H&R Springs' passion for performance automobiles drives its participation in racing. From DTM, Formula 3 and the World Rally Championship to the Speed World Challenge and bucks-down club racers, H&R is there. Racing changes design objectives, but the requirements of quality and precision are even higher, their presence a greater asset.
H&R builds the springs for Opel, Abt/Audi and AMG, all three teams competing for the DTM (Deutch Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, or German Touringcar Championship). DTM is often likened to NASCAR, but the comparison goes only as far as the mass appeal, successful marketing and rules designed to limit runaway proliferation of technologies and costs. In DTM, the cars are purpose-built, clean-sheet race cars, with carbon-fiber and tube-frame chassis. The roof is the only stock body panel. All the drivers sit in a spec carbon-fiber safety cell, which is the same in all cars. Every driver wears a HANS device. The cars are designed to run only on the highest-level, smoothest race tracks, and they have only about 30mm of bump travel.
Though rules are stringent, innovation and development are continuous. Each team developed all-new cars for 2003. The cars are made as light as possible, so any ballast needed to meet the minimum weight requirements can be placed where it is most useful. Aerodynamically, teams can adjust the rear wing and choose whether to use a large or small Gurney flap. Suspension geometry is made adjustable in camber, toe and roll center height. While "DTM look" accessorization of street cars is popular, no car used on the street could realistically emulate the appearance or performance of these cars.
H&R is also successful in Formula 3, which serves as a feeder series to the highest levels of road racing in the world, including Formula One. F3 is organized into ten separate regional series. The F3 Euroseries' full season includes running as a support race at most DTM events. H&R builds springs for all the Mercedes-powered cars, one Opel and one Toyota. Third in points as of this writing, Christian Klien is the highest-placed driver with AMG power in F3's Euroseries.
Christian Klien, using H&R springs, is ranked third in F3's Euroseries at the time of writ
H&R's engineers become passionate about their work when it comes to rallying, because of the constant challenge to obtain the slightest improvement and the high demands placed on the springs. Joachim Frettlh, H&R's head spring engineer, provided insight: In road racing, the teams must have everything available for the whole season before the first race. No team will change the complete suspension during the season. In rally, development continues through the whole year. In road racing, there will be 15 to 20 spring rates for the front of the car stocked by each team. In rally, springs are produced for each event, and learning is continuous.