Beginners

TECHNOLOGYGT Car IllustratedLet’s take a look at the differences between SUPER GTcars and production cars to find out what modificationsare made to GT carsCOCKPITThe cockpit is a driver’s compartment. It isentangled in roll cages to protect thedrivers from being injured and the car seatis custom fitted for each driver to achieveoptimal fit and comfort. In very hotconditions, some machines have thecockpit which will be air-conditioned tokeep the driver cool during the race.DRIVERTo ensure drivers’ safety, the best wayfor protecting them are a helmet as wellas a HANS (Head and Neck Support)device to disperse the impact on headand neck into the whole shoulder.Driver clothing is required to be flameretardant so as to offer protection inthe event of a fire.ENGINEThe success in races depends on howgood the engine gets tuned for gainingcompetitiveness. Every team gives one ofthe top priorities to the enginedevelopment. In 2014, GT500 underwenta major change in the engine to bestandardized to 2-litre turbochargedinline-four (the NSX CONCEPT-GT,though, is allowed to come with a hybridsystem). In GT300 class, cars built to theJAF-GT300 regulations are free to mountany engine from the same manufactureras those of the base chassis, and themounting position, location and orientationare also unrestricted. Whereas the FIAGT3 cars are more strictly regulated andhave no such flexibility in the engines.Using Common TechnicalRegulations to German DTMGT 500 ClassFor the 2014 season onwards, all the GT500 class cars use thesame monocoques (main chassis) as those used in the Germantouring car race DTM. Many other components now have thesame basic specifications. As the next step of theinternationalization of SUPER GT, a joint race with DTM is beingplanned.BODYWhereas production cars are made of steel andaluminum, SUPER GT racecars, which aim for gaininghigher speeds, use lighter, sturdy carbon-fiber in thebodywork. This means that racing vehicles weightapproximately 80% of production cars.10