Case study

Next-day airfreight saves competition day for racing team

hours from inquiry to delivery

mile journey

ATA Carnet

Ascent’s swift delivery of internal transmission and brake parts secured the racing team’s spot in the following day’s competition, with their logistics manager noting, thank you for helping to make this happen!

The challenge

At 9:00 AM, a leading automotive manufacturer called Ascent with an urgent request. The company needed a crate of critical parts transported from Michigan to Le Mans, France, in time for the next day’s racing event. Without those parts, the team would be unable to compete against more than 30 other racers.

The solution

Ascent’s team immediately began securing airfreight space, even before the exact cargo details were finalized. By the time the customer confirmed the shipment contents, space was already reserved on a same-day flight and a pickup window was set.

The crate was collected by 11:00 AM and en route to the airport by 11:45 AM, leaving little time to meet the airline’s noon cutoff. Thanks to Ascent’s strong working relationship with the airline, an extension was granted and the shipment received priority placement on the evening flight to Paris.

Ascent’s Licensed Customs Brokerage team also prepared an ATA Carnet, allowing the race parts to enter France temporarily without duties or taxes, which kept customs clearance fast and avoided costly delays.

The shipment departed on schedule and, with a six-hour time difference, landed in France the next day to awaiting ground transport. With the Carnet in place and customs pre-cleared, the freight was released by 3:15 PM, reaching the Le Mans track by 8:00 PM and arriving with plenty of time ahead of the morning race.

The result

The shipment traveled more than 4,000 miles in just under 30 hours from the initial call to final delivery. Arriving in time for race day, the customer had the critical parts installed and was ready to compete.

Through proactive planning and close partnership, Ascent secured airfreight space early and managed every leg of transport, staying ahead of the customer’s needs to keep race day on track.

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