Fribourg, Switzerland, 2020-10-20: YCOM and Bcomp have today announced the successful crash-test of a natural fibre Front Impact Absorbing Structure (FIAS) - the first of its kind. Designed by leading advanced technologies expert YCOM and using high performance ampliTex™ flax fibres from sustainable lightweighting specialist Bcomp, it proves that natural fibres can play an important role for structural- and safety critical parts.   Initial crash tests show excellent results and desired crash behaviour The test proves the concept and opens the door for structural applications of natural fibres in motorsports Benefits include lower CO2 footprint, viable end of life options, and no sharp debris

With sustainability ever higher on the agenda, Porsche Motorsport launches Cayman 718 GT4 CS MR featuring a full natural fibre bodywork kit developed with Swiss firm Bcomp. The car premiered at the legendary Nürburgring 24h race on 26th-27th September and will be run by Porsche customer racing team Four Motors.   Thanks to the powerRibs™ technology, the natural fibre parts cannot only match the performance of traditional monolithic carbon fibres, but also offer additional key benefits: Sustainability: 75% lower CO2 footprint and viable end of life options Cost reduction: up to 30% lower material cost Safety: ductile crash behaviour without sharp shattering

We are extremely proud and excited to collaborate with McLaren Racing on pioneering the use of #sustainablelightweighting in Formula 1.   “Not only does this solution provide equivalent performance to carbon fibre, it represents another step forward in our evolving sustainability programme, while underlining our commitment to helping F1 turn its ambitious sustainability strategy into action.” – Andreas Seidl, Team Principal McLaren F1.   And the best about this, it is just the beginning: Read the full article on McLaren Racing's page