ORAFOL enjoys material role in Arise GT Racing success
A week-long collaboration between the teams at ORAFOL Australia and Arise Racing GT provided a rare opportunity to experience what ORAFOL describes as ‘the extraordinary engineering, technology and precision involved in maintaining some of the world’s most sophisticated GT racing machines’.
What began as an exciting weekend of racing at Sydney Motorsport Park, Eastern Creek, developed into a seven-day experience that brought together motorsport, customer engagement, technical innovation and hands-on collaboration. ORAFOL Australia joined its partners from the Western Australian-based Arise Racing GT (ARGT) team for the GT World Challenge Australia race weekend, enjoying the opportunity to watch the high-performing Ferrari 296 GT3s in action, also bringing key customers AW Signs and Boomart along to enjoy the event.
WA-based customer LIFTOFF Solutions were also in attendance throughout the race weekend, keeping a close eye on both the Radical Cup Australia Series and the GT World Challenge Australia race series, with vehicles in both categories that LIFTOFF Solutions and ORAFOL are involved with.
But the real high-performance experience was still to follow, as the teams moved from the Racetrack to the ORAFOL Creative Hub. Kris Pratt, ORAFOL Australia ANZ Technical Manager, says: “The opportunity to enjoy a week-long technical collaboration with the Arise Racing GT team was a next level experience for myself and our team. One exercise saw us measuring the weight of the PPF applied to the vehicle, demonstrating the importance of selecting materials that provide effective surface protection while minimising additional weight. For example, the complete front bumper PPF template weighed just 151.4 grams, highlighting the extraordinary attention paid to even the smallest technical details in competitive motorsport.”
The Arise GT Racing cars arrived at ORAFOL Australia late Sunday evening and by Monday morning their technical crew had commenced their post-race strip-downs, inspections, maintenance and repairs. Almost overnight, the ORAFOL Creative Hub was transformed into a professional GT3 motorsport workshop. Throughout the week, the ORAFOL team worked alongside the Arise Racing GT crew, gaining valuable insights into the technical demands of professional motorsport and the importance of performance, reliability and attention to detail.
Pratt himself was directly involved in several workshop activities, including assisting with repairs and developing customised paint protection film (PPF) templates for the Ferrari 296 GT3. This hands-on involvement equally provided an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the technical capabilities of ORAFOL products in an environment where performance, precision and weight are critically important.
Alex McLelland, Executive Vice President Asia Pacific for ORAFOL, adds: “For ORAFOL, this type of opportunity represents far more than brand visibility on a high-performance race car. It is a chance to come together with partners and customers, united by a shared passion for motorsport. The weekend helped our team to learn more about how our products perform – or need to perform – under the most demanding conditions. Beyond the Ferraris themselves, you can also see our products being used in the garage and pit areas, as well as on the team’s transport vehicles, demonstrating the breadth of our range and giving people tangible references rather than just product sheets.”
Pratt adds: “Seeing our products and materials in situ, on the cars and support vehicles and talking through specifics with the people who specify and apply them, added real substance to our customer relationships. From the racetrack to the workshop, this sort of collaboration reflects ORAFOL Australia’s commitment to innovation, technical excellence and our desire to be seen as more than simply a material supplier. We aim to be a trusted partner, working alongside our customers to create value and deliver solutions.”
