MOTOR

100 march 2015 motormag.com.au

disadvantaged. So we were able to put
the transmission on the rear axle and
move the engine back,” says Gush.
“And then, of course, you can place
components around the car where you
want. So the [lightweight] battery is
placed in the interior low down,
the fuel tank is low down toward
the rear, all aiming for 50:50
weight distribution.”
Rather than try and police
parity through extensive
technical regulations like
Formula One, the FIA-developed
GT3 rules that underpin the
Blancpain Endurance Series do the
opposite. They liberalise the framework
to give manufacturers a window large
enough to modify their cars to a certain
level of performance.
With Bentley’s GT3 fighter needing to
last three-, six- and 24-hours at a time
for the Blancpain Endurance season,
most components were replaced during
relocation. The road car’s eight-speed
automatic unit was swapped for an Xtrac
six-speed sequential gearbox, to act as
the transaxle (GT3 is rear-drive only),
while a carbon fibre propshaft bridged
engine to transmission.
The suspension used the same regime.

The Continental’s front wheels were
pushed slightly forward to increase
wheelbase length while new
double-wishbone arms and fully
adjustable Öhlins dampers at
each corner were tasked with
sealing 310mm-wide Pirelli
slicks to tarmac. And, to reign it
all in, six-piston front and four-
piston rear Brembo calipers were
paired with iron discs.
However, all the engineering in
the world wouldn’t have helped if the
driver didn’t have the talent to exploit
it. And with gentleman drivers being at
the core of GT3 racing, driver aids were
employed. “We have various levels of
traction control and ABS intervention.
That’s how [GT3] differs from other
series. It allows you to get gentleman
drivers in the car and cope with the
conditions,” says Gush.
All these freedoms – huge brakes,
wide slicks, radical diets, and a plethora
of top-shelf racing components – help

manufacturers build around a car’s

flaws. The FIA then holds something

called the balance of performance test

before a season, to let it fine tune each

GT3 car’s ability more precisely,

allowing heavier, or less ideal, road

cars to compete with faster ones.

For the balance of performance

test every manufacturer’s

GT3 car is driven on track

by the same driver and its

capability documented, before

being modified to align its

performance with a benchmark.

This happens through changes to

weight, aerodynamics, wheel width,

ride height, fuel tank capacity, boost

pressure or air intake restrictor size.

It’s this inclusiveness that attracted

Bentley to GT3, not wanting to run

up costs or cross Porsche and Audi in

prototype sports car racing, before it

announced a return to motorsport in

2012. It’s also central, Gush reckons,
      to the quality of competition. “[The
      regulations] allow manufacturers to
      change their car, to make it a competitive
      package on the track, and that’s why the
      racing is so close.”
      With the balance of performance
      equalising every car’s ability, and

the technical rules affording an easy

homologation, there’s no incentive for

manufacturers to go silly spending

resources on development.

Today, GT3 seems to satisfy

everyone involved. It’s a huge

global market for manufacturers

(over 18 GT championships

currently feature GT3 cars),

a proper GT category that’s

accessible for privateers, and a

vibrant road-car based competition

for fans.

But it is not without detractors. Bentley

would have little hope competing with

McLaren, Ferrari or Audi without the

balance of performance. Some purists

berate this democratisation of speed.

With slower cars being given fewer

restrictions, and faster ones given more

of them, it stifles true innovation – a

core motif in prestigious categories like

Formula One.

Erase the system, however, and you

could say goodbye to the sport’s varied

458

ITALIA

GT3

Active years:

2011-present

Biggest 2014 win:

Bathurst 12 Hour

Engine: 4.5-litre V8

Power: 373kW

Chassis:

Aluminium

Weight: 1250kg

Cost: €395,000

GT-R

NISMO

GT3

Active years:

2012-present

Biggest 2014 win:

Silverstone Pro-Am

Engine: Front-

mount, 3.8-litre V6

twin-turbo

Power: 373kW

Chassis: Steel

Weight: 1300kg

Cost: €295,000

FERRARI

NISSAN

IT’S A HUGE MARKET – OVER 18 GT

CHAMPIONSHIPS FEATURE GT3 CARS

Thanks to tight racing,

liberal regulations

and relatively

low costs, GT3

racing is incredibly

popular with both

manufacturers (above)

and fans (below)