International Dealer News IDN 137 June/July 2017 | Page 24

INDUSTRY EXTRA Under Managing Director Sergio Bonfanti, Ferodo Racing’s sales are headed up by Sales Director John Davies, an engineer by training and a life-long Ferodo man, who worked for the company when it was still under British ownership. Sergio Bonfanti heads a dedicated team, which includes technical and manufacturing operations as well sales and marketing. The markets served are described as a ‘Motorcycle Pyramid’ with race operations such as MotoGP and WSBK at the top, followed by National Championships, track day and aftermarket product lines. The range itself is a ‘Good’, ‘Better’ and ‘Best’ menu of brake pad lines to enable distributors and dealers to meet their local market needs. In addition to brake pads, Ferodo also offers shoes, discs, clutches and brake fluid – the principle being to offer a product line that is as complete as possible in terms of applications, as extensive as possible in terms of price point and performance choices, and to offer their partners a single brand “one stop shop” programme for street and off-road ‘DATA ACQUISITION ANALYSIS’ markets that is genuinely race bred. At the heart of Ferodo’s brake pad compound and application R&D cycle is a dyno first, on-bike second testing sequence with “Balanced Braking Performance” the objective – a four-stage concept that calibrates the initial bite, the resulting deceleration, the modulation (feel and control) that the rider has going into a corner under braking, and the point at which the brake can be released after the apex of a corner. “A track derived concept that is just as valid when testing a street bike pad,” says John Davies. “Our requirements for a high-performance friction material are based on a braking cycle with three main phases: 0.5 seconds for the first phase, the bite, with the compound tested and refined to reach its operating coefficient of friction (COF/µ) rapidly. The second phase is the deceleration with the COF/µ central to determining the level of performance achieved in terms of deceleration and distance.” 24 1st row, left to right: Sabrina Boasso (Accounts Manager); Cristina Ricca (Customer Services & Sales Support); Ravina Debora (Customer Services & Sales Support ); Lisa Little (Logistics Manager); Maria Sol Menez (Marketing Assistant); Matteo Prandi (Logistics Assistant); 2nd row: Matteo Orsi (Product Analyst) The third phase in Ferodo’s approach to achieving a “Balanced Braking Performance” is the modulation, or feel – its characteristics, with the compound delivering a consistent COF/µ as the braking temperature and speed changes through the cycle of application of braking force; “the objective always being to allow the rider to achieve consistent braking and feel regardless of the operating conditions.” For street application on-bike testing, Ferodo use thermocouples on the pad and disc in order to monitor temperature, a water spray jet for rain simulation that is connected to an on-board water tank, hydraulic brake pressure controller, decelerometer, and GPS and speed deceleration sensors all connected to water spray and data logger actuation. “As a second stage of data acquisition analysis after the initial dyno testing phase we are able to see how the static testing in the dyno room matches or varies with on-bike data in order to test and refine materials selection, development and formulations for any given application.” Combined with Ferodo’s OE and racing experience, the result is the ‘Good’, ‘Better’ and ‘Best’ programme that distributors and dealers can select from. The ‘Good’ is their organic ‘CARBON GRIP’ INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - JUNE/JULY 2017 compound line for motorcycles and scooters – carbon steel composites manufactured using a unique and proprietary vulcanisation process that produces resin bound pads that deliver “great feel and an easy to control braking cycle,” according to Davies. Suitable for steel and iron discs, the range features Ferodo’s ‘Argento’ OE formulation for scooter, maxi scooter and moped use; ‘Platinum’ pads for OE Dyno testing