RE: Ferrari P4/5 Competizione On Track
Tuesday 18th January 2011
Last time we saw Jim Glickenhaus's magnificent Ferrari P4/5C competizione racer it was still in a skeletal state. Now, though, the privately funded racer is finally fully clothed, and over the past few days it's even been on the move.
But there's obviously serious work to be done, too, before the car gets to the Nurburgring 24 hours in June - especially if the team wants to take on the corporate might of BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Porsche.
Ferrari P4/5 Competizione On Track
Unique Ferrari racer gets its first shakedown test
The P4/5C has been testing at the Autodromo di Franciacorta in the Lombardy region of Italy for the past few days and, even though there's been a bit of trouble with fog (see pics), it seems that the car's first test has gone well.
Looking at the P4/5C's Facebook page, it seems like Mr Glickenhaus and the whole of the team have been having a whale of a time, too - even if the circuit is too tight to allow the P4/5C to get beyond third gear.
We certainly wish Jim and everyone involved in the project the best of luck - and we hope that you'll be able to thumb your noses at some seriously big-budget machinery come the end of the race...
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Discussion
GPT said:
It'd probably go faster if they took the rice crispies out of the exhaust.Wonderfully bonkers.
Wonderful car! Might have been better testing on one of the bigger circuits, rather than the karting one? www.autodromodifranciacorta.it/
Well... Surely the straight line dynamics will be sorted out in the theory and in sumulations, whereas the cornering is going to be down to feel and very much the drivers perogative... so a go kart track with tight corners surely is not a bad idea... to quote biggles "if you can fly a sopwith camel, you can fly anything"... i think that analagy works here...as if it can get round a go kart track quick...its deffo gonna be able to deal with the Ring. 3rd gear is all your going to need for the tighter stuff! if not 2nd...
Looks like an awesome piece of kit though... but a pretty penny must have been spent on this as well...
Looks like an awesome piece of kit though... but a pretty penny must have been spent on this as well...
Isn't this a first run shakedown? Seems sensible to use a kart track to me - that car has probably never driven a mile, and it's not roal legal, so can't be shaken down easily.
On one of the other vids, they do 1.5 laps, then stop and the mechanics come over etc - much shorter to walk than to e.g have to recover from 1 mile away on a "normal" track.
So many "first shake down" runs last less than 1/2 hour, it's untrue - you find a dead bit you didn't bring to the track (trust me, I've done myself it a few times)...
On one of the other vids, they do 1.5 laps, then stop and the mechanics come over etc - much shorter to walk than to e.g have to recover from 1 mile away on a "normal" track.
So many "first shake down" runs last less than 1/2 hour, it's untrue - you find a dead bit you didn't bring to the track (trust me, I've done myself it a few times)...
"we hope that you'll be able to thumb your noses at some seriously big-budget machinery come the end of the race"
I doubt there will be more than one or two cars racing at the Ring with a bigger budget than the P4/5 Competizione.
That said it is fantastic to see this project coming to fruition - I look forward to watching it race - by the look of it we'll have live English commentary once again this year of one of the maddest and best races anywhere on the planet.
I doubt there will be more than one or two cars racing at the Ring with a bigger budget than the P4/5 Competizione.
That said it is fantastic to see this project coming to fruition - I look forward to watching it race - by the look of it we'll have live English commentary once again this year of one of the maddest and best races anywhere on the planet.
lamby said:
Well... Surely the straight line dynamics will be sorted out in the theory and in sumulations,
Err No think Mercedes taking flight at le Mans! lamby said:
... so a go kart track with tight corners surely is not a bad idea... to quote biggles "if you can fly a sopwith camel, you can fly anything"... i think that analagy works here...as if it can get round a go kart track quick...its deffo gonna be able to deal with the Ring.
Err No again, All those wings, splitters, side skirts and venturi etc rely on air travelling over their surfaces to generate downforce, the more air the more downforce, therefore I'd be surprised if this was much quicker round the cart track than the F430 it was based on (with similar tyres). Considering the majority of tracks have got slightly faster bends than this I doubt you'd want to be setting your multi million pound car's suspension up on a super smooth 2nd gear cart track when you're preparing for the Nurburgring. Somehow I think old Biggles may get a bit overwhelmed flying the Euro fighter don't you think?
lamby said:
Well... Surely the straight line dynamics will be sorted out in the theory and in sumulations, whereas the cornering is going to be down to feel and very much the drivers perogative... so a go kart track with tight corners surely is not a bad idea... to quote biggles "if you can fly a sopwith camel, you can fly anything"... i think that analagy works here...as if it can get round a go kart track quick...its deffo gonna be able to deal with the Ring. 3rd gear is all your going to need for the tighter stuff! if not 2nd...
Looks like an awesome piece of kit though... but a pretty penny must have been spent on this as well...
It's amazing how many people think that the 'ring is a slow circuit. It really isn't. This will have been a shakedown. Making sure the car starts, stops, turns and that the electrics all do what they are supposed to do.Looks like an awesome piece of kit though... but a pretty penny must have been spent on this as well...
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