I <3 (HEART) LEANDERS CLUTCHES

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (February 17, 2009) – Valentine’s Day weekend was no time for wives or girlfriends for Jeff Prock, Bob Malek, Todd Tutterow, and the WYO Motorsports team as Jorgen Leanders flew in from Alfta, Sweden for the first U.S. testing session of the Leanders Clutch.

Prock and Leanders have a dozen years of working together on various projects. “It was important for Jeff to come testing with us because he is a big part of our efforts in the United States. Also, we wanted him to learn, firsthand, the characteristics of our clutch,” explained Leanders.

Tutterow and Leanders met at the 2008 PRI Trade Show through Bob Malek of Friction Unlimited. It was here that they began talking about opportunities to work together. After several overseas calls, it was decided that Tutterow would be the right choice for U.S. testing. His Pro Mod bona fides are without question and Leanders knew that results would be consistent and reliable.

Testing began on Friday at Farmington Dragway. After the third attempt at a clean run, Leanders confidently predicted one more pass would be needed to have the set-up in place. True to his boast, Tutterow had a successful pass with a 4.077. In all, eight runs were made, with valuable knowledge gained on each.

Saturday was spent servicing the Brad Anderson powerplant of the yellow C5 Corvette. While everything under the hood was fine, as expected, the sweetest part of the day was the condition of the rear main bearing.

If a clutch lacks rigidity, the first place that it will be revealed is in the rear main bearing. It is typical for layers of material to be worn away in as little as one run down the dragstrip. However, after eight runs the previous day, no wear or tear was evident.

On Sunday, the caravan headed to Piedmont Dragway for additional track time. The lanes opened shortly after noon and when Tutterow pulled his chutes, he had just completed the first 3-second pass in the 52-year history of Piedmont Dragway – and on DOT tires no less! His elapsed time of 3.950 at 196.7 mph came on a conservative clutch set-up.

“ It is still light, I don’t think we are pulling on it hard enough,” Prock was overhead saying to Leanders.

With a better idea of what the track could take, Leanders, Prock, and Tutterow decided to be more aggressive with the lock-up setting. Tutterow was pulled back to the staging lanes and he blistered the track with a 3.909 at 198.15 and an awe-inspiring .955 60ft.

As the day drew to a close, the track getting cold, and the sun sinking low, Tutterow, Malek, Prock, and Leanders agreed the data showed much more was available.

“ I love this clutch. I am not taking it out. We are going to the ADRL event in Houston with it,” said Tutterow with a grin.

The Leanders brothers, Jorgen and Ulf, are two-time European World Champions in Top Alcohol Funny Car. In 2006, they set out to create a clutch that would be more rigid and stable – a better mousetrap, so to speak. After completing the design, they began the process of getting SFI approval. They are the only clutch manufacturer outside of the United States that SFI has ever approved. In 2007, they received that most important accreditation and began testing the clutch on the track.

After some minor changes from the original design, the clutch debuted in the United States at the December 2008 PRI Trade Show in Orlando, Fla. Interest was high as the clutch is easily recognized to be a quality piece. The clutches are made from the strongest aluminum that SFI has tested. The levers and pins are heat treated tool steel. The discs are from the specialty clutch disc manufacturer Friction Unlimited of Mooresville, N.C.

“ The biggest advantage that our clutches offer is in the floater and stand design. We spent countless hours on our computers and our clutch dyno for maximum success. We know that we have produced a design that racers will immediately recognize as a performance improvement,” stated Leanders.

The clutches are available in lock-up or standard configurations. In fact, the clutch has been designed to allow the customer to convert the same unit back and forth with just two bolts and a lever.

The Leanders brothers have reached an agreement with Jeff Prock of Applied Nitrous Technology for his assistance with technical questions and distribution for all U.S. customers. His extensive knowledge of Pro Mod cars will enable him to answer questions for a wide spectrum of customer applications. To place an order or for additional information, he can be reached at 423-921-9540 or via email at www.appliednitroustechnology.com.

Additionally, Dennis Zeckser of DZE Clutch Surfacer in Wilmington, Ohio has been contracted to service the clutches for all US customers. His many years of experience with NHRA Pro Stock clutches made him the obvious choice for the Leanders brothers. All resurfacing and servicing will be done in the United States. He can be contacted at 937-486-4000.

To reach the Leanders’ directly, please contact them via their website at www.leandersclutch.com. A short technical bulletin with photos is available in pdf format on their website.