Alfa makes a racing come-back

off-my-wheelsBrian Joss –

Fiat Group Automobiles South Africa, importer of Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Fiat Professional and Abarth vehicles in South Africa will campaign an Alfa Romeo GT 3.2l V6 “Squadra Corse” racing car in the Africa Endurance Series in 2015.

The resumption of local racing with the head office supported Alfa Romeo Motorsport is being hailed by “Alfisti” as the premium brand has an illustrious history in South African motorsport.

The race ready Alfa GT. Picture: QuickPic.
The race ready Alfa GT. Picture: QuickPic.

The return to the track is certain to evoke memories of the monumental on-track battles that were fought in the 70s and 80s with names like Arnold Chatz, Abel D’Oliviera and Nicola Bianca, to name a few.

FGA’s previous foray into motorsport locally dates back to the Alfa Romeo 147s that were campaigned by the company in 2007 and 2008 and the brand’s heritage has been maintained right up until today by enthusiastic classic car racers.

With the support of ADF Motorsport, the FGA technical team has built the race car in record-breaking time to ensure it is fully race-ready for its debut appearance at the first event in Port Shepstone on Saturday April 11.

Alfa Romeo GT 3. racing car 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 the 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 data is then manipulated via Motec software and fed back into the ECU to control engine performance as required.

A performance engineered exhaust is also fitted to the car which also contributes to the performance gains from the engine.

The Alfa Romeo GT is fitted with a 6-point safety cell that is integral to the safety of the occupants. This allows the technicians to control the suspension dynamics by setting up a perfect balance using weight distribution and the many adjustments in the race-bred suspension. This rigid structure stops any flex in the chassis allowing the shock absorbers to do all the work.

The car is also fitted with FIA approved race seats; the driver’s seat includes head protection in case of side impact.

The Alfa Romeo GT will be driven by Theo van Vuuren, John McLachlan, Martin Botha and Bradley Scorer.

All drivers are required to hold an MSA Regional circuit license and a minimum of two drivers must drive the car during the race for the entry in events exceeding 90 minutes.

Share Button

About southcapenet

Adding value to my domain hosting and online advertising services.
View all posts by southcapenet →