EDL join WAM as Devlopment Partner

WAM has appointed Engine Developments Ltd., better known by the brand JUDD, as the design partner to continue the development of the WAM engine range. Building on the strengths of the existing WAM design skills, this has brought a wider range of skills and experience to ensure that the WAM engines are world class products.

Engine Developments Ltd. has been in the business of race engine design, development and maintenance for over 20 years. The company has grown from a small engineering firm to its current status as one of the principal suppliers of race engine technology and support to the motorsport industry. Past and present customers of the company include: Honda, Yamaha, Mazda, Toyota, Nissan, and the Williams, Lotus, Tyrrell and Arrows F1 teams. With over 10 year's recent experience in Formula 1 from 1988, the company is well known for its innovative design engineering and its ability to provide a cost effective service to its customers.

John Judd and Sir Jack Brabham started the company in 1971 to produce their own competition engines, having previously worked together on the Repco Brabham F1 engines. Since then, Engine Developments has grown in size from a handful of people to the current 38 employees.

These are highly skilled and dedicated people with many years of experience in the design and manufacture of racing engines, combined with graduates and technicians with more experience of the latest in new computing and engine technology.

With over 30 years of competition engine design experience at the highest level, and using the latest in 3D modelling software EDL have the capability to design simple components or complete engines. In recent times customers include large OEM's as well as small engineering businesses, and EDL pride themselves in their ability to produce simple but effective designs in a cost effective manner.

All JUDD engines are designed completely in-house, and EDL led the world in terms of competition engine design by producing the first ever F1 engine to weigh less than 100kg. This was achieved through intelligent and ingenious design, rather than substituting conventional materials for exotic and expensive ones.

EDL have the latest in FEA software which EDL use to complement their design experience and analyse any new component prior to manufacture. This enables them to simulate loadings for each component and predict failure modes.

The current 18,000 sqft factory was purpose built in 1990 and officially opened the following year by Sir Jack Brabham and a number of F1 drivers, including Mika Hakinnen, who was driving for the customer Lotus team at the time. It is therefore a modern and well equipped facility with the latest in computer technology and facilities. The air conditioned open plan office and workshop offers a pleasant working environment in which cleanliness is considered of paramount importance. The workshop area is split equally between engine build and test and the machine shop, with Inspection and Stores facilities dividing the two.