TOKYO, — Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce that the NR22 brake caliper for endurance racing has received the Red Dot Award 2023 (organized by Red Dot GmbH & Co.KG of Germany) and the iF DESIGN AWARD 2023 (organized by iF International Forum Design GmbH of Germany).
The NR22 has received four design awards, following the FY2022 Good Design Award (organized by Japan Institute of Design Promotion) and the International Design Excellence Awards 2022 (organized by the Industrial Designers Society of America).
The Red Dot Award and iF DESIGN AWARD, along with the International Design Excellence Awards, are the most prestigious design awards, regarded as “the world’s top three design awards,” and the NR22 has achieved the triple crown with winning all three.
The award-winning NR22 is a disc brake caliper for endurance racing that pursues an excellent balance between weight reduction and high durability. With a shape optimized by structural analysis, the caliper body component achieves a 7 percent*1 reduction in weight, while also achieving high durability, thereby realizing directness of brake operation.
With a mirror-finish surface, the brake caliper is protected from radiant heat and can continue providing drivers with a stable brake feeling even under the high-temperature conditions found during endurance races that continue over long periods of time.
Reduction of automobile weight is a key element that influences such factors as dynamic performance and fuel consumption. For brake calipers used in racing, high durability is required as well as reduced weight. Achieving a balance between these at a high level will also contribute to enhancement of driver feeling.
This expertise is based on technology Akebono has cultivated in motor sports including Formula 1 and World Endurance Championships and has been put to effective use in creating a new method of structural analysis that works to achieve an excellent balance between durability and lightness of weight while also realizing a caliper body form styled according to the functional beauty of the racing car.
About the Design Award
On October 7, 2022, Akebono announced that the NR22 had received the Good Design Award. This is the first time that an automotive brake caliper has received the Good Design Award . On the same day, Akebono also announced that the NR22 was selected as a Finalist in the International Design Excellence Awards 2022 in the United States.
Reference: 「Akebono’s NR22 Brake Caliper for Endurance Racing Wins FY2022 Good Design Award and Selection as Finalist for International Design Excellence Awards 2022」
