles under extreme pressure".
Toyota Motorsport had a dream 2011/2012 Argentina, Chile, Peru Dakar with three locally developed Toyota Hilux vehicles finishing in the top ten; Giniel De Villiers /
Dirk von Zitzewitz in the number 301 Hilux in third place, the team Overdrive entered South African Hilux with Lucio Ezequiel Alvarez / Bernardo Rolando Graue finishing 5th and Duncan Vos / Rob Howie in the number 313 Hilux 10th overall.
According to Hall, Giniel and Duncan experienced zero mechanical problems during the Dakar.
"These results are even more impressive when one takes into consideration that this is the longest, toughest and most gruelling motor race in the world. Dakar is the peak of motor durability and puts unbelievable strain on components".
Turning his attention to the local scene, Hall says they participate in two good championships: "ABSA off road with our two Dakar Toyota Hiluxes and the rally championship with Toyota Auris teams Leroy Poulter / Elvene Coetzee and Johnny Gemmel / Carolyn Swann. "We are currently developing a new Yaris for rally purposes. "We are there to win and we are in all the top classes where all the action is in both disciplines. If we start as strongly as we finished the 2011 rally season with a win in the last rally, we can expect a very successful 2012 season", comments a confident Hall.
"We simply have to have the best when it comes to motorsport conditions. There is no room for second best. There are three criteria for winning races; reliability, speed and a good driver and co-driver. This is why every bearing that we can use on a car is either SKF or Original Equipment. We use approximately 30 or 40 SKF items on our vehicles including differential, gearbox and suspension bearings and even down to the simplest gear shifter bearings. SKF also supplies lip seals and O-rings, grease and lubrication. Bearings have to have the right environment to function successfully - bearings can fail as a result of an inferior seal that allows water, mud or dust ingress. SKF offers us the total solution to control and keep the bearing environment clean for optimum bearing functionality. We have product quality and reliability and that is what we win with."
"It takes a massive investment to compete and failure of one cheap inferior part can put an end to a race and millions of Rands are down the drain". SKF bearings ran the entire race but Hall also points out that the quality and durability of a product is determined by correct installation, assembly and maintenance.
"Even the best product can fail if these are not carried out correctly". Hall spends time to keep his technicians updated. "Our people are trained on site and SKF application engineers are called in to address specialised problems. We believe in keeping things simple. Success is determined by attending to the last absolute detail".
SKF, as a knowledge engineering company, focuses on five core technologies. "The wide range of products and services we supply to Toyota Motorsport are found in these core technologies", explains Czapski. "In line with SKF's vision and philosophy "equipping the world with SKF knowledge", we offer a full value package to our customers and sponsorships".
In conclusion Czapski says that SKF has gained a great deal of coverage through Toyota Motorsport's participation in the 2012 Dakar and a great deal of exposure has also come from the local rally and off road events. "This is undoubtedly a mutually beneficial partnership and one that we plan to continue for the near future".
Other News:
Toyota Motorsport and SKF Total Solutions - A Winning Partnership
Timken Holds Annual Meeting of ShareholdersShareholders elect members of the board of directors, vote on key business m
Schaeffler's Linear actuators enable high speed, defect-free production of roof panels
SKF launches aggressive new climate strategy and partners with WWF to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Starborn Industries Launches DECKFAST® METAL Fasteners for the Fast Growing Market of Steel Joist Deck Framing
Schaeffler develops world record-breaking tandem linear actuator
FAG SmartCheck successfully placed on the market
SKF launches portfolio of customer solutions with significant environmental benefits as part of its BeyondZero͐
