Stop right there

AP Racing started out as a skunkworks project and grew into a globally recognised leader in brake technology

- ANDREW COTTON

One of the most respected names in brake technology, AP Racing, has cemented its place in motor racing this season by securing some major deals, including component supply in the NASCAR Next Gen (Gen-7) package, the FIA RX2 Championship, and extending its support of the British Touring Car Championship.

This is alongside its existing commitment to Formula 1, Super GT, and top-level GT racing, open competition on which the brand built its name.

The company started in 1967 and moved to the Midlands of the UK, Coventry, in the early 1990s. It remains on the same site, although the company has expanded dramatically since then with the addition of more buildings and facilities. The most recent is an NVH dyno, which has proven to be an increasingly important part of AP Racing’s armoury. It is this sort of investment that helped the company land the NASCAR contract.

However, it is in the OEM department that AP Racing has seen its biggest growth, driven in part by its racing pedigree. As original equipment on the Bugatti Chiron, the crossover is clear to see.

‘Probably the biggest change for AP Racing over the last 25 years is the growth of our automotive OEM business,’ confirms AP Racing managing director, David Hamblin. ‘We started off with niche manufacturers, and that’s been growing to the point now where about 40 per cent of our business is road-based. And that is through either OEM supply or a growing upgrade market for the road and track days.

‘We see the automotive and upgrade areas as very important part of our business growth now, and also in the future.’

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