Windform NACA duct helped break land speed record

An interesting mix of homemade and high-tech: Victory Motorsports team broke the record at Bonneville Salt Flats with a 3D printed NACA duct.

The Bonneville Salt Flats is a unique racing venue on the vast expanse of salt east of the town of Wendover, Utah. For more than 100 years, Bonneville has created a competitive spirit that has attracted racers from the likes of Mickey Thompson, Bobby Issac (of NASCAR fame), and Valerie Thompson (the fastest female motorcycle racer), and has challenged racers to test the limits of speed.

CRP USA is among the key players that are involved in futuristic technology in the Motorsport sector. By means of Windform materials, 3D printing is taken to the next level. CRP USA had built via Additive Manufacturing the 3D printed Windform SP NACA duct for Victory Motorsports. The intake duct was on the top of the Victory Motorsports team’s streamliner and represented an interesting mix of homemade and high-tech engineering.

Burton Brown from Victory Motorsports, a successful racing team located in Northeast Wisconsin, broke a long-standing record at Bonneville run driving the Victory Motorsports’ streamliner with the Windform SP NACA duct on it.

This new intake duct was designed by David Woodruff from Design Dreams LLC.

Few days before they left for Bonneville, Burton and the team were struggling with the duct: the nearly 28 inches long intake duct had a complex shape, and there was no time to attempt a traditional mold. Burton asked if Stewart Davis from CRP USA could help them with that challenge.

Being familiar with motorsport racing NACA ducts, the CRP USA team knew the work involved to make the surfaces smooth, required for optimum flow. Stewart Davis reviewed the part and accepted to build it using Laser Sintering technology and Windform SP material. It has been chosen for its mechanical features, excellent thermal properties, resistance to high temperatures, vibration and stability to ultraviolet radiation.

Stewart Davis stated, “This NACA duct design is unusual as it has an exterior raised around the perimeter of the duct and internal “bump.” At high speeds the raised exterior ring “pulls” air into the duct. At the base of the inlet to the turbo charger there is a round sphere like “bump” that helps direct the air flow and reduce turbulence.

We had to build it in 3 sections, but our finishing team was able to apply their knowledge and skill to give an expert polish.”

CRP USA manufactured the part in a couple of days. Burton Brown stated, “CRP USA produced an absolutely perfect piece. It gave us no issues withstanding the speed and the rough track and vibrations. It is a very light, strong material that can also take the extreme heat generated in the very tightly-fitted engine cover and body. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed of having something like this on the Streamliner.”

Based in Mooresville, North Carolina, CRP USA is partnered with CRP group.
CRP USA resides in the heart of the southern industrial and manufacturing hub, and is surrounded by growing aerospace and motorsports communities.
CRP USA manufacturers on-car and wind tunnel components for racing teams and has taken this expertise to new heights to produce parts for the space, entertainment and automotive sectors using Windform® materials and Additive Manufacturing.

CRP USA LLC
127 Goodwin Circle
Mooresville NC
28115

This release was published on openPR.