Every now and then, a certain technology comes along that changes the game completely. The invention of the light bulb, the advent of the jet engine or GPS navigation have all moved their respective fields much further down the line. Now, in the world of motorsport seats, Sparco have introduced something that changes the way you look at your next race seat, QRT.
Short for Quick Resin Technology, Sparco QRT has taken the standard fibreglass race seat manufacturing process and significantly improved it to manufacture a seat that is closer to the characteristics of a carbon fibre seat.
But how is this possible? Well, read on!
In the past, the art of constructing something out of fibreglass involved laying a sheet of glass fibre matting over a mould, applying a layer of sealing resin and repeating until you reach the desired thickness for the amount of strength required.
The trouble with this particular process is that it is very much a hand made process and, as such, leaves the door open to a degree of variation in terms of the amount of resin used and how the glass fibre is laid out. This can lead to differences in structural rigidity as well as weight, meaning that it is very difficult to make two seats the same.
Through a more streamlined manufacturing process, Sparco have managed to improve the way in which the fibreglass matting and resin is applied to the mould. This means that they have been able to reduce the amount of resin used in each seat which, in turn, has resulted in an overall weight reduction.
This new lighter weight is so significant that Sparco have stated that it guarantees a reduction in total weight of up to 30% when compared with seats made in the traditional manner. As an example, the popular Pro ADV seat weighed 12Kg in its standard form. Now, the new QRT version weighs a staggering 9.3kg!
Having a much lower weight is obviously very preferable when you are looking to prepare a race car, but what this means is that you can now have a fibreglass seat that is very close to the weight of a carbon fibre seat. But the best bit? You don’t have to pay carbon fibre seat prices! So, not only is the weight significantly reduced, the price is still at the same level as a standard fibreglass seat.
The other advantage of improving the manufacturing process is a greater consistency across each seat made, so you can be sure that you are getting the best quality seat possible. Not only this, it has also allowed Sparco to better improve the fit for the driver, so that you can sit more comfortably than ever.
Sparco have slowly introduced QRT over the last couple of years, but now, for the 2020 season, QRT has been extended across the full range of fibreglass seats. This means that everyone can now benefit from this fantastic innovation and start enjoying lighter race seats, without the significantly lighter wallet!
Check out the video below that shows some of manufacturing process and some of the benefits of the QRT range of seats.