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Sure Bet: Loctite Will Win at Indy

14 May 1998

Sure Bet: Loctite Will Win at Indy; Every Car has 70 Applications

    INDIANAPOLIS, May 14 -- No one can predict the winner of the
Indianapolis 500.
    Usually, more than half the 33 cars that start the Memorial Day classic
make permanent pit stops due to accidents and mechanical problems.
    But one thing is certain: Loctite will take the checkered flag as
500,000 race fans cheer the winner of the 82nd annual event on May 24.  It's
an easy call, because every car that has qualified for the race for the past
26 years has been assembled with Loctite high-performance adhesives, sealants,
and coatings.
    All Indy cars roll onto the 2.5-mile track with some 70 Loctite
applications throughout their powerful engines and in gearboxes, suspensions,
hydraulic systems, electronic controls, driver cockpits, and frames.
    An Indy racer is one of the most high-powered four-wheeled vehicles in the
world, with power-to-weight ratios 15 times that of passenger cars.
Components like brakes can reach temperatures surpassing 500 degrees during a
race.  Gear shifts happen in milliseconds and the whole car must work at full
pitch for 500 miles.
    As they sweep around turns and rocket down the straightaway at speeds up
to 225 miles per hour, these cars cannot afford to have any leaks or loose
fasteners.  Every part is custom machined to military specifications.
    To withstand these incredible stresses, screws are coated with Loctite
threadlockers, and metal components are impregnated with Loctite resins to
seal off leaks.  Loctite chipbonders and thermally conductive silicones
provide adhesive strength and control heat buildup on the 30 or more
electronic sensors riding in each car.
    Upon arrival at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, race teams receive cases
brimming with tubes and containers of Loctite threadlockers, lubricants and
cleaners.  During practice and qualification rounds leading up to the race,
pit crews are frequent visitors to the Loctite service center in Gasoline
Alley where company experts provide technical support and product
replacements.
    "There is no more demanding test lab than the Indy 500 to prove your
applications have the right stuff to survive any environment," said Matt
Donelan, automotive marketing manager for Loctite Corporation.
    "When the winner wheels into Victory Lane at this year's race, the real
beneficiaries will be car buyers," Donelan said.  "The modern American
automobile has more than 200 Loctite applications, and most of them proved
their mettle at the Indy 500. "

SOURCE  Loctite Corporation