SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/680178
energy into building exhaust systems and mufflers to make competitors go faster," said Borla. "It's all about the laws of physics, research, and development. Some of our success comes from the type of stainless steel we use, too. Not everyone in the exhaust business uses the grade of material we do (T-304), which we learned is the most durable of all the other alloys." "Some of the aftermarket has resigned to use the cheapest materials because the typical buyer doesn't know any better. But the enthusiast or racer market wants something that works best, and materials are a big part of that." When it comes to desert racing, Borla has etched a name for themselves with teams like Terrible Herbst and the Geiser Brothers, who race SCORE exclusively with Borla systems. At the same time, many other teams also use Borla systems, on their race and chase vehicles too. "The biggest part of selecting a muffler system for example is finding one that can hold up to the rigors of desert racing," said Borla. "Durability is a huge thing for these guys running Baja, where they might be flat-out over an extended period of time. Our Multi-Core Technology allows us to build a system that deals with noise and performance specifically. This technology is part of our racing line called XR-1," he said. Borla agreed with the others that desert racers want something to quiet the vehicle and to limit driver fatigue, where they can "sneak on another racer and then blow past them." In the end, that seems to be every racer's objective. In general, the exhaust industry speaks highly about the use of computer modeling to create these innovations in exhaust systems. What once would take weeks to build, now can be modeled in a computer first before going to the prototype stage. "It's not 100 percent of our business model yet, but computer technology does get things down much faster than before," Borla said. "Knowing the correct diameter of exhaust that works best for desert racers still takes time to figure out, but now with computer modeling, using the right materials and working with our partners in the business, the process is more streamlined," said Borla. "This makes it much better for racers and shows when they make it to the finish line first." SJ WHEN IT COMES TO DESERT RACING, BORLA HAS ALSO ETCHED A NAME FOR THEMSELVES WITH TEAMS LIKE TERRIBLE HERBST AND THE RPM OFF-ROAD, WHO UTILIZE THE COMPANY'S XR-1 MUFFLERS FOR THEIR RACE VEHICLES. 072 SCORE JOURNAL PHOTO COURTESY BORLA