AUSTRALIAN TECHNOLOGY HELPS CITROEN WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIP RALLY WIN
Technology developed in Western Australiahelped French car giant Citroen to a convincing 1-2-3 domination of the opening round of the 2003 World Rally Championship, the Monte Carlo Rally.
Using the Australian-developed hydraulic anti-roll bar, the Citroen team dominated the gruelling event from day one, finishing first, second and third and making Sebastian Loeb the first Frenchman to win the Monte Carlo Rally in a French car since 1981.
Second and third place fell to former World Rally Champions Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz, but driver quality was not the only factor contributing to Citroen’s walkover win in one of the most famous motorsport events in the world The French cars have exclusive use of an advanced suspension system developed by West Australia-based technology company Kinetic Pty Ltd.
The suspension system is technically a superimposition mode decoupling system which separates roll stiffness from warp stiffness improves traction and handling by reducing tyre load variations. Or, to put it another way, it provides all the benefits of a conventional anti-roll bar with none of the drawbacks.
It offers significant performance advantages in motorsport and its potential for domestic and commercial vehicle applications has seen overseas investors pour more than $A60 million dollars into Kinetic.
Citroën’s clean sweep of its home rally has delighted Kinetic managing director Andy van Kann. Speaking from France shortly after the end of the event he said Citroën’s win was like a dream come true and that the victory was a clear indication of the value of Australian expertise and the potential of Kinetic’s technology.
”Citroen is arguably one of the world’s leading suspension developers, so we were extremely pleased when they selected our technology for their World Rally Championship team. To have the team take a one-two-three win on their first outing is like a dream come true.”
The Kinetic dream of creating world-leading automotive suspension systems started in 1989 with the fledgling R&D company developing prototype systems for off-road vehicles. Originally funded by local Dunsborough investors, Kinetic received a $10 million development commitment from the US in 1995 that eventually led to Tenneco Automotive (US based manufacturer of Monroe and Rancho suspension products) acquiring the company for $51 million.
The Tenneco deal, described by Mr van Kann as “truly a win/win situation”, returned a substantial reward for Kinetic’s investors and resulted in significant benefits to the local community when Tenneco recognized Kinetic’s unique culture and decided to leave the company and its employees based in Dunsborough in WA’s southwest.
Kinetic now holds over 120 worldwide patents and is engaged in production development programs with major global vehicle manufacturers.
”As a small R&D technology company with a team of dedicated engineers and technicians we put in the hard yards for many years,” said Mr van Kann. “We’ve seen the dot coms and telcos come and go, but now we’ve proved that a good, solid Australian technology company can really deliver the goods.Citroën’s win is a clear indication of the value of Australian expertise and the potential of Kinetic’s technology.”
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For further information:
Miles Williams
/ Tel: (02) 9558 7111 /Andy van Kann
/ Tel: (08) 9755 3092General Manager / Fax: (02) 9558 7722 / Managing Director / Fax: (08) 9756 8606
Citroën Australia / Mob: 0419 800 520 / Kinetic / E:
Edward Rowe
/ Tel: (02) 9558 7111Public Relations Manager / Fax: (02) 9558 7722
Citroën Australia / Mob: 0407 913 244
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