Everything about Ice One's high-tech racing trailer!
Structure, professionalism and high-tech appearance. These are key words that define it Rockstar Energy Husqvarna IceOne team of F1 legend Kimi Raikkonen typifies. This season, the Finnish-Belgian formation is once again pushing the boundaries. In Matterley Basin, the team of Pauls Jonass and Arminas Jasikonis presented an impressive new racing trailer!
An aquarium for one, a super clean racing lab for the other. You can argue about tastes, but the appearance of their new mobile workshop was never what IceOne was all about. The Iveco Gregoor tractor and the van next to the extendable trailer look familiar, but this setup is a lot more compact than before.
Compared to the old two-trailer structure, the new layout is quite cramped for two riders and a small hospitality area. “It is much more compact and we even have to look for a new way of working,” explains team manager Antti Pyrhonen. But for the overseas competitions we have work areas of about ten by five meters for two riders. We can do our work there, so why not here?”
45 days of time savings
Similar extendable setups have previously been found in the MotoGP and Superbike paddocks. Yet Pyrhonen did not rush into the development of this project. “We tried to find a way to keep the infrastructure at the same or even higher level, but save man hours,” the Finn noted. “The MXGP calendar is long and with many overseas races which forced us to think about how we can save time as a team. Previously, we had the entire racing staff on site on Thursday morning for a GP. That was necessary to build everything in one day. While our focus is actually on the real work in the workshop in Lommel, or during training and testing with the drivers.”
The EO-type Expandable Trailer on which the Rockstar Husky MXGP mobile workshop is based is 13,6 m long and has a floor space of 62 square meters. The time to set up in particular convinced the team. The truck driver ensures that the high-tech trailer is ready for use in twenty to thirty minutes at the touch of a button. Thanks to the built-in hydraulics. Taking into account the travel days gained for the technicians, the profit is enormous. “I have calculated that we will gain forty-five to fifty 'man-days' in this way, which we can invest back in the work in the workshop,” says Antti.
Dutch know-how
To realize this technological tour de force, Pyrhonen turned to the Dutch Expandable Trailers. The innovative trailer builder from Eersel, founded in 2015, is a spin-off of trailer rental specialist Becx Verhuur. Owner Michiel Becx himself has a heart for motorsports. With Becx Competition he finished 16th in the Dakar in January. Although in the truck rankings, but also with Iveco. In his case the Trakker! Despite Expandable's experience, it was a race against time to get everything ready in time for the first MXGP.
“We started quite late last fall, I must say. This meant we were quite close to our deadline,” Antti explains. “He was 80% ready for the first GPs. Thanks to the break in the calendar after Valkenswaard, we were able to finish everything.” The clinical, white appearance of the new IceOne trailer provides a great contrast to the muddy conditions during many competitions. So to speak, such as in Matterley Basin and Valkenswaard. “It's still motocross and we have to accept that it will get dirty,” laughs Pyrhonen. “I am happy, so are the mechanics and drivers, just like our partners. Of course it is brand new and with everything new you have to look at the technical side. We will need a few GPs before everything works perfectly.”
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing MXGP team will still have a separate hospitality truck for certain GPs. It is also clear that the team has made great strides in recent years from this clip showing the 2013 race trailer. Now that Kimi “Iceman” Raikkonen has raised the bar in the MXGP, the only question remains whether more teams will follow.
Tekst: Adam Wheeler, Tom Jacobs
Photos: JP Acevedo, Expendable Trailers
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