Aussie News Notebook: Adess & KTM
First Aussie-based LMP3 Runs
Sydney-based Revere Lifestyle has been out testing its newly acquired Adess 03 LMP3 car, the first LMP3 car based in Australia in what the team hope will be a kick start for the delayed LMP3 Cup Australia.
South Australian driver Garnett Patterson has been on driving duty in the car, the team more recently revealing the car in a bright orange promo livery.
The team hope to use the Adess to encourage potential interested teams and drivers to sample LMP3 performance with a number of pre-2020 spec LMP3s available on the market at very reasonable prices.
Crampton unveils new KTM X-Bow GT4
David Crampton has been testing his new 2020 KTM X-Bow, GT4 ahead of the start of the 2020 Australian GT Championship season, the M-Motorsport team enjoying a full day of practice at Phillip Island.
“Reiter Engineering has made some big changes to the car, most notable being an increase in power, the addition of power-steering and the removal of the rear wing,” Crampton explained.
“Overall they have delivered a much better package that I find it easier to drive, the extra power alone meaning we won’t be left behind on power circuits like Bathurst and Phillip Island with their longer straights, whilst we still maintain that nimble advantage through the tighter parts of the circuit.”
Reigning Australian GT, GT4 Champion Glen Wood also turned laps in the KTM:
“The car was flawless, and we developed some great data. Most particularly, I wanted to do as many laps as possible to get myself back in the groove because it had been so long since I’d last driven a race car, whilst Glen was able to give me a good benchmark to work towards as we set a solid baseline for the season ahead.
“It is different to my current car (the car which Crampton took to second in the 2019 GT4 title race, behind the sister X-Bow of Wood and M-Motorsport team-boss Justin McMillan). The biggest thing I noticed was how much difference the power-steering made. Normally a long day in the car takes its toll, but I was as fresh at the end as I was at the start, so that’s an immediate advantage.”
Physically, there are clear differences with the second generation X-Bow, the most obvious being the lack of rear wing.
“Part of the trade-off with an increase in power was a reduction in aero, but on top of that, Reiter has developed a more aero efficient car, so the lack of rear wing means less drag, but the lack of downforce in mid to high-speed corners is not as significant as you might think. They’ve also put us across to a five-stud wheel as opposed to a centre-lock wheel, so that could also be a setback during pit stops, although traditionally, the X-Bow has been very light on tyre wear.
“All up it’s a very, very good package and I can’t wait to take the fight to our rivals this year and see what we can do, I’m excited about the prospect of going racing and having a new weapon to do battle with!”