TECHNICAL – BRAKE IT UP

BRAKE IT UP THE COMPANY MOST TRUSTED TO STOP YOU

“Anyone can do simple things, but only a few can handle difficult ones. We have to deal with the difficult ones.” Emilio Bombassei

Braking might not come immediately to mind when you think about motorcycling’s difficult things. After all, we want to go faster, don’t we – not slower. That’s an attitude especially associated with Italians. There is a storythat Ferruccio Lamborghini, having been chided for fitting poor brakes to one of his cars, said that he built cars to go, not to stop. But of course that’s misleading; the faster you can stop, the faster you can go – safely.

It’s only reasonable, then, that the name that is perhaps associated more with sophisticated brakes than any other – on motorcycles, cars, trucks, industrial vehicles and machinery; and even in the aerospace industry – should also be Italian.

Brembo was founded in 1961, when motor cars were coming into reach for much of the population. Emilio Bombassei, the current President’s father, set up a small family-run workshop near Bergamo north-east of Milan. He had a lot of experience in mechanics and metal working, which got the workshop contracts with companies like Alfa Romeo.

In 1964, Brembo demonstrated its expertise by manufacturing the first Italian brake discs, replacing imports from Great Britain. These were initially for the aftermarket. This was quickly followed by other braking system components, and in 1972, the Brembo brand was applied to motorcycles manufactured in Europe. The bike manufacturer was Moto Guzzi.

Brembo quickly became a leader in the market of braking systems for two-wheeled vehicles.

Today, Brembo is a world leader in the design, development and production of braking systems for the OE market, the aftermarket and especially racing.

Today, brand names associated with Brembo include Breco, AP Racing Limited, Bybre, Marchesini and Sabelt, manufacturing everything from brake discs to racing clutches, brake calipers, master cylinders with their associated hardware, wheels and even seat belts.

Possibly the most prestigious customer is down the road in Maranello: Ferrari.

Teams equipped with Brembo brakes have won literally hundreds of car and motorcycle world championships.

The company has factories in Italy, UK, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Spain, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, the USA, Mexico, China and India.

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