GO, GO, GO! FERRARI AND NGK TO MAKE F1 SPARKS FLY FOR 3 MORE YEARS

The long-standing technical partnership between world-leading ignition and sensor specialist NGK SPARK PLUG and Formula One’s most successful constructor Scuderia Ferrari has been extended for a further three years. The agreement means that this year, Ferrari’s advanced F1 engines will have been sparked with the help of NGK ignition technology for 23 consecutive years.

The leading ignition and sensor specialist – which this year celebrates its 23^rd season as an official supplier to Scuderia Ferrari – states its close collaboration with the legendary Italian race team is going from strength to strength. “We are extremely proud that the world’s most iconic racing brand continues to put its trust in NGK SPARK PLUG to help it top the standings in the next three years,” confirms Damien Germès, Senior Vice President at NGK SPARK PLUG EMEA. “NGK and Scuderia Ferrari first teamed up in 1996, and since then our two brands have forged a strong relationship founded both on world-leading technologies and the will to win! It’s very exciting to have the chance of contributing to even more Scuderia Ferrari wins. We wish the team every success!”

As an official supplier to Scuderia Ferrari, NGK SPARK PLUG provides the engineering team with advanced technical expertise and develops parts of the tailor-made, high-performance ignition technologies demanded for each race car produced in Maranello. In the new 2018 F1 season the SF71H engine has already been steered to early podium success by drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen.

Luigi Fraboni, Head of Engine Trackside Operations at Scuderia Ferrari, has warm praise for NGK’s expertise and approach. “We greatly appreciate the quality of NGK’s work, and their flexibility in finding and developing new ideas together to meet our technical challenges – often at very short notice. We need to do a lot of used parts analysis to achieve these fast response times, and to implement new development strategies quickly. It’s a relationship that is based on respect, and open, honest communication.”

Meeting the exceptional demands of race car engines is a technical challenge that pays dividends for all customers and motorists, explains Damien Germès: “Motor racing is the toughest test bench for future ignition developments, both on the track and the road. Designing a spark plug that guarantees rapid-fire ignition under the much higher sparking pressures of today’s race engines, regardless of extreme driving vibrations and temperatures, is a huge challenge. Ultimately however that knowledge benefits all our Original Equipment and Aftermarket products. Precious metal and semi-surface spark plugs are just two of the technologies that began in motorsports but are now common original equipment in our cars, bringing a range of driving and environmental advantages.”

The 21-stage, 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship season opened on 25 March in Melbourne, Australia, and finishes on 25 November at Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi.

About NGK SPARK PLUG: Worldwide: NGK Spark Plug is one of the leading automotive and technical ceramics suppliers, with its corporate headquarters in Nagoya, Japan and sales organisations and production facilities all over the world. The automotive side of the company specialises in the fields of ignition and sensor technology, supplying Original Equipment and Aftermarket customers across the globe. Its product portfolio for the Aftermarket comprises spark plugs, glow plugs, ignition coils and leads under the NGK Ignition Parts brand, whilst oxygen and temperature sensors, NOx sensors, mass air flow (MAF) and manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensors operate under the brand NTK Vehicle Electronics. With more than 14,500 employees, the company’s automotive and technical ceramics activities generate a total annual turnover of around 3.1 billion Euros worldwide. NGK Spark Plug is represented on all continents and has 41 group companies, 24 production plants and five technical centres. Aftermarket EMEA: NGK SPARK PLUG has seen significant growth across the Aftermarket since expanding beyond motorcycle parts into the automotive sector in the 1970s. With an outstanding commitment to quality, technology and research & development the company has become the world’s number one in spark plugs and oxygen sensors, and a leading provider of glow plugs, ignition coils and leads as well as further sensor technology. Organisationally NGK Spark Plug’s regional headquarters in Ratingen, Germany serves the Aftermarket across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In the EMEA region – which currently represents 32% of NGK´s global turnover – the company has ten group companies and more than 800 employees, as well as two production plants in France and South Africa and a technical centre in Germany. For more information please visit: www.ngkntk.com

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Marcel Aßmann, Specialist PR & Event, Aftermarket EMEA, NGK SPARK PLUG Europe GmbH Harkortstr. 41, 40880 Ratingen, Germany, AG Duesseldorf HRB 43118 Tel: +49 (0)21 02 974 152 E-mail: m_assmann@ngkntk.de