AP Racing's route to the NASCAR market has been in partnership with its exclusive US distributor Georgia-based Essex Parts Services. This started in 1993 selling calipers derived from an established road-racing design. Further developments proved difficult to secure NASCAR approval until 1998 when Essex Parts Services' new president Ken Gordon began working with AP on plans for an all-new range of bespoke NASCAR products not derived from existing sportscar solutions. It was also decided that products for the then Winston Cup would only be rolled out once the company had established itself in its feeder series. In order to shorten the development cycle AP Racing worked closely with selected teams in these divisions. Within a year, over half the entries in the three NASCAR Asphalt Pro Touring divisions in the eastern USA were typically running with AP Racing calipers.

Alcon, too, has had success on NASCAR's short tracks. A decade ago, it was the first to introduce calipers with sufficient pad depth and area to be able to last a whole race at the demanding 0.526-mile Martinsville. More recently, its Through Piston Cooled (TPC) calipers have been used by both Nextel Cup and Busch series teams.

While braking may appear a trifle more crucial on the short ovals and road courses, Alcon took advantage a couple of years ago of the fact that little attention was being paid to the efficiency of brakes in IRL. When Penske moved from CART to IRL it saw this as a way of gaining valuable time during the pit stops. Alcon was engaged as an official Technical Partner to design a new and stiffer caliper that resulted in a shorter, more consistent pedal and more responsive modulation. By the start of the 2003 season, three more of the leading IRL teams had adopted this caliper.

Although now with a parent company in Germany and with manufacturing facilities in the USA, Mintex is a long established British friction brand that has realised where lies, arguably, the most potential in the US market. NASCAR is still its main market in the USA with eight out of the top 10 teams having used its products at some time during the 2004 season. It also supplied the Trans-Am championship winner, Paul Gentilozzi, for the second year running.  However halfway though last season it entered the US short oval track market for the first time, initially at local tracks in the Carolinas. Despite its late entry, its F4 brake pads, which come from the same “family” as its NASCAR pad, were used by eight championship winners.

The result of this has been the decision, says motorsports manager Terry Armstead, to make a “serious push” for the short track sector, including dirt tracks and Late Model racing. “We want to convert success at the NASCAR top level into a commercially sensible product.” The challenge, he admits, will be in distribution to such a widespread market. Mintex will also be “having a look” at the US rally and off-road race market later in the year as its next targeted segment.
 
Business with the USA is not just a matter of selling over there. The reputation of Motorsport Valley has led to American interest in being close to the UK supplier base. Evernham, Roush and Menard, three leading names in US oval racing have recently established or are about to open bases here while Penske has long operated in this country. When asked why the Evernham Group was to become a part owner of the new Northamptonshire-based Advanced Engine Technology, deputy technical director Tommy Wheeler indicated “the vendor base is clearly motorsport driven. In the USA it is aerospace driven.” This is thought to be the first time that a NASCAR team will have operated at this level in Europe.

As indicated, creating business with the USA is not easy but the market is so vast that the rewards could transform a British SME. This is also not an undertaking that companies have to make alone. The MIA is particularly keen on facilitating such growth and takes missions to the USA, this year's being to Charlotte and Mooresville, the very heart of NASCAR, from May 20-30. The association, which held an America Day at its Stoneleigh Park headquarters late in March, has additionally published a research report on the region.

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