Alfa Romeo GT ready to make its debut
Fiat Group Automobiles South Africa will campaign an Alfa Romeo GT 3.2l V6 “Squadra Corse” racing car in the Africa Endurance Series in 2015. Local “Alfisti” hailed this as a milestone as the brand has an illustrious history in South African motorsport.
The return to the track is certain to evoke memories of the monumental on-track battles that were fought in the seventies and eighties with names like Arnold Chatz, Abel D’Oliviera and Nicola Bianca, to name but a few.
With the support of ADF Motorsport, the FGA technical team has built the race car in record-breaking time to ensure that it is fully race-ready for its debut appearance at the first event in Port Shepstone on April 11.
Alfa Romeo GT 3.2l V6 racing car
The Alfa Romeo GT has been raced successfully in endurance racing internationally and will form the basis for the local race car.
The use of a motorsport ECU manages the engine allowing engineers to extract maximum performance while monitoring engine and driver statistics.
Certain aspects can be controlled, such as fuel-flow rates, air mixtures, engine timing and altitude compensation by adapting data acquired from the engine.
This then manipulated via Motec software and fed back into the ECU to control engine performance.
A performance-engineered exhaust is also fitted to the car. While adding to the sound of the car this also contributes to the performance gains from the engine.
The transmission, clutch and differential all enjoy motorsport enhancements allowing the technicians to increase power without sacrificing reliability. The updated differential also helps direct the extra power to the front wheels by increasing traction.
Updated brakes include bigger callipers and disks, as well as improved brake-pad friction material adding to the stopping power. Extra cooling air is directed via ducting to the engine and transmission lubricants and to the brakes ensuring that the car can sustain longer periods in a controlled environment.
Safety
The Alfa Romeo GT is fitted with a six-point safety cell. This allows technicians to control the suspension dynamics by setting up a perfect balance using weight distribution and the many adjustments in the race-bred suspension.
The car is also fitted with FIA-approved race seats; the driver’s seat includes head protection in case of side impact.
Teams and drivers
The Alfa Romeo GT will be driven by Theo van Vuuren, John McLachlan, Martin Botha and Bradley Scorer.
