Origins of EXE-TC
Founded by Graham Gleeson in 1994, EXE-TC is a consultancy and manufacturing firm based in the United Kingdom, with a sole focus on producing the best chassis and suspension products possible. EXE-TC's first major success came with developing rally suspension for the 2001 Championship winning team Prodrive, and the iconic Subaru S7 WRC. EXE-TC then developed suspension for the Citroen Sport team. In all totaling nine WRC championships between 2001 and 2010.
Since then, the Company has gone from strength to strength, developing competitive and performance enhancing suspension systems for Porsche, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Ford, as well as bespoke projects for many other vehicles.
Graham personally developed an enviable reputation amongst motorsport engineers for his intuitive and unconventional approach to car set up, and getting the best out of any car and driver. The company carries his passion for developing the best performing suspension, with the highest quality components.
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Graham
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The founder of EXE TC, Graham Gleeson, was born in New Zealand in 1953. He died suddenly on the 22 August 2013, while out jogging. He was married to Julia, who has now taken over the management of EXE-TC, along with his son, Luke.
His motorbike racing career started in his native New Zealand, and won the NZ Sidecar Championship in 1980. In 1981 he moved to Exeter, and from there he contested the European Sidecar Championships from 1982 to 1987.
While he was racing, and preparing his sidecar outfit, he used the facilities at Exeter University to enhance its performance, and at that time developed his knowledge and understanding of suspension and its significance in a race set up.
Having retired from racing, he looked around for other challenges, and in 1990, embarked on the trip of a lifetime, travelling in a rally from London to Peking on a late 1940’s BSA M21 motorbike and sidecar. This was at a time when China was just beginning to open up.
Graham's Philosophy
Graham was one of the first motorsport suspension engineers to persuade many teams, including F1 and Rally, that the suspension was a much neglected part of the car, and was almost more important than horsepower in improving performance.
He demonstrated that by controlling the damping, using the energy in the spring, the corner speeds could be dramatically improved, producing quicker lap times. "Controlling load changes, and keeping the tyre in contact with the road are what help".
His philosophy was based on two basic principles: the importance of driver confidence, from maximising mechanical grip together with improved chassis balance; and the importance of ensuring that the suspension enables the tyres to do the best possible job.
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