Native name | H&R Spezialfedern GmbH & Co KG |
|---|---|
| Company type | GmbH |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Werner Heine Heinz Remmen |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Automotive parts |
| Website | https://h-r.com |
H&R Spezialfedern GmbH & Co KG (English: H&R Special Springs, LP) is a German company that specializes in the development and production of suspension and chassis systems for the automotive industry and for motorsport applications.
The company was founded in 1980 by Werner Heine and Heinrich Remmen with the purpose of making aftermarket suspension for lowering road cars. The family-owned business began designing, manufacturing, and producing springs that would effectively lower a car and give it enhanced performance, handling, and aesthetics. [1]
H&R was the first manufacturer to submit a lowering spring to the Technischer Überwachungsverein certification body, and helped pioneer the aftermarket spring industry in Europe. The early effort by the company led to gaining a TÜV certification for its products, which it continues to meet. With this spearheading approach of H&R springs, the viability of aftermarket lowering springs in Germany was proven, thus launching a new market for Germany and Europe. H&R later also achieved the Allgemeine Betriebs Erlaubnis (ABE) certification in 1993. [2]
Since the beginning, H&R products are wholly designed and manufactured in Germany. The company focuses on exceeding ISO quality assurance standards in production. [3]
In the present day, H&R produces multiple spring lines, cup kits, coilovers, ETS electronic lowering modules, VTF adjustable lowering springs, race springs, sport sway bars, and various accessories. H&R also has the largest wheel spacer and adapter program in the industry. The company currently produces over 48,500 products for over 4,000 vehicles from over 60 brands. [4]
The company has officially partnered with car manufacturers such as Volkswagen and Ford to produce specially modified demo vehicles for motor shows such as the Essen Motor Show and SEMA Show. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
H&R has also partnered in original equipment applications, such as by partnering with Volkswagen to produce the springs for all Golf R32 models. [2]
H&R also has extensive research and development through motorsport usage, with its products being used in various forms of sports car racing and touring car racing. The company has produced suspension and chassis components for race applications on manufacturers such as Porsche, BMW, and Duqueine. H&R has both sponsored teams and entered their own works teams in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, IMSA Prototype Challenge, Nürburgring Endurance Series, and 24 Hours of Daytona. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layout, a 3.56-mile (5.73 km) combined road course that uses most of the tri-oval plus an infield road course. Held on the last weekend of January or first weekend of February as part of Speedweeks, it is the first major automobile race of the year in North America. The race is sanctioned by IMSA and is the first race of the season for the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR) is a sports car racing team that was founded in 2004 by racing driver Wayne Taylor. In 2023, the team began a partnership with Andretti Autosport that also saw them rebrand as Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport (WTRAndretti). The team currently competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, campaigning the No. 10 Konica Minolta-sponsored Acura ARX-06 for Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor and the No. 40 DEX Imaging-sponsored Acura ARX-06 for Jordan Taylor and Louis Delétraz in the GTP class, and the No. 45 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 for Kyle Marcelli and Danny Formal in the GTD class, also sponsored by DEX Imaging.
Jan Heylen is a championship-winning Belgian racing driver, based out of Tampa, Florida.
Colin James Braun is an American racing driver. He is the 2014 and 2015 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Prototype Challenge Champion and currently drives the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 for Meyer Shank Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Driving the ARX-06, he was part of the winning team of the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona. He formerly competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the Xfinity Series. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Chevrolet Corvette C7.R is a grand tourer racing car built by Pratt Miller and Chevrolet for competition in endurance racing between 2014 and 2019. It is a replacement for the Corvette C6.R racing car, using the C7 generation Chevrolet Corvette as a base. The C7 road car was noted to incorporate development from the Corvette C6.R, thus those properties also carry over to the race car. The Corvette Racing C7.R raced in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class.
Benjamin Edward Keating is an American racing driver and business owner operating out of Victoria, Texas. Keating is the owner of 28 car auto dealerships across Texas, The Keating Auto Group. Since starting auto racing in 2006, he has competed in many auto races worldwide, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Daytona, Twelve hours of Sebring, and most recently the World Endurance Championship. He is the only American driver to have won multiple World Championships. Keating began racing in 2006 after receiving a weekend track driving course as a Christmas present from his wife.
The 2016 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the third season of the United SportsCar Championship and first to be under the name as the IMSA SportsCar Championship organized by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). It was the 46th season of IMSA-sanctioned GT Championship sportscar racing tracing its lineage to the 1971 IMSA Camel GT season. It began on January 30 with the 24 Hours of Daytona and ended on October 1 at Petit Le Mans.
The 2016 24 Hours of Daytona was an International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)-sanctioned 24-hour automobile endurance race for Prototype and Grand Touring sports cars held at the Daytona International Speedway combined road course in Daytona Beach, Florida, from January 30 to 31, 2016. It was the first of twelve 2016 IMSA SportsCar Championship races, the 54th 24 Hours of Daytona, and the first of the four-round North American Endurance Cup. The event was attended by approximately 35,000 people.
The 2017 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the 47th season of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) GT Championship that traces its lineage to the 1971 IMSA GT Championship. It was the fourth season of the United SportsCar Championship and second under the name as the IMSA SportsCar Championship. It began on 28 January with the 24 Hours of Daytona, and ended on 7 October with the Petit Le Mans.
The 55th Rolex 24 at Daytona was an International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)-sanctioned 24-hour automobile endurance race for prototype and grand touring sports cars held at the Daytona International Speedway combined road course in Daytona Beach, Florida, from January 28 to 29, 2017. It was the first of twelve events in the 2017 IMSA SportsCar Championship, the 55th 24 Hours of Daytona, and the first in the four-round North American Endurance Cup.
Shane Lewis is an American racing driver who has competed primarily in endurance sports car racing. He also competes in Unlimited Trophy Truck desert racing and short course SXS racing.
The 2019 24 Hours of Daytona was an International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)-sanctioned endurance sports car race held at the Daytona International Speedway combined road course in Daytona Beach, Florida, on January 26–27, 2019. It was the 57th running of the race, and the first of 12 races in the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, and the first of four rounds of the 2019 Michelin Endurance Cup.
The 2020 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the 50th racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). This was also the seventh United SportsCar Championship season and fifth under the name as the IMSA SportsCar Championship. The series began on January 25 with the 24 Hours of Daytona, and ended on November 14 with the 12 Hours of Sebring.
An LMDh is a type of sports prototype race car that competes alongside Le Mans Hypercar entries in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship from 2023. It also competes in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the 52nd racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), which traces its lineage back to the 1971 IMSA GT Championship. This was also the ninth season of the IMSA SportsCar Championship since the merger between the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2014, and the seventh under the sponsorship of WeatherTech. The series began on January 27 for the 24 Hours of Daytona, and ended on October 1 with the Petit Le Mans after 12 races.
The 2022 24 Hours of Daytona was an endurance sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The event was held at Daytona International Speedway combined road course in Daytona Beach, Florida, on January 29–30, 2022. This event was the 60th running of the 24 Hours of Daytona since its inception in 1962, and the first of 12 races across multiple classes in the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship, as well as the first of four rounds in the 2022 Michelin Endurance Cup. The #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura, driven by Tom Blomqvist, Hélio Castroneves, Oliver Jarvis, Simon Pagenaud, took the overall win in one of the most competitive events in race history. The top four overall finishers led for at least 88 laps each. Despite being fourth with around three hours left in the race, a monster stretch from Blomqvist helped his team assume the lead before giving way to Castroneves. Castroneves held off former teammate and two-time champion Ricky Taylor to win his second Rolex 24 in a row. The final margin of 3.028 seconds was the third closest in race history. It was also Meyer Shank Racing's first win in IMSA since 2020.
The 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the 53rd racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association, which traces its lineage back to the 1971 IMSA GT Championship. It was also the tenth season of the IMSA SportsCar Championship since the merger between the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2014, and the eighth under the sponsorship of WeatherTech. The 2023 season marked an overhaul season for the championship, with a change in class structure and a new race on the season calendar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The championship began with the 24 Hours of Daytona on January 28 and concluded with the Petit Le Mans on October 14 after 11 races
The 2023 24 Hours of Daytona was an endurance sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The event was held at Daytona International Speedway combined road course in Daytona Beach, Florida, on January 28–29, 2023. This event was the 61st running of the 24 Hours of Daytona since its inception in 1962, and the first of 11 races across multiple classes in the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship, as well as the first of four rounds in the 2023 Michelin Endurance Cup. The No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura, driven by Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Hélio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud, took the overall win, but the team was later penalized for tire pressure data manipulation, resulting in penalties, fines and probation for those responsible. This was Meyer Shank's second Rolex 24 win in a row, and their third major endurance race win in four events. The No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura finished second overall and scored the most points towards the GTP championship.
KW Automotive GmbH is a German company that primarily develops suspension systems for the automotive and motorsport industries.
The 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship is a motor racing championship, which is the 54th racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association and traces its lineage back to the 1971 IMSA GT Championship. It is also the eleventh season of the IMSA SportsCar Championship since the merger between the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2014, and the ninth under the sponsorship of WeatherTech. Following a change in class structure for the 2024 season, the IMSA SportsCar Championship saw a major expansion of its full-time grid across all of its classes.