In a few years’ time, Heli Racing has formed a completely permanent team of pilots, technical crew members, and a group of volunteers who support them. Together, the team has gained a lot of experience on track with excellent results. 

Since the 2016 season, the team has set the bar a lot higher. They have invested in a faster car that combines the advantages of their current fuel-efficient diesel engine with the performance of a fast touring car. With this car, they will return to the Belgian Gentleman Drivers Club (BGDC) and Belcar’s Belgian Endurance Championship, a 24-hour resistance competition. 

The cars: 

- BMW 120d Motorsport: Built by BMW Motorsport to participate in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), this car also participated in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). 

- BMW 120d Cup: Once built in the Netherlands to participate in the Dutch Diesel Cup, the team has adapted this 120d for endurance races. With this car they have already earned numerous podium places in the British Racing and Sports Car Club (BRSCC) and in Belcar’s Tourisme Pro class (second place in the class in 24 hours at Zolder 2014).

Customer Challenge

The Heli Racing car, a BMW 120d, incorporated a manifold made with two Injection Molded half-parts of PA6 material glued together. This manifold was a standard industrialized part from BMW that did not meet the requirements for racing purposes. The manifold would burst during the race because the glue joint between the two half-parts was not strong enough to resist pressure and thermal conditions.

Customer Solution

Using 3D scanning methods and reverse engineering, the manifold has been replicated digitally, and improved with some technical adjustments.  

The manifold was 3D printed in just one part to prevent problems with glue sealings.  

The 3D printed manifold performed very well during the race, where it withstood a pressure of 3 bar and temperatures of up to 80 ºC. 

Thanks to this success, the team is considering improvements to up to five more parts of the car using 3D printing with HP Multi Jet Fusion technology.