Bosch’s advanced bracketless ICON wiper blade is going racing! ICON blades are now poised to take on the rain in Grand American Road Racing throughout North America. Bosch has formed the ICON Wiper Blade Challenge, which is a contingency award program that will provide for the use of Bosch ICON wiper blades under rain racing conditions, as well as the display of the Bosch logo on each side of the race car, plus cash awards.
Bosch ICON wiper blades, with an integrated aerodynamic wind spoiler, are specially suited for high speed driving in wet conditions. This spoiler improves air flow over the blade to create increased down force, applying uniform pressure on the entire blade for superior visibility.
In the ICON Wiper Blade Challenge, each participant in Grand Am’s Rolex Sports Car Series or the KONI Challenge Series will be supplied free of charge with sets of ICON wiper blades as well as $300 contingency for the highest finishing car utilizing the ICON wiper blades. The Grand Am technical team will verify program compliance.
In the Rolex series, several GT (Grand Touring) cars will be running ICON blades and decals at tracks throughout the USA, while in the KONI Challenge, several Grand Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) cars will also run with ICON blades and decals.
“The ICON Challenge program enhances the Bosch involvement in Grand Am racing, where many teams already run Bosch engine management systems, fuel injection, spark plugs, oxygen sensors, braking systems, and other components. The program and its implementation will afford Bosch the opportunity to test the ICON wiper blades the motorist can install on his everyday vehicle under the stress of true racing conditions,” said Wolfgang Hustedt, North American Motorsports Manager for Bosch.
ICON Wiper Blade Challenge registration/order forms are available through Grand American Racing.
Grand American Road Racing Association sports car racing consists of two series, the Rolex Sports Car Series and the KONI Challenge Series. Rolex racing includes two classes of cars, GT (Grand Touring), which are specially built cars with a ‘street’ car body, and DP (Daytona Prototype) cars, which are all-out race cars, which look like it. The KONI Challenge series includes two classes, big-bore GS (Grand Sport) and smaller ST (Street Tuner) vehicles.
The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 272,000 associates generated sales of over 46 billion euros (over $63 billion) in fiscal 2007. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 300 subsidiary and regional companies in over 50 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Bosch spends more than three billion euros each year for research and development, and in 2007 applied for over 3,281 patents worldwide in 2007. The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.
The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.
In North America, the Bosch Group manufactures and markets automotive original equipment and aftermarket products, industrial automation and mobile products, power tools and accessories, security technology, thermo-technology, packaging equipment and household appliances. Bosch employs approximately 25,000 associates in more than 70 locations throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with reported sales of $9.5 billion in fiscal 2007. For information on Bosch automotive aftermarket products visit www.boschautoparts.com.
