COMMUNIQUÉ KING SHOCKS FRANCE

LE SPÉCIALISTE EN SUSPENSIONS OFF-ROAD ARRIVE EN FRANCE

KING SHOCKS, une entreprise spécialisée depuis plus de 15 ans dans le développement de systèmes de suspension professionnels pour le Off-Road, lance ses ventes et support technique en France, par le biais de KING SHOCKS FRANCE. Les expériences acquises ces dernières années, font que ce soit une entreprise leader dans le domaine des suspensions hautes performances, par la qualité de ses produits et les solutions développées durant l’usage intensif en compétition.

Le département technique, comprenant diverses équipes d’ingénieurs, travaille dans le développement des composants et l’adaptation aux besoins de chaque client. Il est en collaboration permanente avec les équipes de compétition, partageant ses expériences et améliorant les produits à mesure que les constructeurs augmentent les performances des voitures. KING SHOCKS FRANCE dispose d’une équipe d’ingénieurs, qui offre un support direct aux clients en France, qui pourront se bénéficier de toute l’expérience et partager leurs réussites avec KING SHOCKS.

Toutes les unités se fabriquent dans les ateliers usine aux USA, avec équipements de haute précision, pour garantir de hauts niveaux de qualité et finition, avec un montage à l’unité réalisé par leurs techniciens spécialisées. Quelque soit le produit acquit, tous les produits sont construits avec les meilleurs matériels et technologie plus avancée. Quand se décide d’être équipé par du KING SHOCKS, c’est pour assurer que se dispose des meilleurs amortisseurs du marché.

Maintenant peuvent s’acheter tous les produits KING SHOCKS en France, avec toute la gamme de produits développés pour l’Europe: Toyota LandCruiser, Nissan Pathfinder, Jeep Wrangler, Landrover Defender, Mitsubishi Pajero et pour les modèles Pick-Up, Hilux, Navara, L-200,… avec un réglage adapté aux besoins européens.

Les détails des produits KING SHOCKS peuvent se consulter au site web official www.kingshocks.com ou envoyer les questions au e-mail ksfrance@kingshocks.com

COMUNICADO KING SHOCKS FRANCE

EL ESPECIALISTA EN SUSPENSIONES OFF-ROAD LLEGA A FRANCIA

KING SHOCKS, empresa dedicada desde hace más de 15 años al desarrollo de sistemas de suspensión profesionales para uso Off-Road, inicia su ventas y soporte técnico en Francia, mediante su distribuidora KING SHOCKS FRANCE. La experiencia adquirida en los últimos años, le hace ser una empresa líder en el sector, por la calidad de sus productos y por las soluciones adaptadas al uso intensivo en competición.

El departamento de ingeniería, se encarga del desarrollo de los componentes y adaptación a las necesidades de cada cliente. Se trabaja de manera continua con los equipos de competición, compartiendo experiencias y mejorando los productos a medida que se incrementan las prestaciones de los vehículos. KING SHOCKS FRANCE dispone de un equipo de ingenieros, que ofrece soporte directo a los clientes de Francia, que podrán beneficiarse de la experiencia y compartir con KING SHOCKS sus éxitos.

Todas las unidades se fabrican en la sede de la compañía en USA, con equipos de alta precisión, cumpliendo con los mayores niveles de calidad  y ensamblados manualmente por técnicos especializados. Independientemente del producto elegido, todos los amortiguadores cuentan con los mejores materiales y la tecnología más avanzada. Cuando se decide usar KING SHOCKS, es para asegurarse que se dispone de los mejores amortiguadores del mercado.

Ahora se puede comprar en Francia cualquier producto KING SHOCKS, incluyendo los productos desarrollados para los modelos europeos: Toyota Landcruiser, Nissan Pathfinder, Jeep Wrangler, Landrover Defender, Mitsubishi Pajero y por supuesto los modelos Pick-Up, Hilux, Navara, L-200,… llevando regulación adaptada a las necesidades europeas.

Puede consultar los productos King Shocks en la web oficial www.kingshocks.com o bien enviar un e-mail con las consultas a ksfrance@kingshocks.com

The challenging Western Australian terrain would be a true test for 90 truck, bike and quad competitors from all over the world in the 2011 Australasian Safari. The safari covers 1600 miles in seven days of challenging stages that traversed a mix of fast graded roads, soft sand, unexpected washouts and rocky riverbeds.

The Team of Steve Riley and John Doble, (2008 and 2009 overall winners), drove a smart race in their King Shocks equipped, 500hp Mitsubishi, Montero. After finishing third in the prologue, the team took the early lead after stage one. Over the next three days they maintained a steady pace that kept them in a solid second place overall. On day five, the team took the lead and stayed out front for the remainder of the safari finishing one hour and fifty minutes ahead of the second place team.

Steve and John know from their experience that you have to keep a fast pace without pushing so hard that you crash or damage the vehicle. The two finished with a few wrinkled body panels after a close encounter with a tree but overall they drove with controlled aggression adding another impressive win to their Australasian Safari tally.

In their first attempt at the Australasian safari, King Shocks racers John Purshouse and Dave McShane marched through the field to finish 2^nd overall. Their self-built Mitsubishi, Triton was completed only a few days before the start, which gave them virtually no time for testing. After finishing 13^th in the prologue, the team showed immediate results. They quickly moved up to 7^th after the first stage and then to 5^th at the end of the first day. Each day they consistently got better climbing to 4^th, 3^rd and then 2^nd on day six. “The only problem we had was when I drove off the road in the first stage,” said John Purshouse, “I was trying to win on the first day and that doesn’t work. After that, I settled down and concentrated on driving neat and making sure we could find our way. I was absolutely ecstatic with the vehicle. The main changes made were to tweak a little more torque out of the engine and install King shocks to handle the rough terrain. We hoped to just finish and if we did, our next goal was to get in the top ten. To go out there and finish second in our first event in something we built ourselves was unbelievable.”

The brutal conditions in the Australian Outback place huge demands on a vehicle and its drivers. You need the most durable and best performing shocks available. King shocks’ highly refined damping technology has been race proven in the harshest environments around the world. That’s why teams who race to win choose King Shocks. When you ride on Kings you will know, there really is a difference. Nothing else rides like a King.

Photos by: Max Sullivan

King Shocks is proud to have played a role in the outstanding victory achieved by the Fab School, General Tire, Ford Raptor team in the 2011 Dakar Rally. If you would have said two weeks ago, that a newly formed American team with a skeleton crew and a shoestring budget would go on to win the Open Production class at the Dakar Rally in a basically stock Ford Raptor, it would have been met with a bit of skepticism. Incredibly, that’s exactly what happened.

With only a few hours of test time on the Raptor, the team set off to Argentina to take part in one of the greatest challenges in motorsports. Nobody dared to dream of a victory, they hoped to merely survive the 9500 kilometer, 14 day event and make it to the finish. As others got lost, broke down or crashed, the Raptor team steadily moved up in the standings to finish 1st in the Open Production class and 40th overall, an amazing result. The win puts driver Sue Mead in the record books for being the first American woman to win her class at the Dakar Rally. The team’s success has also reaffirmed the immense talents and abilities of team manager/ co-driver Darren Skilton and crew chiefs Troy Johnson and Dan Moore. Congratulations are also owed to Media Manager Chris Collard for his tremendous work documenting the epic journey in the most hostile of conditions.

This victory shows what can be achieved by a small but dedicated team of highly skilled people and a reliable vehicle fitted with key components to enhance it’s performance. The secret to driving a stock vehicle at race speeds in such brutal terrain is driver control. You can only accelerate, brake or steer while the tires are on the ground. Your suspension needs to soak up the incredible forces it sees without transferring those forces through the vehicle. The 3.0-inch King shocks provided increased damping control and the precise tuning needed to get the maximum performance from the Raptor’s suspension. Look for the same 3.0 Performance Shocks used on the Dakar winning Raptor to be available as a kit from King Shocks in the near future. When you need performance and durability that is second to none look to King Shocks.

Darren Skilton, co-driver and team manager for the Dakar Ford Raptor team said, “We’ve lost a lot of vehicles in the past three days. It is very, very dangerous out there, especially when it gets dark. People are breaking, rolling, getting stuck, you can hear engines screaming as drivers try to push their vehicles to the limit. We had a rough time the other night. It was about 3a.m. and we’d been trying to make it to a waypoint when we ran into a dozen other teams doing the same thing. The problem was a really steep and loose dune no one could get over. There was no moon and we could not find a way around so we decided to sleep for a while. When we woke up, it was a mess; cars everywhere, a T4 rolled over nearby; it was just crazy.”

During the past year, many months were spent in preparation for this type of challenge. The team considered product selection very carefully. The Dakar Rally requires a huge commitment of time and money. If just one element is compromised or overlooked, it could mean the difference between winning, going home on a tow strap, or worse. Even with skilled and well-disciplined drivers like Sue and Darren, the day-to-day punishment of the Dakar Rally tests the strength of every part on their Ford Raptor. That’s why Team Raptor chose King Shocks. They knew nothing compared to the performance and durability that King Shocks provide. You don’t have to Race the Dakar Rally to take advantage of Kings superior damping control. King builds the same precision, quality and durable construction into every shock we make. When you ride on King Shocks you’ll know, there really is a difference. Nothing rides like a King.

A special Ford Raptor has been built to compete in the famous Dakar Rally. The Dakar Rally traverses 6000 miles of punishing terrain from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Arica, Chile and back over a 16-day event. Except for rest days, the teams race a rally stage every day and then bivouac at the makeshift town that moves along the route each day. The rally tests every aspect of a team, driving, navigation, vehicle construction, logistics, preparation and mechanical aptitude. To win is extraordinary, most teams just hope to finish.

The Ford Raptor’s tough construction and well thought out design makes it a perfect starting point for a race vehicle. The truck was built at The Fab School in Riverside, California for driver and Journalist Sue Mead and Dakar veteran Darrin Skilton who has experience in just about everything related to off-road competition.

The Dakar Raptor is basically stock with some key upgrades to make it race-worthy. Students at the Fab School, under the guidance of instructor and master fabricator Troy Johnson, were responsible for the design and construction. The tubular roll cage inside the cab is a work of art as well as the continuously curved front bumper that fits so cleanly that many might not notice it.

The Raptor is outfitted with all the required safety equipment including radios, Baja Designs lighting, a master electrical cut-off switch that ties into the custom wiring harness made by Patrick Smith at Smithracewire.com, comfy Cobra seats and Crow harnesses. General Grabber tires were chosen for their toughness and extraordinary traction in all types of terrain. The drivetrain was built right by Ford so aside from some goodies from ARB and the Royal Purple fluids, it remains stock.

The suspension is where the bulk of upgrades have been performed. In the front, the stock shocks were replaced by 3.0 inch King Coilovers with remote reservoirs. The coilovers bolt on with minor modifications to the factory upper mount. The Kings were chosen for their durability, adjustability and ease of maintenance. With the Kings, you can adjust the spring rate and preload as well as the internal valving to fine-tune the Raptors suspension. The bigger 3.0 inch diameter shock has a much larger piston to provide greater damping at higher speeds in rough terrain. In the rear, the team has installed a heavy-duty, Deaver leaf spring pack on each end of the factory solid axle and a King 3.0 inch externally adjustable bypass shock with piggyback reservoir mounted to the stock mounts. The 3.0 external bypass shocks allow precise, position sensitive tuning for the compression and extension strokes. Racing for days in remote and challenging terrain, the team wanted the peace of mind that King Shocks provide. They not only offer unparalleled performance but any valving adjustments or service deemed necessary by the drivers or by mechanics Dan Moore and James Fisher can be done in the field with simple hand tools.

Competing in the Dakar Rally places huge demands on a vehicle and its drivers. You need the most durable and best performing shocks available. That’s why the Fab School Raptor team chose King Shocks. King Shocks have been race proven in the harshest environments around the world. When you ride on Kings you will know, there really is a difference. Nothing else rides like a King.

http://www.patrolaventura.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=20828&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Car #438 from China, driven by Jinzhong Zhu and Xudong He, completed the race in 45th place overall. The vehicle is equipped with a TC 05+ Tacoma 4wd LT IFS suspension system and TC rear trailing arms. Car #349, the Chilean team of Jorge Latrach and his son Juan Pablo, piloted their Prado 120 series to finish in 44th place overall running the same front IFS suspension system.

This is a tremendous achievement for these two private funded race teams competing on a fraction of the budget that the factory sponsored VW & BMW programs have during Dakar Rally. With 140 starters, and only 57 official finishers this Dakar race was a true test for the drivers & teams, their machines, navigation skills & equipment durability!

Total Chaos would like to congratulate both of these teams for their accomplishments in completing the 9000 Kilometer 2010 Dakar Rally. They both trusted Total Chaos to equip their Toyota race vehicles for this 14 stage endurance race.

There is a certain type of person who seeks out the road less traveled. They go out of their way to challenge themselves way beyond what most people could or would. Some sail around the world or climb Mount Everest. Others compete in the Baja 1000 or one of the toughest tests of man and machine, the Dakar Rally.

The Dakar Rally, which historically ran from the streets of Paris, France to Dakar, Senegal on the African continent, now starts and finishes in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The course traverses South America from Argentina to Chile and back during a 17 day, 9000 kilometer, torture test. The epic race traverses both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, the Atacama Desert, known as the driest place on earth and crosses the Andes mountain range, twice. It’s just the kind of race that appeals to the engineers at King Shocks. Vehicles running King shocks have raced the Dakar Rally for years but for the first time, King will be there with a full blown T5 class support rig. Class T5 is for full size support trucks. These trucks don’t compete in the race but instead provide all the needed tools, parts and supplies necessary for this type of multi-stage racing. The trucks travel from the start to the finishing area of each day’s stage for the entire race.

King’s Dakar support rig is a Mercedes, Actros, 6X6.  The Actros is powered by a 12 liter turbocharged and intercooled v6 putting out 470 horsepower and 1800 Lb/Ft of torque. The power is then fed through the transmission’s twelve forward and four reverse gears to the three driving axles.  The truck carries 475 gallons of diesel to feed the powerful engine over great distances between stops and rides on King 3.0 smooth bodies with remote reservoirs. Out back the truck hauls the necessary tools and parts needed to tune or rebuild any King Shocks in the field and directly supports two King race teams.

The mobile shop gives King engineers the chance to work with racers in the heat of competition under the most grueling conditions on a wide array of vehicles. The real world data obtained allows rapid progress developing new designs. This dedication to research and development sets King apart from the competition and goes way beyond what other manufacturers offer. King Shocks is proud to bring this level of support to the Dakar Rally.

West Coast Choppers CEO and television personality, Jesse James, along with last year’s SCORE International Trophy Truck Champion, BJ Baldwin, made their German premiere in their Chevy-powered trucks while the Mexico-based team of Gustavo Vildosola represented the Ford badge and our friends south of the Baja border in his No. 4 Mexicana Logistics Trophy Truck.  Las Vegas native and King-Shocks sponsored racer, Brian Collins, was also invited to participate in the Baja Power Days 300 event however, a conflict in his schedule prevented the Mopar-powered Dodge from making an appearance.

As the SCORE Trophy Trucks rolled out of the cargo containers and made their debut on German soil for the Power Days 300 event, there was significant interest amongst the European rally drivers who had never seen these kinds of off-road vehicles.  The field of mostly Detroit-powered muscle made the Trans-Atlantic voyage shortly after the SCORE Baja 500 to showcase their capabilities and engineering while introducing the European market to the uniquely North American sport of desert racing. Former WRC and current SCORE Class One racer, Armin Schwarz, was the driving force behind the coordination of the Germany Power Days 300 event.  Showcasing the technical aspect of the rally cars and displaying the impressive wheel travel (and horsepower) of the Trophy Trucks in one exhibition has been a long time goal of Schwarz’s.

While SCORE vehicles and rally cars both race off-road, the engineering and equipment is very diverse.  For many of the European racers and spectators, this was their first introduction to the massive size and capabilities of the King brand of race shocks.  When asked what he thought about the Trophy Trucks and their suspension capabilities, WRC racer, Gigi Galli commented, “This week was the first time I have ever seen a Trophy Truck and I thought it was huge…..and it is a completely different way of managing and thinking about a race vehicle. We have about 15 inches of wheel travel in the rally cars and I understand the Trophy Trucks have nearly 30 inches of travel.  That is just amazing!” When the contingency event of the Baja Power Days 300 opened to the public, the European spectators were provided with the opportunity to get up-close and personal with the SCORE class of racecars and ask the drivers questions.  Many of the inquiries were regarding the unique suspension set-up and the massive King Shocks.  As the crowds gathered around the desert racecars, it was obvious the sheer size of the trucks and their equipment, coupled with the undeniable sound of a V8 engine was unlike anything they had seen or heard before.

Putting the King Shocks to the test, the exhibition began with each Trophy Truck being matched up with a rally car and running side-by-side on a parallel track.  As the rally cars negotiated their tight and technical course, the Trophy Trucks demonstrated the incredible wheel travel and suspension capabilities on their own Laughlin-style track.  The fans were impressed with the handling and performance of the King Shocks as the Trophy Trucks went full throttle ahead for the massive jumps and powered through the rough terrain of the custom-built race course.

As the exhibition came to a close, the European fans were certainly excited about the prospect of a series that combines rally cars and SCORE vehicles competing in the same event.  The Baja Power Days 300 was a huge success and an excellent platform for introducing the performance of King Shocks and the SCORE Trophy Trucks to the German audience.   As the future of off-road racing becomes more international, look for King Shocks to be an integral part of the growth of the sport and to be a support to all the racers who participate.

Cordoba, Buenos Aires- The Dakar Rally’s debut in South America has proved to be the toughest edition of the off-road classic so far as well as featuring a totally new change. Besides quick gravel stages in which the first leg was completed at an average speed of 88 mph, the long stretches trial-like sections across the Andes with altitudes of up to 15,000 feet were the most treacherous of the route.  King Shocks chose to seize the opportunities of the Dakar Rally to put their new line of OEM Replacement Shocks to the ultimate test.  Gerardo Iribe from the development and tuning department went to South America to prove that King’s new shock systems that an off-road enthusiast could purchase for their daily driver could withstand the worst earth had to offer under the pressures of timed competition.

In the extremely tough test of man and material a team of three Toyota Race FJ’s with King OEM Replacement Shock Systems fielded by Jorge Latrach #464, Luis Eguiguren #465, and Gabriel Pecheira #478 quickly proved to be of the fastest and most reliable vehicles in the stock class.  Gabriel Pecheira claimed the best finish of the three through the 15 stage event, finishing 63rd overall out of the hundreds who started.  For the King Group, the Toyota Race FJs Dakar finishes also marked the continuation of the King development success story. In motorsport, proven King Shock Technology has won at the highest level of numerous racing disciplines and divisions.   This chapter unfortunately does not come with a big trophy or Champaign shower at the finish line, the reward is felt by knowing that King Shocks continues to deliver the very best product available to its customers with proven and tested results.
Look for King Shocks to have a more defined presents in Rally Raid Racing world wide in 2009.