GT4 cars are closely matched
Balance of performance test at Dijon
A new era of GT racing begins...
The series kicks off on the 5-6 May at Silverstone during the Tourist trophy event and will support the FIA GT championship.
"Incredibly, all cars were perfectly matched," said Pascal Witmeur, the GT4 European Cup series manager for SRO. "After running for two days in ideal and equal conditions, there was hardly anything between any of the cars -- they were all within the same half a second! Kurt Mollekens, our test driver, carried out several runs of variable duration on new Pirelli tyres, and the performance between the cars was matched every time. So we're now going to freeze the tech specs of the cars which all offer an approximate 3.5 kg/hp power-to-weight ratio. This is really proof of the GT4 concept and we're now ready to go racing".
Stéphane Ratel, the Chairman of SRO Motorsports Group added: "We really wanted to launch the series this year as there was a clear demand from teams and competitors for a series combining a cost-effective format with upscale GT cars. The performance of the cars at Dijon testifies to the fact that the concept, based on GT3, is safe and sound. This first season will provide everyone with an opportunity to put things in motion and I believe we'll have an impressive grid of cars by the time we reach the last race of the series scheduled at Nogaro".
A Porsche Cayman and a Nissan 350Z should be out in time for Silverstone, with a Lotus Exige and Audi TT also in the pipeline for later in the year.
Over the years these have changed, yet Porsche has stuck with the GT3 name. Simple marketing from their side as put 1,000 in the room and tell them you are buying a GT3 and those that don’t look at you like you’ve just messed your pants will almost to a person assume that you are talking about a Porsche just as surely as they would assume it were a Maclaren if you said you’d bought an F1.
The rules of the game have changed as the cars have evolved and Porsche aren’t about to change their classification to match the current set of regs.
Getting back to the point at hand, GT1 as we knew it in the late 1990’s is as dead as Groupe 5 too many people taking the micky with the regs and adhering to the letter, just, but not the spirit of the regs meant that it had to go with spiralling costs. With this dead the cars that had previously been designated GT2 were now the top dogs and so became known as GT1 (sort of like what happened with Division One and the Premiership).
Today’s GT2, GT3 and now GT4 operate as, to my eyes, a clear ladder of progression for GT cars. Just as we used to have with F3, F2, F1 before the name changes there.
I do not know the ins and outs of the regulations for all of these but as each class progresses the number and scale of the deviations from the specification of the standard road car increases, as does the requisite production numbers of these cars.
Cheers
Rob
GT3 does not have rules like that as such, basically you make a car, then submit it for approval, assuming you don't get other backs up (re:Moslel!) then you get to take it for parity testing, then jobs a carrot - assuming you are a manufacturer (or have their backing)
But they let the ASCARI in. Which sets a precident, and Klaas said that they are only going to make a handful of the Ascari's, where Mosler will make as many as people want to buy, and hearing of the order book, that was quite a lot. Which is what really p'd off the "Grand Marques" like Ferrari/Aston/Jag/Ford/Porsche (should read Fiat/Ford/Ford/Ford/VW), so they objected and came up with a change in the rules before the Mosler was submitted for approval.
As for a Mosler on the road, just as practical as a Zonda, or a Koeningssssegsegsegseg, or similar totally impractical alleged road cars, if not more so. It's revolutionary design makes it a benchmark for durability and driver/passenger protection. I bet it'd score well in a Euro NCAP test.
With all cars being fuel injected these days, you can equalise them simply with an air restrictor based on the weight of the car. And limit the amount of fuel that a team can use in a race. If it has to breathe through a pinhole, it'll not produce mega power. If it produces megapower, it'll run out of fuel before the chequered flag. If it's got a mega downforce wing, that takes horsepower to pull it through the air, it'll run out of gas!
Personally, I'd rather see unbridled tuning within limits, and then fuel restrictions and weight limits. Let's see these GT's strut their stuff. And a Mustang ain't a GT. It's a bloody shopping car with a big hairy engine and 1950's technology in the suspenders department (should be fun!).
I don't know where you get the idea that VW control Porsche - especially seeing as Porsche own 30% of VAG now and have just had to file a take over bid.
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