AVL Focus - 75 Years Special Edition

THE AVL MOBILITY TREND MAGAZINE

Peak Performance

from the First Lap

ith a passion for innovation and the relentless pursuit

of perfection, AVL’s motorsport department has been

working on improving the interaction between man

and machine for 25 years now, to meet the high demands and

fierce competition in various racing series.

The course was set for a dedicated AVL motorsport depart-

ment in 1997, when Graz received the first orders from racing

teams in a wide range of racing categories. AVL’s reputation in

the area of optimizing drive systems and the test stands and

testbeds required for this had also spread to the global stage

of motorsport.

From that point on, the AVL engineers provided active support

in areas such as the new and further development of racing

engines to achieve greater performance and faster lap times.

The range of tasks quickly expanded to include analyzing and

optimizing racing cars and components. Over the years, AVL

has developed more and more sophisticated and racing-spe-

cific software solutions, which are integrated in the software

toolchain offered today (AVL VSM™ RACE, AVL-DRIVE™ RACE,

AVL Simbook™ RACE, AVL Kinsolver™ RACE).

With these software solutions, AVL RACETECH is Official Sup-

plier of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), the

highest authority in motorsport. AVL RACETECH’s expertise

in vehicle dynamics simulation is used by the FIA in a num-

ber of championships, including the FIA Formula One World

Championship, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship,

the FIA World Rally Championship, the FIA World Endurance

Championship, the FIA World Rallycross Championship, and

cross-country events.

In addition to this expertise and state-of-the-art technology, ut-

most secrecy and consideration for the special ­characteristics

of the drivers are important factors for success in motorsport.

And it is not only in the pit lane that AVL RACETECH engineers

work closely with OEMs, teams, and drivers from 17 different

racing series; AVL RACETECH’s expertise in the field of testbed

technology is also in demand away from the racetrack: more

than 180 projects have now been successfully implemented

around the world – and it all started with the first testbed for a

racing team, which was supplied to Ford Racing in the USA in

1997.

Today, there is a wide-ranging portfolio of testbeds for

­motorsport customers, from individual test units to entire

test centers. One of the most recent examples is the Red Bull

­Racing team’s test facility in Milton Keynes (UK). Many years

of experience and comprehensive expertise make it possible

to handle projects of this magnitude professionally, and there-

by play a part in the success story of racing teams.

Initially, services for motorsport were provided under the

umbrella brand AVL. However, increasingly full order books

soon meant that a separate corporate identity was necessary.

The sub-brand AVL RACING was established at the start of the

new millennium and became more and more well-known. For

a clearer positioning, rebranding with the current brand name

AVL RACETECH finally followed at the start of 2022. And this

name put a much clearer focus on the core competence than

ever before: technology for motorsport. The offering continues

to range from engineering through testing, testbed engineering

and simulation, to production. The focus for the future is a

significant expansion of activities in the field of electrification

and the various hydrogen technologies.

AVL RACETECH partner team Inter Europol

Competition celebrates Le Mans 2023 victory

in LMP2 class

SPECIAL EDITION