Xtrac dominates with transmission systems at Le Mans - gearbox technology expert to supply 1/3 million gearshifts throughout the 24 hour race

British transmission technology expert Xtrac will be the dominant supplier of what many race engineers consider to be the most critical component in the toughest endurance race of them all - the legendary Le Mans round-the-clock marathon which runs this weekend.  

Supporting 19 entries the company will supply almost half the field and all four race car categories - from prototypes to GT2s - with transmission systems, gearboxes and differentials all designed and manufactured to the exacting standards necessary to cope with the gruelling conditions encountered when racing continuously for 24 hours.

"It's a well known axiom in motor racing that to finish first, first you have to finish; and that calls for robust and reliable transmission systems which are arguably the most complex part of the vehicle and potentially the Achilles heel," says Xtrac managing director Peter Digby.   "Tremendous loads pass through the driveline whenever the driver changes gear and each race car will make up to 20,000 gearshifts throughout the race." 

"To set a fast pace each transmission has to be faultless," added technical director Adrian Moore.  "The cars average 130mph and cover 3,200 miles and in the top LMP1 class the transmission systems have to cope with over 700bhp being transferred from the engine to the wheels."

Each customer gearbox and differential supplied for the race was designed, manufactured and painstakingly tested at the company's purpose built factory at Thatcham in Berkshire.   Gears and internal components were manufactured using steels developed exclusively for Xtrac to its own specification; the development of these special steels followed a demanding metallurgy programme drawing on the company's application of design, testing and race experience.  Teams use either 'off the shelf' designs or totally integrated bespoke solutions.   All casings were modelled in 3D using the latest computer-aided design (CAD) systems and subjected to hours of analysis using gear, wing and suspension loads to ensure a reliable and optimised design from the moment each car first runs.

In addition to the gearboxes Xtrac designs for high performance road and race cars, the driveline technology specialist is carving a successful niche supplying small batches of high precision gear components for aerospace, defence and marine applications that similarly lend themselves to low volume production.  Building on this success the company is currently pursuing contracts for new and advanced transmission systems required by mainstream carmakers in small batches for pre-production prototype test and development work prior to committing the OEM or their Tier 1 suppliers to mass production. 

Xtrac employs more than 250 staff at Thatcham including over 50 professional engineers and technicians in its engineering design and research departments.  The company is currently recruiting post graduate qualified engineers to expand its capability in the areas of advanced engineering and product development and makes continuous investments in production engineering and state-of-the-art gear cutting, hobbing and grinding machines and heat treat treatment facilities.