Borland Racing Developments
Borland Racing Developments (BRD for short) is a racing car manufacturer that also maintains a racing car team.
The company was founded in 1984 to design cars for the Australian Formula 2 Championship. In the following five years four championships were won, after which the company founder Michael Borland turned to the production of spectrum vehicles for Formula Ford and Saber vehicles for Formula Vee .
Development of the company
The company developed into a racing car design company, construction company and special manufacturer, the factory racing team always remained one of their core competencies. Knowledge and experience gained through the competitions helped build and develop the racing cars that BRD builds.
The company supports drivers from their first steps in motorsport to a professional career. Drivers who have been to Germany are z. B. Craig Lowndes, Jason Bright , Jason Bargwanna, Steven Richards, Mark Winterbottom, Shane Price, and John Martin.
The Spectrum chassis was able to establish itself in the local Formula Ford market, with Jason Bargwanna taking 2nd place in 1996. In a double victory in the Australian championship in 1998 for Adam Macrow and Christian Jones (son of the 1980 Formula 1 world champion, Alan Jones ), this chassis proved its worth, and from 2004 Spectrum was the brand with the most lasting success in the Australian Formula Ford.
In 2000 Phil Hellebrekers won the brand's first international title in New Zealand . In 2006 the Spectrum Model 011 was created for the UK championship . On the GP circuit at Brands Hatch , John Martin took a win in his first outing. This victory prompted BRD to set up Mark Bailey Racing Ltd. as the UK subsidiary, which in 2008 saw the Spektrum chassis adopted by the UK championship leader Kevin Mills Racing . The team achieved pole positions and victories with the Spectrum chassis in 2008 and 2009 and was regularly represented in the first places in British competitions.
BRD developed into a specialist manufacturer: it deals with vehicles for Daytona sports car competitions, restorations of historic racing vehicles and the production of special parts for the motorsport industry.
In the course of 2007, the factory area in Braeside (Victoria) was doubled in order to cope with the previous tasks and to make room for new projects. One of the first new projects was the Spectrum F2000 (the racing car with slicks and wings for the US market) and the Saber 02 Formula Vee 1600 .
vehicles
Spectrum Formula Ford
The use of the Ford Duratec 1600 engine (from the roadworthy Ford Fiesta ) in Formula Ford in both the UK and Australia from the 2006 season onwards offered the opportunity to bring out the new evolutionary stage of the Spectrum range, the 011 model. With the 011 model, the focus of development was on fine-tuning the chassis and the running gear in order to be able to take full advantage of the reduced weight and higher performance of the new engine.
The new model was immediately successful; John Martin won the 2006 Australian title in the Fiesta-fueled Formula Ford. In this season, BRD also built a Spectrum 011 according to the regulations of the United Kingdom. John Martin then clinched a Brands Hatch win on the car's weekend showcase. The 011 chassis dominated the Australian championship and also became known internationally.
The company continues this development and the 2010 Spectrum 012 Formula Ford has been redesigned on the chassis and body, which should improve both the driving performance and the safety of the car. Findings from the wind tunnel and from driving tests led to a further improvement in this class: the airflow optimized in this way over the car and through the engine resulted in a higher top speed due to higher engine power and lower air resistance.
The body from 2010 offered better protection for the driver's head and at the same time better all-round visibility. The increased space for the driver led to a lower seating position, which - especially for taller drivers - increased comfort and safety and increased the possible maximum speed due to a lower center of gravity. The downtimes for parts replacement and repairs have also been reduced.
Proof of the further development of the Spectrum chassis by Borland Racing Developments can be seen in the fact that Chaz Mostert dominated the opening round of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship , which was also the first competition for the Spectrum 012. Mostert qualified on pole position with the Synergy Motorsport Spectrum 012 and won the lap, setting a new lap record.
Features of the Spectrum 012:
- Adjustable shock absorbers from Bespoke Penske
- Tie rod ends in aircraft quality with spherical bearings from NMB
- Datalog system from MoTeC SDL
- Wiring harness and electrical connector in motorsport quality
- Brakes, fuel and oil lines in motorsport quality
- Fire extinguisher, racing net and tank according to FIA standards
- Refueling system as standard in motorsport quality
- Hewland LD200 transmission redesigned by Mark Bailey Racing
Spectrum FF1600
All tried and tested equipment details of the Spectrum Formula Ford are also built into the FF1600 racing car. Custom FF1600 cars can be purchased ready-made from the factory, or all the parts necessary to convert a Spectrum Formula Ford into an FF1600 can be purchased. The Spectrum FF1600 is built to the same design standards as the Formula Ford, including the lightweight powertrain.
BRD has been building the FF1600 since the 1980s and won national and international racing and competition victories with it. In 2009, Jesse Fenech won the Victoria State FF1600 Championship with a Spectrum 010b and Ben Norton drove the Wiltshire College Spectrum 011 to win the Castle Combe FF1600 Championship , arguably the two toughest FF1600 championships in the world at the time. With the FF 1600 I, Norton and the Wiltshire College team won the Castle Combe Carnival .
Saber Formula Vee
From 1993 to 2000, BRD sold 23 Saber 01 Formula V racing cars. Technical changes in Formula Vee and the rapidly increasing demand for Spectrum Formula Ford ensured that the Formula Vee project was not pursued for several years.
In 2007 the V category had successfully transitioned to the FV1600 regulations and the class was enjoying great growth. New factory buildings and an enlarged workforce enabled BRD to begin developing their second generation of Formula Vee vehicles, the Saber 02 , which was designed precisely according to the FV1600 regulations. The prototype was designed and built in 2008, followed by extensive tests on the racetrack in 2009. When the car reached lap records in the tests, it was ready for production and the first orders were accepted at the end of 2009.
The Saber 02 had many components in common with the Spectrum 012 Formula Ford, such as B. the main body parts. The Saber 02, like the Spectrum, achieved victories from the start. Daniel Reinhardt drove the Junior Racing Developments Team's Saber 02 to pole position, won all four races and set a new lap record at the Sandown International Raceway .
Features of the Saber Formula Vee:
- Adjustable shock absorbers from Bespoke Penske
- Tie rod ends in aircraft quality with spherical bearings from NMB
- Datalog system from MoTeC SDL
- Wiring harness and electrical connector in motorsport quality
- Brakes, fuel and oil lines in motorsport quality
The Saber Formula Vee are supported in Australia by BRD and Junior Racing Developments (JRD) as dealers for new cars and parts suppliers. JRD has a large parts warehouse and is on site at all important Formula Vee races.
Trivia
Michael Borland is the nephew of Brian Shead from Cheetah Racing Cars .