2013 Silverstone Classic ( 300hp beats 500hp !)
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2013 10:30 am
As been deprived of these beautiful Alfa touring cars in South Africa I thought it would be my only chance to see four of them in action all together in two races over the weekend at Silverstone . Thanks to Steve for organising the trip , accommodation and introducing me to the drivers as they are his mates . I took quite a lot of pics which created some interest in the technology and restrictions the cars were governed to .
What was very interesting as discussed in other topics was how simple it was for a 300 hp Alfa 156 to beat a 500hp Ford Cosworth . When I thought it was maybe the driver I was corrected as their were four of these Cosworth that were racing . The 156 of Neil started middle of pack so it had to work its way past these cars . What was very apparent is the Alfa could put down all its power and shift through that sequential box without even tapping off through twisties while you could see the rS500 drivers feathering it through the corners . By that stage the 156 was long gone .
Their was also a big difference in pace between the 1999 156 SuperTouring compared to 2002 156 S2000 . This obviously due to the rules governing at that time . Ie the 1999 156 had 300hp , weighed 975kg , bigger brakes , engine placed further back and a six speed sequential box . The 2002 156 had a single throttle body , weighed 100kg more and engine was ahead of the steering rack as in standard car .
So for me it was a real education in development of handling , braking and ability to put power down through bends with minimum steering deflection ( trick differentials) that beat raw power . Gonna post a whole bunch of pics which include adjustable front and rear Antiroll bars from inside the car .
First. Pics of cars that were there .
Link of one of RS500 Neil passed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzrkXmB ... ata_player
What was very interesting as discussed in other topics was how simple it was for a 300 hp Alfa 156 to beat a 500hp Ford Cosworth . When I thought it was maybe the driver I was corrected as their were four of these Cosworth that were racing . The 156 of Neil started middle of pack so it had to work its way past these cars . What was very apparent is the Alfa could put down all its power and shift through that sequential box without even tapping off through twisties while you could see the rS500 drivers feathering it through the corners . By that stage the 156 was long gone .
Their was also a big difference in pace between the 1999 156 SuperTouring compared to 2002 156 S2000 . This obviously due to the rules governing at that time . Ie the 1999 156 had 300hp , weighed 975kg , bigger brakes , engine placed further back and a six speed sequential box . The 2002 156 had a single throttle body , weighed 100kg more and engine was ahead of the steering rack as in standard car .
So for me it was a real education in development of handling , braking and ability to put power down through bends with minimum steering deflection ( trick differentials) that beat raw power . Gonna post a whole bunch of pics which include adjustable front and rear Antiroll bars from inside the car .
First. Pics of cars that were there .
Link of one of RS500 Neil passed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzrkXmB ... ata_player