SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1543401
IN THE ZONE Bilstein Returns To Its Baja Roots With Its Black Hawk Program By Dan Sanchez Photos Courtesy Bilstein USA During the early days of Baja racing, Bilstein wanted to break into the American market with its German-built, high-pressure monotube shocks. They teamed up with Class 5 Baja racers, Doug and Don Robertson, demonstrating that the shocks were a dominant factor. Soon, many off-road racers were using Bilstein shocks, and many races and championships were won. Although Bilstein continued with competition-style shocks, it shifted focus to the OE market, but over the past several years, the company has turned its attention back to Baja racing and began its Black Hawk program for UTV racers. The Black Hawk shocks are a significant change to the company’s race program. The shocks are highly sophisticated and proving successful in terms of capability, reliability, and gaining race wins and championships. To find out more about the Black Hawk shock program and its development, Bilstein’s Austin Dvorak, Sr. System Development Engineer, Shane Casad, Head of Product Management, and Chelsea Leap, Marketing Manager, provided answers to several questions about their return to Baja racing and the Black Hawk shock development. SCORE Journal:With a great history of the company in SCORE racing in Baja during the early years, what brought Bilstein back to desert racing competition? Chelsea Leap: BILSTEIN has always had desert racing in its DNA. The early SCORE and Baja successes helped establish the brand’s reputation for durability, consistency, and engineering excellence under extreme conditions. • The Robertson brothers and the Bilstein Bug introduced the company into off-road racing back in the 1970s Photo by Jack Wright nMedia3 What brought BILSTEIN back in a more focused way was a combination of technology readiness and opportunity. Over the years, BILSTEIN continued to refine monotube damper technology, materials, and valving strategies through OEM, motorsports, and off-road development. As off-road racing, especially UTV racing, grew rapidly in both performance level and visibility, it became clear there was an opportunity to apply that deep engineering knowledge to modern desert racing again. The Black Hawk program represents a return not just to racing, but to using racing as a development platform, where lessons learned directly influence production and aftermarket products. SJ: Bilstein’s high-pressure monotube shocks have been great performers both on daily-driven vehicles and off-road. What was the driving force for bringing the Black Hawk design into your product categories? Shane Casad: The reason Bilstein entered the UTV market with Black Hawk shocks is that we offer a revolutionary, patented technology called Zone Control. This position-sensitive damping system is significantly more effective than traditional internal or external bypass designs. Zone Control integrates an internal, hydraulic two-stage bump stop—known as the Jounce Cut Off (JCO)—along with an internal hydraulic rebound “top-out” stop called the Rebound Cut Off (RCO). Unlike internal or external bypass systems, Zone Control delivers exponentially greater damping control at both ends of the shock stroke. This makes it an ideal solution for UTV applications, as it packages advanced performance into a single coilover shock assembly. The result is a clear advantage for the driver: improved bottom-out control for higher-speed capability, while also providing a noticeably smoother and more comfortable ride. • Additional adjustments to low and high speed rebound and compression are capable with the Black Hawk shocks Additionally, as the UTV market continues to grow, we believe Zone Control technology would be an excellent addition to an OEM damper package offered directly from the factory. By proving our performance and durability through UTV racing, we aim to build credibility and generate interest at the OEM level. In addition to offering custom-tailored UTV race packages, we have also developed a line bolt on recreational Black Hawk packages for popular sport UTV models. This would include Can Am X3, Mav R, and Polaris RZR Pro R, Pro S, XP1000, and Turbo S. SJ: The inner workings of the Blackhawk have various valve stacks for Jounce Cut-Off (JCO) and Rebound Cut-Off (RCO )controls. How do those work? Dvorak: I think the easiest way to think about this system is that it has auxiliary dampers within the main damper. When the JCO and RCO are engaged, the oil flows through the additional JCO and RCO pistons, which adds damping force to the already existing force created by the main piston. The position of JCO and RCO engagement are determined by the length of the JCO system and the height of the RCO return spring. •The Bilstein M9400 universal coilover shocks feature five tuning zones, with internal JCO and RCO so no limit straps are needed SJ: Unlike other racing shocks, Bilstein has internal bump stops. How do those work, and does this eliminate the need for external hydraulic bump stops and limiting straps? Dvorak: The JCO system could be looked at as an internal hydraulic bump stop. Other than being located internal to the main damper, the other major difference is it has two stages over the entire engagement length. This means that a little more than halfway through the JCO engagement length, the force produced by the JCO increases for the remaining travel of the shock. In some cases, this could eliminate the need for external bump stops, but that depends on the characteristics of the vehicle you have. The RCO system is there to prevent the damper from pulling itself apart and prevent harsh impacts when the damper reaches full extension. Again, this could eliminate the need for limit straps, but this also depends on the characteristics of the vehicle you have. SJ: The Blackhawk shocks have numerous adjustments for high and low speeds, etc. Can you explain how they work? Dvorak: For the typical 4-Way adjustable Blackhawk UTV damper, the Low Speed Compression, JCO, and Rebound adjusters are all adjustable orifice circuits, controlling the amount of oil allowed to bleed through the adjuster. The High Speed Compression adjuster manipulates the characteristics of a valvestack by adjusting preload. • Zone control JCO is also adjustable on Black Hawk shocks SJ: For a race team or an off-road enthusiast, how do they go about making adjustments for their particular application? Is there a starting point? Dvorak: For application specific Blackhawk UTV dampers, they are sold with specific tunes and adjuster starting points out of the box for a more stock vehicle configuration. These settings are developed by BILSTEIN ride engineers for each vehicle application. Once on the vehicle, the end user can follow the damper instructions to understand how to increase or decrease damping to their liking Significant weight changes or vehicle modifications may require tuning changes to valvestacks and/or springs. Such changes require expertise in damper service and tuning, which would typically be performed by BILSTEIN or a qualified service center. For race-specific applications, BILSTEIN offers services to help develop a starting point, as well as assist in damper tuning. • Bilstein Black Hawk shocks are used in SCORE competition with race-winning results SJ: Speaking of applications, are Black Hawk shocks available for more than Polaris and Can-Am UTVs? What are some of the newest? Leap: Yes, while Polaris and Can-Am were the initial focus due to their dominance in the UTV market, the Black Hawk platform has continued to expand. Newer applications include Kawasaki H2, Honda Talon, and Segway Super Villain, race-specific builds, and custom configurations for professional teams. Beyond UTVs, the Black Hawk technology has also influenced the performance of BILSTEIN’s direct-fit aftermarket suspension systems for everyday vehicles. The new B8 8112 Black Hawk line, currently available for the Ford Bronco and Toyota Tundra, delivers a true taste of Baja-level control, capability, and confidence on any off-road trail or daily driving commute. Expansion is guided by market demand, and where BILSTEIN can deliver a clear performance advantage rather than simply adding applications for volume. • Aside from UTV applications, Bilstein Black Hawk shocks are also available for vehicles like Toyota Tundra (system shown), Ford Bronco, and more SJ: The Black Hawk shocks seem to do everything (and maybe more) than electronically controlled shocks. Is there a reason why Bilstein has not moved into that market, or will it eventually? Leap: BILSTEIN’s approach has always been performance first. The Black Hawk platform demonstrates that a properly designed mechanical damper, with position sensitivity, staged damping, and well-engineered adjustability, can deliver exceptional performance without the added complexity of electronics. Electronic systems introduce additional variables such as sensors, wiring, software, power requirements, and environmental vulnerability, which can be liabilities in harsh off-road racing conditions. For many racers and serious enthusiasts, reliability, predictability, and serviceability are still paramount. That said, BILSTEIN does have extensive experience with electronically controlled damping applications. Whether or not that technology expands further into our off-road aftermarket products will depend on where electronics genuinely add value without compromising durability, rather than adopting them simply because they exist. SJ: What other new technologies can off-road racers and enthusiasts expect from Bilstein in the near future? Casad: We will continue to refine the current Black Hawk, Zone Control four-way adjustable design, and add new features to further enhance performance. If an OEM becomes interested, it’s possible we could introduce a Black Hawk shock with electronic capability. While the exact progression remains to be seen, rest assured, Bilstein is committed to staying at the forefront of UTV racing suspension. SJ: Bilstein has had great success with racers such as Kaden Wells, Brian Deegan and others. How are those relationships working, and what do you get out of working with racers? Leap: These relationships are true partnerships, not just sponsorships. Racers like Kaden Wells provide real-world feedback under the most demanding conditions possible, pushing components far beyond what typical testing environments can replicate. From BILSTEIN’s perspective, working closely with racers accelerates development. Data, feedback, and on-course observations help engineers refine valving strategies, durability improvements, and adjustability ranges. At the same time, racers benefit from direct access to BILSTEIN’s engineering expertise and support. The result is a cycle where racing improves the product, and the product helps racers perform at the highest level, which ultimately benefits everyone from professional teams to weekend enthusiasts. SJ • Racers such as SCORE Pro UTV FI Champion Kaden Wells, provides great feedback with championship results