Romeo Ferraris introduces hemp fiber for the bodywork of the Giulia ETCR
Romeo Ferraris introduces hemp fiber for the bodywork of the Giulia ETCR
Romeo Ferraris brings a great technical innovation to the final of the PURE ETCR championship at the Pau-Arnos track, on the weekend of 15-17 October: the Giulia ETCRs of the Opera-based manufacturer will use a bodywork with hemp fiber components for the first time. The project involves other Italian companies: Fibertech Group, based in Mornago (Varese), as a supplier of materials in collaboration with the Linificio and Canapificio Nazionale, and Bercella, based in Varano de 'Melegari (Parma), already in charge of designing and building the first version of the bodywork, fully in carbon fiber.
The Giulia ETCR by Romeo Ferraris driven by Rodrigo Baptista, Luca Filippi, Philipp Eng and Oliver Webb in Pau-Arnos will now mount some parts of the body made of the MJ 404/100 fabric, called "Turkish satin hemp". Fibers of vegetable origin are experiencing increasing applications also in the automotive sector, thanks to their eco-sustainability combined with excellent values of weight, elasticity and resistance, superior to glass fiber and comparable to carbon, which in the last forty years has become a standard material in the racing world.
The road traveled by Romeo Ferraris is perfectly in line with the philosophy of PURE ETCR, the series for electric Touring cars inaugurated this season to explore new propulsion technologies linked to the mobility of the future. From the beginning, Discovery Events, organizer of the championship, has thought of various initiatives in favor of sustainability, including the choice of race venues, logistics, car refilling systems or the reduction of consumables, for example, tires, thanks to Goodyear tires suitable for all weather conditions.
Thanks also to this history-making, Romeo Ferraris aims to end this first edition of the PURE ETCR on a high, after managing to win the round staged at the Copenhagen street circuit. Baptista, currently fifth in the overall standings with 197 points, is among the contenders for the 2021 title.
Michela Cerruti, Team Principal Romeo Ferraris
"We are really proud to be able to announce this technical innovation for the season finale in PURE ETCR. The use of hemp fiber for some bodywork components demonstrates, on the one hand, our constant search for improvements and innovations for the Giulia ETCR project, and on the other hand, the desire to offer a concrete contribution to eco-sustainability, an area where motorsport plays an important role in terms of future development. We at Romeo Ferraris immediately decided to take up the challenge of a championship like the PURE ETCR, with full-electric cars that act as a test bench for solutions that we will soon be able to find on everyday vehicles. In addition to the strictly motoring front, this process can occur in the development of cutting-edge materials, just like those of vegetable origin on which we have worked together with Fibertech Group and Bercella, two examples of Italian excellence".
Massimo Bercella, CEO of Bercella Srl
“We are proud to have played our part in the transition that will lead to a greener future, something that motorsport can no longer ignore in its role of laboratory of the highest level for the trends that will constitute the road mobility of tomorrow. Composites constitute our corporate expertise and seeing their change towards increasingly sustainable materials and processing techniques confirms us as pioneers for the new initiatives that make up our present and that we will have the opportunity to develop more in depth in the future ".
Gianpaolo Coppi, Fibertech Group Marketing Director
"Fibertech Group is proud to participate in this initiative aimed at eco-sustainable development, which we also pursue in traditional materials such as solvent-free carbon".
.