As the name suggests carbon fibre has been at the core of our operations here at Carbonwurks since our inception back in 2009! It’s remarkable strength, lightweight nature, and versatile properties have made it commonplace within automotive and motorsport industries alike. Carbon fibre first featured in Formula 1 back in the 1970s and since then, much like all successful racing technologies, has filtered down to performance road cars. From decorative interior trims to full carbon tub applications carbon fibre can be found throughout mass production sports cars, exploiting not only its unique and exotic appearance but its significant strength and rigidity resulting in unrivalled looks, performance and safety.

Aerodynamics form a large part of the development of competition cars and has resulted in a range of components engineered to improve or interrupt undesirable airflow across or around a vehicle, the most mainstream of which being spoilers and splitters. The term spoiler refers to an additional lip or wing mounted to the rear of a car designed to reduce lift and turbulent air whereas a splitter is a front mounted lip intended to increase downforce. Both available as fixed or adjustable parts these not only help to provide that race car look but will help to increase stability at high speed and generally improve handling characteristics.

Necessary for both safety and the security of lightweight or composite panels, bonnet pins and panel fasteners have a home on any competition car and can prove a worthwhile modification for your track car. Designed to allow access from the outside of the vehicle bonnet pins can significantly reduce response time when attempting to extinguish an engine fire, by completely replacing the factory latch system external bonnet catches negate the need to open the bonnet from inside the car and are far less likely to become inoperable as a result of extreme heat. There are a number of styles available and for non-competition cars lockable options also exist, these products can also be used to secure the boot lid/tailgate of the car for the purposes of ease of access or weight reduction. There are both surface mounted and flush fitting solutions available, the choice of which comes down to cost and personal taste.

For vehicles on a strict diet there are a number of products available dedicated to securing lightweight or single skin panels where the factory mounting systems may no longer be suitable. Products range from more classically style leather or rubber straps to functional ring pins or more modern and aerodynamic flush fitting solutions, for fixed panels that don’t require opening there are various quick release options available from push-button securing pins to ¼ turn, self-ejecting fasteners.

As a track car becomes more and more dedicated it’s likely that cockpit heating & ventilation will have become compromised or even removed altogether, with this being the case you the driver are likely to encounter a couple of difficulties whilst working hard behind the wheel – increased cockpit temperatures and misting up of the windscreen/windows. It’s common for air-conditioning systems to be disabled or removed to reduce mechanical drag and shed weight, coupled with the fitment of fixed plastic/polycarbonate windows limited factory ventilation remains which is where aftermarket, competition derived scoops & vents can help you remain cool, calm and collected. A variety of options are available from roof mounted scoops to pop-out vents for fixed windows that will channel cool air into the cockpit and towards the driver, if window misting is an issue then a compact heating unit or an inline blower motor is the solution.

A small modification that you hope never to need but is required for all track days/circuit use and is mandatory in competition is towing loops/straps. It’s often overlooked by track day newcomers that it is necessary to make provision for recovery in the unfortunate event that you should need to be towed from track. Whilst this can be in the form of the factory towing eye this is only designed for temporary use so if you’re looking to make it a permanent fixture on your track car then a towing loop or strap is for you. Available in a variety of colours, lengths and styles they still allow for an element of customisation and can often easily be installed in conjunction with a vehicle specific adapter to the factory towing point. If you’re considering competing with your car then you would need at least 1 steel towing loop front and rear as a minimum and in a contrasting colour to make them obvious.

Often seen as a signature feature of a race or competition car, plastic windows offer both performance and safety benefits when compared to the factory glass. Available in a variety of vehicle specific kits it’s possible to source off-the-shelf window replacement solutions for the majority of cars both old and new. Whilst window kits are a very cost-effective way to achieve that race car look and feel, alongside the real-world performance benefits, it is important to remember that certain windows such as windscreens or fixed side windows will require professional installation as they are bonded to the bodyshell. It’s not all doom and gloom though as there is room for customisation when it comes to competition windows, typically they are offered with a choice of pop-out or sliding vents with tinting options on top of that!

Manufacturers regard polycarbonate as the optimum material choice for window replacement, this is because at 250 times the strength of glass it boasts considerable robustness in the event of a crash. It is also significantly stronger than other acrylic derived plastics such as Perspex. Other particularly desirable qualities of polycarbonate are that it is shatter resistant meaning that, unlike glass or other plastics, it will bend or crease long before it bursts into sharp shards as well as being lightweight. At 1.21kg/m³ it has a mass density of less than half that of glass offering significant weight reduction and, due to its positioning in the car, lowering the centre of gravity.