Experience in motorsport, especially Formula 1, as well as premium, tuning and special vehicles
Less weight, stiffer body, better performance
Implementation of orders within the shortest possible time
Lightweight and stable composite components have become indispensable in racing and the automotive industry. We have been producing Formula 1 components for the Sauber team for a long time. We have also gained a lot of knowledge and a broad wealth of experience in composites applications over the years in other racing series as well as in premium, tuning and special vehicles. This means we can meet the highest requirements for products and processes in the shortest possible time – individually and certified.
Our expertise and technologies in the use of composite materials enable us to offer industry-leading solutions specifically tailored to the needs of high-performance vehicles and racing cars. Here we present our key areas: from tailor-made development and manufacturing to comprehensive support and optimization.
Managing Director, Connova Deutschland GmbH
Thomas Leschik combines automotive research with many years of composite serial manufacturing. His diploma thesis at TU Dresden already addressed chassis components for the BMW 7 Series in hybrid lightweight design (top grade 1.0). Over more than a decade at CarboFibretec – latterly as Managing Director – he then took responsibility for developing and producing demanding CFRP components, including intelligent lightweight structures with integrated microelectronics. Several of his 42 patents relate to mobility propulsion applications – for example a fully integrated e-bike with a transverse flux machine under 12 kg. For performance-oriented automotive and racing projects, his further strength is taking highly loaded CFRP parts into reproducible series production with micron tolerances.
Why you benefit from his expertise:
„In automotive it is not the spectacular one-off that matters, but economical, reproducible scaling. That is exactly where our engineering starts – with the ambition to make every part as light as possible, as robust as necessary and as efficiently manufacturable as feasible.”
— Thomas Leschik, Managing Director, Connova Deutschland GmbH
Through the innovative use of composite materials, we are revolutionizing the automotive and racing industries. Our advanced racing and sports car components offer an unbeatable combination of lightness, strength and durability. They significantly improve the aerodynamic properties and thereby contribute to a significant increase in fuel efficiency and overall performance. Through these technological advances, we are setting new standards in the world of motorsports and performance-oriented automobile manufacturing.
In close collaboration with Porsche AG, the Connova Group has developed a composite heat shield for the Porsche 918 Spyder that can withstand operating temperatures of 350°C. The activities included the material definition, the development of a special high-temperature coating on the composite surface that is suitable for withstanding the extended endurance tests, the tool design for series production of at least 1000 manufacturing cycles per component as well as the entire process development up to full series maturity and support during series production.
The Connova Group is a long-standing partner of Formula 1 and impresses with its reliable and precise production of a wide range of ready-to-install components. Thanks to a high level of vertical integration (tooling, composites, assembly, painting), we can also meet very short delivery times and guarantee process security even with frequent short-term changes.
The Connova Group also masters the weight or aerodynamic tuning of sports cars. For example, we are responsible for the complete carbon conversion of the Porsche Turbo 997 into the Sportec SPR1. From mold making to components to painting for the production of small series, our small team of specialists realizes every customer request.
The Connova Group has been supporting ETH’s successful “Formula Student” team as a technology partner for years. The aim of the commitment to the electric racing car program is to show and convey the latest composite technologies to the AMZ team.
Since its founding, the Connova Group has been developing and building structural components as well as high-temperature and aerodynamic components for Formula 1. As the use of CFRP in this area is becoming increasingly widely accepted in the automotive industry, the Connova Group is increasingly working for leading OEMs and large suppliers to the industry. Every year, the Connova Group invests in even more efficient production facilities in order to continuously keep the processes at the cutting edge of technology.
