ALMOST 50 YEARS AT THE TOP
Intrax is a Dutch manufacturer of high-quality suspension technology with almost 50 years of intensive experience at the highest level of several motorsport disciplines. Intrax designs and manufactures shock absorbers and suspensions for Formula 1 cars, street cars and everything in between. All shock absorbers of Intrax are tailor made, as each set is designed based on the specifications of the car and the wishes of the driver, so truly a ‘custom build’.
THE ORIGIN OF INTRAX
In 1975, Henk Thuis founded White Power Suspension, which later became known as WP Suspension. WP became the market leader in replacement suspension for motorbikes, both road and motocross, and many world championships were won with the suspension from WP.
The name White Power was due to the white colour of the springs. That came from a coincidence: the supplier also made beds for hospitals and they were always painted white. So were the springs, because that was the only colour the supplier had in stock!
Henk Thuis sold WP Suspension in the early ‘90s and eventually the big Austrian motorbike manufacturer KTM became 100% owner of the now-famous white suspension brand. The suspension is now fitted to all their motorbikes and achieves many racing successes at the highest level – even in MotoGP.
Henk’s interest in cars grew in the last years of WP and, after the sales of WP, he was even involved in the development of the WP shock absorbers which were used by Michael Schumacher during his first two F1 world titles. Henk Thuis took a racing course with Joop Donkervoort at the time – in a Donkervoort of course – and all this inevitably led him in the directions of high-quality suspension for cars. Henk Thuis started setting up a new brand together with his partner Claudette Sommers, called: Intrax, which stands for ‘International Traction’. The ‘home-colours’ red, black and white weren’t chosen by randomness – they are similar to the colours used by the successful WP. The official foundation of Intrax was a fact on the first of May 1994.
The ambitious and new suspension brand took part in the big SEMA show in Las Vegas in 1995. Contact was made with a Malaysian company because of a big Intrax booth that was showcased. For years, this Malaysian company was the largest buyer of Intrax springs, which led to the foundation of Intrax. Intrax created a team of professional technicians, invested in new lathes and milling machines, developed new technology, boosted their productivity and expanded their workforce. Intrax quickly made a name for itself with high-tech shock absorbers for racing, rally and street cars.
TEAM WITH MOTORSPORT DNA
In 2015, Henk Thuis felt it was time to pass on the baton and sold his shares to
Claudette Sommers is responsible for the finances, purchasing and planning. Claudette also organised, among other things, the Suzuki Swift Cup on behalf of Circuit Zandvoort at NK weekends and has quite a bit of track experience.
Niek van Sambeek has been strengthening the Intrax team as an engineer since 2007. Niek decided to start working at TNO after he graduated from the Institute of Technology. After half a year at TNO, Niek realised he would be more comfortable at a small high-tech company where he could turn his ideas into reality. Niek is responsible for the technical developments at Intrax.
Donald Molenaar joined the Intrax team as head of sales in 2013. He had already worked a lot with Intrax, since he uses the Intrax dampers himself when he is driving on the circuits. Currently, Donald has nine title on his name as a coureur. Donald is responsible for the marketing, sales and circuit/track support.
Marcel van Vliet is investor and made the purchase of Intrax possible in 2015. He had been well acquainted with Intrax for many years, having raced for many years and then participated prominently in the Dakar Rally 11 times in cars and trucks.
What we do
Intrax operates domestic and abroad with currently approximately 25% in the Netherlands and 75% abroad, including countries outside of Europe. Intrax suspension is standard fitment on renowned sports car brands Donkervoort and Radical. In addition, Intrax has built 52 race cars for the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup and 51 cars for the Mazda MX-5 Cup which, of course, are also fitted with Intrax shock absorbers.
Although the race and rally sport have driven many of our technical developments, Intrax nowadays increasingly makes suspensions for street cars and classic cars. Not only for owners of sportscars who want to take their suspension to the next level, but also increasingly for owners of classic cars who want their classics to drive as well as possible. This all while maintaining the original look, as Intrax builds high-quality suspension technology to order in authentic-looking housings.
Every suspension kit we deliver is customised, which means suspension optimally tuned to the desires of the customer and car. Moreover, Intrax shock absorbers can always be readjusted and also be fitted with upgrades.
Besides suspensions for every type of car imaginable, Intrax also makes shock absorbers for other vehicles and industrial applications. This ranges from the seats of speedboats to conveyor belts in factories, and from agricultural machinery to crane cabins and even the balancing weights of tall chimneys. Again, the common feature is the face that all of it is custom built.
Intrax has moved into a newer, larger and energy-neutral premises in Oss since January 2020. Customers can also come to the Intrax factory for shock absorber fitting and the alignment and weighing of their cars. Feel free to drop by and experience the added value of our shock absorbers during a test drive with one of our experts!
