As I have too much time on my hands, I tried to summarize this article, but found it too much of a good read. So, instead, I translated the whole article for all you non-Dutch speaking folks. Enjoy!
Bat out of hell – Track test Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT
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Text: Paul van Splunteren
Photography: Henk van den Hurk
Black, mean, sinister. Some 500 hp, mistakes are absolutely out of the question. Four laps with the R-GT, the Lamborghini that has enough potential to dominate the GT championship. WE WANT MORE.
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In September we saw it for the first time, at the Frankfurt auto show: the R-GT. A thoroughbred race version of the Murciélago, with a black kevlar body, mean and low, luring for a career in the FIA GT-championship and maybe the famous 24 Heures du Mans. Now, six months later, we meet again, at the Valencia race track. With a huge rear wing, still as black as before, but here, in its natural habitat, it’s not just mean, it’s even sinister. The automotive counterpart of a bat out of hell. I don’t doubt for a second it eats Listers and Saleens for breakfast, so the possibility it’ll have a journalist as an appetizer seems even more likely. Like yours truly, invited by Peter Kox to have a shot at taming this beast. The R-GT is being prepared for racing by the reknowned company Reiter Engineering, whose boss, Hans Reiter, hired Peter Kox as testdriver. Kox is a good friend of Autovisie and has pulled some strings to put us first (and as for now, only) in the driver’s seat.
The R-GT screams past. Intrusive, revvy, powerful. Right in front of us, Peter shifts back from fifth to fourth. I’ve got goosebumps all over my arms. How many revs does it do? Just below 7,000, says Hans Reiter. It sounds more like 14,000. The reason for that lies with the firing order and the exhausts being close to eachother.
Hans Reiter and Peter Kox go back a long time. Reiter trusts Peter completely. I ask him why he hires Kox while he could have good drivers like Capello and Kristen-
The flat bottomed steering wheel feels very comfortable. Peter Kox explains to Paul van Splunteren he has to make sure to keep the front tyres warm. Kox (left) and Reiter (middle) have concerns: how to get the car to go 25 km/h faster? The gearbox comes out regularly to inspect the damage.
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sen from the Audi stables at his disposal for free. His answer is as surprising as flattering towards Kox. “There are many drivers that can go extremely fast, but there are very few that are also very consistent and conscientious developement drivers. Peter Kox can do both. Eventyally I could get the same result with a lot of computers and people. But Peter saves me a great deal of time and money; I enjoy working with him for years.” Of course it also helps that Kox knows the ultimate competitor for reference: the Prodrive Ferrari with which he won many races, including Le Mans. Peter enters the pits, shuts the V12 down and gives instructions through the radio. He takes off his helmet and starts speaking to the software engineer of EFI, which supplies the engine management system. Agitated he explains that the sequential gearbox will most certainly give up the ghost if the power cut-off doesn’t work better while shifting up under full throttle. The timing is still not to Peter’s liking and that’s not all that’s been bothering him: the R-GT isn’t fast enough. Kox walks around like a restless animal. Everything’s too slow, it needs be faster and better. He’s fully confident in the crew, but also sees the limitations of the budget. On top of that, he sees time is running out. On the subjects of set-up and handling progress is being made, but engine-wise things are not as they should be. The R-GT’s engine is nearly standard. On the test rig it delivers 520 hp and over 600 Nm, but in the car it’s not effectuated.
Working with engines that have been restricted (a ring that limits the air intake) due to regulations is something out of the ordinary. Reiter has calculated that a six litre engine - with the given ring diameter and fully complying with the regulations - can’t deliver more than 600 hp. However, some competitors claim to run with more than 600 hp. The effect of the restrictor on the V12 is that of breathing through a straw while trying to run as fast as you can. The difficulties for the Lambo start at 6,800 rpm, then the power starts to collapse. Therefore the challenge for the engineers is to make maximum hp as soon as possible up the revrange and to maintain this for as long as possible. The goal is to have a flat power curve over the broadest rev range. The task of optimizing the Murciélago’s race engine has been given to Breuer Technical Development (BTD) from Belgium. As for now the nearly standard V12 runs out of breath even before it hits the area where the restrictor works. The black monster comes up 25 km/h short at the end of the straight, but still manages to set equal laptimes to the Saleen, which is outed at Valencia today as well. That says something about the roadholding and handling, especially because the Murciélago is some 80 kilograms too heavy. But, for Peter it’s more important that he can only just get past a Porsche GT3 RSR on the straight.
Kox has to get back to work: different spring and damper setting need to be tested and the operation of the gearbox needs improvement. Every run consists of a warming-up lap and four timed laps. He needs to be on the car’s limit all the time because that’s where the tenths of seconds can be found. Time and time again Peter must do exactly the same to get comparable results. Getting distracted is not an option, because like every other mid-engined car at the limit it’s a thin line between being in control and losing it. Sudden oversteer with 500 hp at the rear wheels means the end. From that moment you’re a mere passenger and all you can do is sit and wait where the 1,100 kg heavy R-GT ends up. If it’s the armco, it’s the end of the story. And it would also be a blow to Peter’s career, especially since this Lamborghini is the only prototype and time is more than a little short.
While Peter is pushing his luck, I’m pondering over my fate at the pitwall. Kox arranged this feast for his mates of Autovisie. He asked Lamborghini for permission and twisted his friend Reiter’s arm on his back. Lamborghini had some objections to this tracktest, because the Italian magazine Autosprint and German mags have been told ‘no, not yet’ for quite a while now. Nor-
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mally car manufacturers allow their cars to be driven only after championships have been won and the racing car is destined for the museum. This – letting a journalist drive in the development stage while you’re racing the clock – is unique. It roars past: well over 500 hp, a load of downforce and a couple of huge Michelins. Phenomenal, how the V12 screams for attention. Not enough to push my worries to the background though. Never have I driven one yard at this track, so it’s an absolute debut in more than one way. At any given moment Lamborghini or Audi can call, stating a powerful ‘no’. Or Reiter can decide it isn’t exactly a good idea to let me have my way with a ‘heavy metal’ FIA GT monster for a lap of four or five. And the chance of the sequential Holinger gearbox passing away on short notice is quite big. The power cut-off still doesn’t function at optimum level and when the claws of the gearbox clash into one another at full power the rubble flies round. The scraps in the gearbox oil are alarming.
Many hours later. Peter and I have explored the track together on the team’s scooter. He told me where the nasty spots are at this technically very interesting track, after which I did two more laps on the scooter by myself doing (oh, yes!) 45 km/h and then it’s up to me. I get to fit the seat. I’m sitting down and that’s about it. Peter is 10 cm shorter than I am and also has relatively short legs. With my knees practically under my elbows I also determine that there’s not a lot of room for my big feet.
Get out, Kox needs to get in to test new settings for the power cut-off. He’s enthusiastic, it works much better. Now Peter really puts the hammer down. We listen as he sometimes runs the six litre V12 only just into the rev limiter. After some adjustments to the ride height and dampers he clocks a low 1 minute 32, on old tyres. Reiter wants him to try again, this time on a new set of tyres, but those aren’t being preheated yet. Peter has to go anyway, after receiving word that especially at the front it’ll take a while longer before it’s got real grip. After two timed laps he comes in: he managed a high 31. An aggravated glance. Why weren’t the tyres warm? But... the steering wheel was finally straight he says. A remark that is half tongue-in-cheek, half criticism. Peter is a professional, he is expected to be extremely precise and thorough. He expects the same of the
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people he’s working with. It is marvellous just looking at Kox and Reiter. They’re so driven, so eager for succes, to them testing is as important as racing. That’s why they like working with eachother so much.
The last run on almost new tyres. Kox manages three low 31s, the fastest being 1;31:19. A Porsche was in the way, so a high 30 would have been possible. They’re content.
“Splunt, you’re up”, Peter yells. “Pay attention, you’ve only got four laps. Hans is very nervous, because Audi called. They wanted to make sure we weren’t letting that journo drive. We told them he’s only going to be riding shotgun for a while. Look out and keep the tyres warm. Before a corner just brake well, steer it round, put your foot down and shift up when the red lights are on.”
Folded up I’m inside the black beast. Actually I’m almost lying down, which is quite comfortable, were it not for the distance between the wheel and the pedals being too small. On top of that the pedals are way off to the middle and too close to one another. The square steering wheel feels excellent. The display on it doesn’t show laptimes.
A potential winner.
The R-GT was developed for the popular FIA GT championship, which is held in three hour races during the LG Eurosport Super Racing weekends. The car also complies with the regulations of the European Le Mans series and thus also for the 24 hours of Le Mans.
The Murciélago is a potential winner. The V12 is positioned ideally, just in front of the rear axle. With 60% of the weight pressing on the rear wheels there’s a lot of traction and the car changes direction easily.
Four wheel drive is prohibited, so the driveshaft to the front wheels had to be amputated, which saved a lot of weight. The gearbox is mounted in front of the engine, because of which the driveshaft next to your right thigh makes a 90 degree turn twice, past the right cylinder bank towards the rear. The displacement has been reduced from 6.2 litres to 6.0 and the engine is fitted with two mandatory restrictors measuring 32.1 mm.
The roof had to remain original, the rest of the body could be made out of carbon. The Murciélago originally has a tubular chassis, of which the rigidity could be optimized and needless to say the car has also been fitted with a rollcage. Result: the R-GT is four times as stiff as a standard Murciélago. The suspension has been modified and the underside is flat. Also the Lambo got a front splitter, a diffusor and an enormous rear wing for the necessary kilos of downforce. No one wants to say exactly how much, but this type of car can pull more than 2.5 gs around corners, which means that (based on 1,100 kilos dry weight) more than 750 kilos of downforce is generated.
The R-GT isn’t run by the factory. However, Lamborghini wants to encourage privately run teams with an attractive price and technical support at the track just like Ferrari does with the 575 M Maranello and the 360 Modena, Chrysler does with the Viper and Porsche does with the GT3. Named price for the R-GT is € 500,000, which is substantially less than the approximately € 800,000 Ferrari is asking for a 575 M Maranello in race trim.
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Which is good, because I really don’t want to know. Fortunately, the shiftlights for pointing out when to shift up do work. Now that I’m sitting down, I feel the pressure subside. I’m just going off for a couple of nice laps, brake early and don’t do anything funny. Done that before, be it not with a cannon like this. Reiter’s and Kox’s anxiety have not faded though. I’m seeing pale, tensed faces and them nervously roaming around. There’s nothing to gain for them, only to lose. Undoubtedly they ask themselves why the hell they consented this.
The tyres are brought out from the heaters and rattled in place. Pressing the button makes the V12 come to life. It’s sounds more like a formula car than a GT. The clutch is easy and I drove out the pit lane, accompanied by a Lister with Jamie Campbell-Walter behind the wheel. He’s on new tyres and will try to set a new lap time. I have asked Peter to inform the neighbours and tell them that it’s not him, but a debutant driving. It could save a lot of carbon.
I up the tempo, accelarate full throttle everywhere, but brake very early and try to get a sense of the R-GTs possibilities. The power steering is a charm, even a bit light. The brake pedal is full of feel, but asks for a firm shove. Because the throttle is placed too close to the brake, the necessary blip with the throttle is somewhat clumsy, but I don’t have enough time to really think about that. Kox likes to brake with his left foot; he does that in the Ferrari, but in the Lambo he still needs to use the clutch with downshifts. The thought that I instantly recognise that need flashes through my mind, as everything happens so fast. Because I’m braking too early – and therefore not hard enough – I feel the temperature in the front tyres slipping away from me.
I sblast onto the straight in second, shift up all the way to sixth and reach over 250 km/h. Short braking and down two cogs for a sweeping lefthander. This is like on rails, I
Who is Hans Reiter?
He’s 39 years old, born in the Salzburg region and studied vehicle engineering. After having worked for several teams (among which AMG), Hans Reiter (on the left in the picture) decided to hire himself out as an independant racing engineer from late 1993. He worked for Schnitzer for a long time with good results in touring car racing with Cecotto, Kox and others. He came second with the McLaren F1 in 1997 and in 1999 he was responsible for the winning Williams BMW prototype. In 2000 Reiter transferred to the Opel DTM team and in his spare time prepared two Lamborghini Diablo GT2s for a couple of privateers. At the end of the season he founded his own company (Reiter Engineering in Kirchanschöring, near Munich) and concentrated further on the Diablo GT2 project. Early 2002 Hans Reiter was brought into the Spyker Le Mans project. On the side, he prepared the guest cars for the Lamborghini Diablo GTR Supertrophy. From july 2003 Reiter is involved with the developement of the Murciélago R-GT. Reiter Engineering also imports the succesful Holinger sequential gearboxes from Australia; he supplies all ‘boxes for, among others, Porsche.
The R-GT project is of great importance to Reiter. It is his debut as developer and supplier of a complete racing car, for the reknowned marque of Lamborghini. Audi follows things from the background, maybe with plans for the Audi Le Mans, which was unveiled last year.
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could go much faster. Up to fifth and down to second, sharp left, up to third and medium left, back to second for a double righthander. Mid corner I’m experiencing far too much understeer, the front tyres have gone too cold. Braked much too early everywhere. Still I’m enjoying myself; the V12 screams its heart out and gives me goosebumps again. The track drops a bit into a mild left bend and heavy braking is needed for a hairpin. Whoops, nearly missed it, the R-GT is faster than you think. Immediately afterwards is a fast and long chicane, during which the car needs to be slowed down in a right bend for a second gear hairpin. A tricky part, where I’m (overly) careful. On to fourth, tap the brakes and leave it in fourth a fast right over the curbstones. Through to fifth while a left sweep takes you up and then down again. When driven at speed, that really turns into a corner. Hard on teh brakes for a left hook that leads onto the straight. The pitboard ‘IN’ comes up. Errrm, were that really four laps?
During the inlap a great deal of emotion grabs hold of me. I’m not done with this! This is so good, they mustn’t get me out of this car. Everyone is delighted upon my return, except me. I feel horrible, frustrated to the bone. I have been wandering around this black, mysterious beauty for eternity. Would it happen or not? Would she grab me or I her? And just when we starting to get along, they pull me out. That’s not just hard to accept, no, it’s inhuman. I take off my helmet and let the overflow of emotions and adrenaline come to a rest. I’m looking at the black beauty. She’s warm, she shines and she ticks. Yes, this was sex. Only without an orgasm.
Autovisie scans: Murciélago R-GT **Translation added**
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