Norma M20 FC become a driving force

Norma Auto Concept Engineering has assembled the prototype's rear wing using a combination of Araldite adhesives, selected to fulfil essential processing and performance criteria. The epoxy adhesive, Araldite 2048, has been used to assemble the wing's aluminium pieces and the methacrylate adhesive, Araldite 2031, completes the structure in joining the composite components together and to the aluminium parts. Araldite 2031 provides a resilient bond on the rear wing's dissimilar materials, delivering superior structural stability and flexibility alongside gap filling properties which offer exceptional vibration resistance. All of these advantages help to increase the car's grip on the track, making a significant contribution to its racing performance. Especially good for dynamic loads, Araldite 2048 provides high elongation and one of the highest lap shear strengths available and is proving invaluable in helping to enhance the Norma M20 FC's handling performance. Processing advantages are also being realised with this adhesive's easy handling and minimal to no surface preparation requirements. At the start of the racing season in March, the Norma M20 FC entered the 6H Proto at Spain's Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, seeing off stiff competition by bringing home the top six places. Building on this success, in April at the opening competition of the 2014 FIA European Hill Climb Championship, Simone Faggioli, who has dominated this discipline over the past few years, got behind the wheel of the Norma M20 FC, to take 1st place. Faggioli followed this first class performance by also winning the most recent leg of the FIA Hill Climb in the Czech Republic on 8th June. Norbert Santos, Manager of Norma Auto Concept Engineering, commented: "Looking at the Norma M20 FC's successes in the 2014 racing season so far, it shows that the decision to use Araldite adhesives is well and truly paying dividends. These adhesives fit perfectly with the extremely demanding conditions that are experienced during racing events such as the FIA European Hill Climb Championship. In this category of the sport where the ongoing innovation in design is critical to ensuring drivers put in an excellent performance on the track, structural adhesives are certainly acting as a key enabler." Araldite structural adhesives offer advanced properties and processing capabilities that are opening up greater design freedoms for performance sports applications such as endurance motorsport, allowing similar and dissimilar materials to easily be used on their own or in combination to create lighter weight structures with enhanced qualities. Sports car enthusiasts can see video footage of the Norma M20 FC in action at the Col St Pierre circuit, please click on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2re8J3SJJE