It is a paradox of motor sport: to go fast, you also need to be able to brake well! In the same way that power is needed to improve acceleration, slowing down a racing car as efficiently as possible has been one of the keys to performance since the birth of motor racing.
For the past five years, Comtoyou Racing has been associated with Winmax for its competition brake pads. In TCR, the collaboration between the Belgian team and the Japanese manufacturer has been synonymous with dozens of victories, both at world level and in TCR Europe.
“The fact that Comtoyou Racing has been one of the benchmarks in touring car racing in recent years, is also thanks to the quality of Winmax products,” confirms Jean-Michel Baert, Team Principal of the Gembloux-based team. “The collaboration between us is very close and they are regularly present at our side on the racetracks to obtain direct feedback from our drivers and engineers. This enables them to develop specific products which are even better. The brand is constantly on the lookout for new technologies, and they are not afraid to implement changes in record time to make us ready for the next race. Winmax is truly one of the pioneers in the development and optimisation of brake pads, with three watchwords: performance, durability and service.”
In 2024, Comtoyou Racing will begin a new chapter in its history by partnering Aston Martin Racing in GT3. But that does not mean we will be changing brake pad partners!
“It seemed obvious to us to extend this long-standing collaboration with Winmax,” confirms François Verbist, Team Manager of AMR Comtoyou Racing. “We share the same desire to perform and innovate. Like us, Winmax is constantly on the lookout for better performance, and never leaves anything to chance. We are delighted that Winmax is working with us to optimise the braking of our new Aston Martin Vantage GT3. It is with great motivation and mutual confidence that we embark on this 2024 challenge, and I am delighted.”
It is a huge challenge to take up, in the face of competition which is seasoned in the most prestigious GT competitions. But the motivation of the two partners is even greater. “Today, thousands of drivers and teams put their trust in us in disciplines as diverse as rallying, rally-raid and, of course, on the circuit, whether in competition or on track days,” confirms Tsuyoshi Kashiyama, President of Winmax. “This technical collaboration with the Comtoyou Racing team on the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 is further recognition of our quality and reliability. It is accompanied by our presence in GT4, also with Aston Martins, as we will be partnering the Racing Spirit of Léman team in this category. By offering drivers hard and enduring braking, we want the Winmax signature to be recognisable on Aston Martins in 2024!”
The Comtoyou Racing season kicks off on 5-7 April 2024 at the Circuit Paul Ricard for the launch of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe. In the meantime, testing continues and braking, like all the other performance-related elements, is obviously part of the development work.