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