Brand Break: Ryco + Supercars Maximize , While Technology Could See Other Series Wins

In a significant development for the Repco Supercars Championship, RYCO has been designated as the ‘Official Filtration Partner’ after collaborating closely with the category to create an advanced range of oil, air, and fuel filters tailored for the new Gen3 race cars in 2023.

The introduction of these new ‘Control Parts’ will encompass all participating race cars and is the result of months of tireless work by RYCO in conjunction with Supercars, engine builders, and race teams.

The development of this filtration range was prompted by the transition to the Gen3 platform, which seeks to reduce competition costs by utilizing more affordable engines with longer maintenance intervals, while still maintaining optimum performance.

In a potentially groundbreaking move, Alastair Hampton General Manager of engineering innovation and quality at RYCO filters suggests that the company’s partnership with the Repco Supercars Championship could pave the way for an expansion into other motorsports series in the future. Hampton’s statement hints at an ambitious long-term strategy that could see RYCO’s advanced range of filters revolutionising filtration technology across various racing disciplines.

“I think that’s a really good idea certainly the technology is very applicable to many other a series you know, I, when we made the air filter
I joked that it was it’s probably the world’s best off road filter because the dust holding capacity and the filtration efficiency is so damn good we almost wasted on road road racing cars , but look that’s that’s certainly an opportunity in the future ”

Alastair adds, “We’ve developed some very very capable Racing Technology my goal in the in the immediate term is actually to bring the air filter technology to market for consumers because the air filter is probably the newest piece and that’s something that’s currently sitting mainly in the racing circles but where we’re kind of where we’re working on some applications where we’re going to bring that that air filter technology to consumers but but look other a series there’s always an opportunity there for us”

As RYCO solidifies its position as the ‘Official Filtration Partner’ of Supercars, industry insiders are left speculating on the potential implications and the company’s ability to introduce their innovative products to a wider motorsports market. The success of RYCO’s collaboration with Supercars and its seamless integration into the Gen3 race cars could serve as a catalyst for future partnerships and propel the company to the forefront of the motorsports filtration industry. Only time will tell if RYCO’s ingenious idea will result in a far-reaching and transformative impact on the world of motorsports.

Craig Hasted, Supercars Engineering Project Manager for Engines, emphasised the importance of extending engine life to minimize rebuild frequency, with filtration playing a crucial role. He stated, “One of the biggest challenges we had was increasing the engine mileage. Current race cars have a 4,000km life. For Gen3, we’re targeting 10,000kms. Improving filtration was seen as a major step in reaching the 10,000km measure.”

Responding to this challenge, RYCO meticulously designed a range of new filtration products specifically tailored for Supercars, with benefits that extend to other race categories and everyday passenger cars.

Thorough consultations with race teams, engine builders, and Supercars’ technical experts identified concerns regarding engine wear, performance limitations, and the shortcomings of existing filtration products. RYCO incorporated these insights and supplemented them with additional research on race engine specifications, incumbent filtration products, and the impact of various particulate sizes on different systems.

Armed with this knowledge, RYCO undertook the task of designing and producing a comprehensive package of oil, fuel, and air filters that would deliver optimal filtration efficiencies, thereby maximising engine life while ensuring outstanding performance.

RYCO’s unique Supercar filtration solution challenges the conventional notion that fine-particle filtration inevitably entails compromises in terms of flow restriction and engine performance.

A key aspect of RYCO’s new filters lies in its employment of never-before-seen racing media, with the company collaborating globally with suppliers to identify the latest technological advancements in filter media.

For the oil filter, RYCO introduced a unique 100 percent synthetic media that facilitates fine-micron filtration, replacing the conventional cellulose-based examples. The fuel filter incorporates rolled element fine-micron media instead of coarse particle pleated metal screens. Lastly, the air filter employs hydrophobic nano-fiber coated media with a distinctive honeycomb construction.

To ascertain the feasibility of these combinations under racing conditions, prototypes of each filter were extensively evaluated in RYCO’s laboratory, as well as in current Supercars race cars and the Gen3 Mustang and Camaro prototypes.

Impressed by the new suite of RYCO filters, Supercars engine builder and owner of Herrod Performance Engines, Rob Herrod, remarked, “RYCO stepping up to the mark and getting involved in this program has been an absolute benefit to this whole Gen3 engine program for us at Herrod Performance Engines. Not just in oil filtration; air and fuel filtration was also required, and RYCO has come in leaps and bounds and given us the products we need.”

Adrian Burgess, Supercars’ experienced Head of Motorsport, praised RYCO’s innovative and world-first filtration technology, noting that it would provide the Gen3 series with the best chance of ensuring engine mileage and significantly improve sustained race performance for teams.

RYCO’s Executive General Manager, Stuart Chandler, expressed delight in further solidifying the company’s relationship with Supercars. Chandler stated, “I am extremely excited by our new partnership with Supercars as the ‘Official Filtration Partner’ of the category through being the ‘control’ supplier of oil, air, and fuel filters. In addition, this partnership cements RYCO Filters as the premium motorsport filter brand in Australia and New Zealand.”

With RYCO’s advanced range of filters now serving as the backbone of the Repco Supercars Championship’s Gen3 race cars, both the teams and the fans the enhanced performance and prolonged engine life that this partnership promises to deliver to possible expansion opportunities in the future.