Penske Racing Shocks 3000 Series Active Damper System Hits the Track

Daytona Beach, FL – October 1, 2009 - After years of development, the final test for the Penske Racing Shocks 3000 Series Active Damper System was passed, as the full-car system took to the track at Daytona International Speedway. 

 

As a joint effort between Penske Racing Shocks and Childress-Howard Motorsports, the system was successfully tested on the Crawford DP08 Daytona Prototype Chassis driven by Andy Wallace and Rob Finlay for 2 days of running.  The patent pending 3000 Series System is a fully hydraulic system utilizing high performance Moog DDV valves to control bypass flow across the main damper piston. 

 

At the heart of the damper, are standard Penske pistons, shims, etc. to maintain passive/active correlation.  However, the control valve allows for an infinite spectrum of damper curves within a wide damping range to allow complete DOE studies without removing dampers from the car.  The time savings of such a system are considerable on the 7-post rig and even more so at the track as tire heat cycles are minimized, and drivers can remain focused on car setup evaluation versus regular trips to the pits for damper adjustments or replacement. 

 

The Penske and the Childress-Howard teams integrated control of the damper maps and DOE by the driver from the cockpit using a selector switch.  After each test stint, a new catalog of maps were downloaded to the system from the pit wall based on trends noticed in the data. This extremely efficient method of testing allowed the team to find optimum damper settings within limited track time, reducing the need for costly additional test days. 

 

Max Crawford of Crawford Race Cars stated, “Crawford Race Cars and Childress-Howard Motorsports have always enjoyed an extremely good relationship with Penske and have used their products on our DP and GT cars. They have been a wonderful supporter of our DP program and the new active shock shows the commitment to the advancement of shock absorbers and to helping their customers find the ultimate solution Penske is dedicated to.”

 

Dave Wagener, Childress-Howard Chassis Engineer, commented, "We were able to setup an organized and detailed test plan with the engineers from Penske.  During this test, we were able to sort 25 different damper combinations in a total of eight outings.  During each outing, the change was evaluated against our base damper configuration, eliminating effects due to tire wear and a changing track.  This type of test would not be possible with passive dampers due to the number of sets required and time off track required to make changes.  Using this sytem not only saves preparation and track time, it also saves money."

 

“It is a brilliant tool for arriving at the ideal shock curves in the minimum amount of time,” added Andy Wallace. “The ability to set a base lap and then click through the various programs not only saves a lot of time but I think also gives a more accurate read as it eliminates tire mileage variations versus normal back to back testing.”

 

Penske Racing Shocks has been developing active dampers for racing since 2004 and offers turn-key systems for NASCAR and now Grand-Am Daytona Prototypes.  However, the technology is not limited as feasibility studies have been ongoing for ALMS, Indy Car, and Military among other customers looking to optimize their rig and track time. 

 

For additional information, please contact:

 

Penske Racing Shocks

Bill Gartner, Engineer

150 Franklin Street

Reading, PA  19602

(610) 375-6180

billgartner@penskeshocks.com

 

Penske Racing Shocks has been providing custom-built, high-performance shock absorbers to all forms of racing for over 20 years. Their products have won many races and national championships in multiple racing series, including Formula One, NASCAR, IRL, GARRS, DIRT, NHRA, IHRA, ADRL, and AMA.