The Situation

SRZ Racing, a Supertruck team based in New South Wales, Australia, has been competing on the Australian National Truck Racing Organization (ANTRO) circuit since 1989. While they had seen moments of success, they were constantly looking for ways to boost performance and win more races.

When Brett Howe from Donaldson Australasia introduced SRZ to Donaldson's wide range of performance-enhancing products, the team was eager to learn how filtration technology could help them gain a competitive edge.

The Challenge

While their driver, Stephen Zammit, was among the best on the circuit, SRZ faced hurdles in their quest for championships:

  • The SRZ truck weighs 5 tons and has a 1,250 hp diesel engine
  • Severe equipment strain, one lap of Supertruck racing is equal to 2,000 km of on-road driving, a 6-lap race is like driving from Sydney to Los Angeles
  • Mechanical failures had forced early exits from races
  • Contaminated diesel fuel, often sourced from uncovered 205-litre drums, impacts the performance and reliability of SRZ’s high-performance engines.

To reach their ultimate goal — winning both the Trans-Tasman Truck Racing Championship and the Australian Super Truck Championship in the same year (a feat never before achieved) — SRZ needed:

  • An increase in power
  • More speed
  • Enhance the durability of their truck engines

The Solution

After a thorough review of their operations, SRZ made the smart decision to go "all-in" with Donaldson's premium filtration solutions.

The upgrades included:

  • Donaldson Blue® air filters for better engine protection
  • Transmission and engine oil filters to enhance system reliability
  • Breather systems to safeguard critical components
  • Bulk diesel fuel filtration systems to ensure that only clean fuel enters their trucks

These improvements were specifically chosen to withstand the punishing conditions of Supertruck racing, where performance and reliability are equally critical.

We haven’t changed a lot. But we put Donaldson on and we are now 1.5 seconds per lap quicker.

Stephen Zammit, SRZ Racing Team Driver

The Result

The transformation was nothing short of spectacular:

  • Zero product failures across the entire 2013 season
  • SRZ finished every race
  • Cooler transmission lines proved to be an enormous advantage
  • Lap times improved by 1.5 seconds per lap, that’s an eternity in the world of Supertruck racing
  • Historic victory — SRZ won both the Trans-Tasman and Australian Super Truck Championships in the same year

In the highly competitive yet friendly world of truck racing, secrets do not stay secret for long. SRZ’s success was so impressive that even sceptical competitors took notice, with additional teams reaching out to Donaldson to explore similar upgrades.

Since then, SRZ Racing has continued its winning ways, capturing additional championships in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, proudly supported by Donaldson’s premium filtration.