Scheurer Swiss wins race car CFRP 3D printed parts contract

The Castrol Toyota Racing Series (TRS) is entering the next round of the Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand – and will present a new, and more powerful racing car: the Toyota FT-60.

Scheurer Swiss supplied Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand with high-quality carbon-reinforced 3D printed components for the latest generation of the Toyota FT engine on behalf of the two renowned New Zealand-based companies: David Gouk Race Engines and Häberlin Composites.

The third-generation race car of the Castrol Toyota Racing Series is based on a regional Formula 3-specific Tatuus chassis, powered by a 2.0 litre Turbo 8AR FTS engine - a racing version of the 8AR FTS engine used in both Toyota and Lexus road vehicles. The engine is capable of producing 285hp, a sharp increase over the 215hp produced by the previous 1.8-litre unit.

Successful test run

The new racing car first hit the track in Italy in July, even before its race debut in 2020. Formula 2 and European Le Mans Series driver, Arjun Maini, completed 900km in the Toyota FT-60, spread over three different tracks: Vairano, Cremona and Franciacorta.

“It was a very positive first test,” begins Maini, who finished fourth in the 2015 TRS season with the previous FT-50 race car. “The new engine ran very smoothly. It is powerful and the handling very good. Gear changes and downshifts also feel very good in combination with the new engine.”

Adds Gregor Häberlin, owner of Häberlin Composites: “Scheurer Swiss has optimised the design of the carbon-reinforced engine components for the test series of the Toyota FT-60 on our behalf and produced them in the shortest possible time.”

Häberlin Composites itself also supplies carbon parts for the Toyota FT-60, manufactured using the lamination process.

“It was possible, thanks to 3D printing to deliver the tailor-made Toyota FT-60 components of the test series in such a short time,” says Dominik Scheurer, CEO of Scheurer Swiss.

The 3D-printed, carbon-reinforced components are characterised by precision and lightness with extreme stability at the same time. He confirms that the carbon-reinforced 3D printing process can also be used for industrial applications in the automotive sector, especially after the successful race track test run.

According to David Gouk of David Gouk Race Engines, the texture and material in the tests were not only visually convincing, but also withstood the enormous speed and heat as well as the compressive forces on the race track.

“We are planning to go into series production soon with the 3D-printed carbon-reinforced engine components from Scheurer Swiss,” states the owner, who is considered a luminary in the field of engine development and has been successfully developing the engines of the Castrol Toyota Racing Series for years. “We are very satisfied with the advice and service provided by Scheurer Swiss, in particular the flawless and fast delivery of the urgently needed carbon-reinforced components for the Toyota FT-60 test series.”

Toyota Racing Series manager, Nicolas Caillol, says: “The FT-60 is a modern car that offers more power and more drive than anything we have had in production before. We are very pleased with the quality of the 3D-printed engine parts that Scheurer Swiss supplied to us.”

The 2020 season of the Castrol Toyota Racing Series starts at the Highlands Motorsport Park in New Zealand in January 2020 and ends - after five consecutive weekends, with the New Zealand Grand Prix at the ‘Chris Amon’ Manfeild Circuit in mid-February - one of the only two events outside F1 that is officially allowed to use the term ‘Grand Prix’. This year, the series winner will receive up to seven super license points for possible F1 careers.

“It's a globally relevant car and a globally relevant championship for any serious young racer,” states Toyota Racing Series manager, Nicolas Caillol. “We hope to attract even more aspiring stars who want to take a step up in their careers. They can come from Formula 4, Formula 3, the women's W Series or other Tier 3 categories of FIA leaders. It's even relevant for those who have been successful in the Tier 2 categories, who want to consolidate and improve their skills or earn more super license points as they take their final step towards F1.”

Springboard for F1 careers

The winner of the W Series, Marta Garcia, is also considering the possibility of driving in early 2020 in New Zealand's Castrol Toyota Racing Series. The 19-year-old Spaniard dominated the Norisring race of the first season of the all-female Open Wheeler Series and finally finished fourth in the overall standings, with prize money of $100,000 and an automatic invitation to the 2020 W Series competition.

The owners of Scheurer Swiss, CEO Dominik Scheurer and CTO Robert Tween, have both been involved in racing and motorsport in composite engineering for many years, including Jordan F1, Sauber F1 and Toyota Motorsport. With the right design and composite materials, they provided the necessary properties for the highly-efficient mechanical performance of a Formula 1 racing car.

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