On the limit

Nowhere else are car parts dealt with so mercilessly as in professional motorsport. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. Stéphane Kox can talk about that.

It’s not for nothing that NAPA, an auto parts giant in the USA and now also active in Europe, puts so much energy into motorsport. Motorsport is the perfect testing ground for parts testing. And quality is crucial. Because your race is over if it breaks. And that’s the last thing you want. That is why the choice for Stéphane Kox as ambassador of NAPA car parts is a logical one. As a racing driver and motorsport reporter, she knows what she’s talking about.

The whole package has to be right

“Autosport is a wonderful interplay of man and machine. Extremely high demands are made of the equipment because you are almost constantly driving at the limit. Quality then makes the difference between winning or dropping out,” says Stéphane. She herself has often experienced this during racing. “The Zolder circuit in Belgium, for example, is very demanding on the brakes. I rode a 24 hour race there. If your brake discs and pads are the very best, you can win the race with them, even if someone else has more engine power.”

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But Stéphane takes it a bit wider. “You can’t do it with just one excellent part, it’s a whole. The whole package has to be right and of the same high standard. Because the combination of man and race car is only as strong as its weakest link, and it is important not to have a weakest link.”

Also for your own car

In the Netherlands, NAPA carries fourteen product lines with car parts for passenger cars. From batteries to wiper blades and from shock absorbers to distribution sets. The American parts giant supplies tailor-made products for the European market and underlines this with a generous three-year warranty. That gives you confidence that the quality of the parts for your proud possession for the public road is also good.

With its arrival in Europe, NAPA has also embraced motorsport in our continent. NAPA is active with a team in the leading British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). In home country USA, NAPA is clearly visible in NASCAR and Indycar.

Before Stéphane goes wild on the Midland circuit, she has one more valuable addition when it comes to quality. “Quality in parts is of course not just about ‘as quickly as possible’. If it stays intact, it’s just safer, and that’s even more important.”

party time! Watch below the Driver’s Challenge of Stéphane Kox and ex-pro cyclist Tom Boonen from Belgium on the Midland circuit in Lelystad.

Check out what NAPA has to offer when it comes to auto parts.