Diablo Racer
a007apl
02-12-2002, 07:43 AM
SVR
_____
by Roberto Giordanelli
To take up Pullicino Calssics' generous offer to drive their racing Diablo, we chased the Philippe Chariol Lamborghini Championship circus to Belgium.
Until recently, the Spa-Francorchamps Ciruit had been missing from my racing CV. And, like Samuel Johnson (1709-1774) who wrote, "A man who has not been to Italy, is always conscious of an inferiority", not having driven at Spa bugged me.If you told me in the early severties, when spectating from the top of Eau Rouge, that my next visit would be in twenty-five years as the driver of a racing Lamborghini, I would have directed you to the nearest funny farm. Why? Two reasons: firstly, I would be too old to be still playing with racing cars, and secondly, Lamborghini don't make racing cars.
As you slide down the razor-blade of life, you notice that things change. For my part, as with many . . . shall we say "experienced" racing drivers, all are now permanently 39 years of age. As for the company, the late Ferruccio Lamborghini always resisted entering the costly world of motor racing. Lamborghini have always made glamorous cars. A look at the names of their designers and engineers, most of whom came from top line motor sport, will confirm their engineersing integrity. With hindsight, they should have raced from the beginning. If a company like Volvo think it's a good idea, it should be a sefe bet.
Lamborghini's 1996 one-make series was a good start and a sizeable crowd puller. Trainspotters will point out that Lamborghini made Formula One engines and racing power boat engines for several years, but an engine is not a car. Known as The Philippe Charriol Supersport Trophy, the 1996-7 Lamborghini series folowed many of the BPR Endurance GT meetings around the World's best race circuits. Series sponsor Philippe Charriol (himself a driver) is famous for his Swiss Watch Company.
The series works roughly like this: Lamborghini made a batch of Diablo SVs all identically modified for racing - the Diablo SV-R. Amazingly, the company made and tested the cars in 10 weeks, running 26 cars at the first round - Le Mans. For around £160,000 the car is supplied, maintained and transported around the world by the factory. The drivers (there are two categories: Gentleman and Professional) just turn up in their helicopters wearing their Lamborghini supplied race suits and drive. At the end of the year, they keep the car. In the event of accident damage, the driver is responsible for the first £8,000 worth of each repair bil. Each car has two drivers per long-distance race. Prize money to the first five drivers starts at £5,000 for the winner.
Reading through the technical specifications, I can see that the factory have modified the cars not only to make them quicker but also to ensure reliability and ease of maintenance. The chassis are strengthened and a multi-point roll-cage is bolted in. Weight has been reduced, polycarbonate side windows and a quick-lift ari-jacking system are fitted. Suspension has been modified for racing and huge Brembo racing brakes fitted, together with massive centre lock OZ rims, 17" x 8.5" front and 18" x 13" rear. Aerodynamics have also had the treatment. A revised front spoiler, carbon fibre rear diffuser and full width rear wing also in the black stuff. Headlamps are replaced by air intakes and side skirts are fitted. Safety equipment includes a fire system, electric cut out, race seat and six-point harness.
Power has been increased to a thundering 540bhp at 7,100rpm which, through the special race exhaust, sounds tremendous. Not only has the power gone up, but the gearing has gone down by 18%. This makes the Diablo SV-R a much more responsive and lively "Devil". The manufacturer quotes a 0-60 mph time of less than 4 seconds, not bad for a 1,385 kilo car. Unfortunately, it is this statistic that lets the Lambo down. Racing cars the weigh over a ton are rarely happy in the corners, especially tight corners. We must not forget, however, that this is a production based one-make series and that the Diablo was designed to be a road car rather than a race car. Comparisons with racing cars are ufair. The conundrum is that the Diablo SV-R is so quick that comparisons with road cars would be equally pointless.
Spa-Francorchamps circuit nestles in the beautiful hilly and wooded Ardennes region of south west Belgium, an area notorious for its sudden weather changes. The barking SV-Rs filled the Spa paddock with a cacophony of whoops, their up-openned doors and psychedelic colours looking like mutant locusts from the Planet Zaarg. As I climbed into the Diablo the morning sky was steely grey, low clouds mixed with the tree tops and spray was thrown high from the aerofoils of the Endurance GT cars slithering out of La Source. The sign said "WET PRACTICE" as the green flag waved me on to my virgin lap. This, I thought, would be a good time to swap places with one of the misinformed - those who think motor racing is all champagne, sex and helicopters.
. . .forays into the slippery bits
There was a narrow, almost dry line trying to form on some parts of the circuit. I don't mind wet or dry, but a mixture of the two - I admit to disliking. The reason being that should you make a mistake and get off line, the precise moment you need more grip coincides exactly with when you have less grip. Overtaking also requires heart-stopping forays into the slippery bits.
Tou may have heard about dry and wet set-ups on motorsport commentaries and never been quite sure what is meant. Slick tyres are replaced by softer compound treaded wets but what else happens? The normal proceedure is to set the suspension as soft as feasible. Depending on the adjustability of the car, softer springs are fitted, dampers are adjusted to soft and anti-roll bars are weakened or disconnected. This reduces the load on the outer tyres which do the work at high "g" in the dry and now gives all four wet tyres the job of gripping the circuit when "g" forces are less. Result - lots of feel, so the limit is at a higher speed and can now also be controlled with more confidence. With a good wet set-up, a driver can hurl his car into corners with great aplomb.
In trying to make the Diablo SV-Rs operationally simple and idiot-proof, the only wet mod carried out by the Lamborghini race crews is the fitting of wet tyres. Result - slippery when wet. OK, so it doesn't aquaplane, but there is no feel with such a stiff set-up. You only know you have reached the limit when the car gently rotates, usually at a vast speed. It is almost like driving on ice.
A brake balance adjustment lever is fitted. What does that do? In the dry, a braking car can almost stand on its nose, lots of front brake effort is required. In the wet, grip, and therefore braking, is less. Cars don't dive so much, there is more weight on the rear, therefore more rear brake bias is wanted when wet. I like to see these items fitted in such a way that pushing the lever forwards puts more effort to the front and vice versa. A considerate Lamborghini mechanic advised me that in the SV-R the opposite was the case. Apart from this, the ergonomics were simple; just turn the key and go.
The first thing I noticed - mid-pack - in the long run from the picts up to Les Combes was that forward visibility was difficult. Spray apart, touring and saloon cars have glass areas that you can see clean through. Sitting very low in the Diablo SV-R, the cars ahead are wide and solid. You really do have to jink to "have a look", to use commentator parlance. From inside, there is a narrow field of vision from the interior mirror through the engine cover. By the way, the accepted way to reverse a Diablo is to open the upwards opening door, sit on the high sill and look OVER the roof to see where you are going. Door mirrors were adjusted "out" for blind spot coverage. I don't want to see the sides of the car at all. If the side of the car gets taken out I'll know because it will get all draughty. More important is not to turn in and slam the door on any Kamikaze late breakers.
Eau Rouge ski-jump. . .
What you cannot appreciate on TV or on the Spa video game simulator I trained on two nights earlier, are the gradients. Cornering lines are greatly affected by gradients. In simple terms downhill means turn as little as possible, while uphill you can wind on armfuls of lock. From the start/finish line, a wet lap round Spa in a 540bhp racing Lamborghini goes like this. The view down the steep hill to Eau Rouge is awe inspiring and reminiscent of a ski-jump. Just before the bottom the track ahead looks like a big grey wall. Fourth gear blasts you up the hill away from Eau Rouge. With all that power on tap it's a good idea to be pointing fairly straight before burying the throttle. Power oversteer is available any time, any place, anywhere. In the dip, vertical "g" is pulled - unusual in a car. Pull the lever back into fifth (an easy change on the dog-leg-first layout) at Kemmel. The run up to the high Les Combes, which is a helicopter or airship shot on Grand Prix television, is surprisingly quickly over. Down to third (teo/heeling virtually impossible) for Les Combes, an escape road is available if required. Stay in third for the 180° Ravage, easy on the trottle as the throttle as the gradient and consequently the grip falls away. Into the double apex nearly 180° Pouhon which can almost be taken in one huge radius clipping both apexes. Stay in third as you pick your way through Fagnes and Stavelot, which is followed by the fast fifth gear sweepy run to the bus-stop chicane. In this fast, blind, curved section, skill has to be accompanied by commitment. Side by side in fifth with another Diablo to the second gear bus-stop chicane; the pencil-thin, drying line is not wide enough for one, let alone two, he brakes too hard, flicks sideways and overshoots.
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/740915fieldrear.jpg
Extravagant and ostentatious
A seemingly pointless up-change into third in the bus-stop gives you a wheelspin-free and oversteer-free exit from the chicane, especially if you are into climbing the wet kerbs. Down to second for La Source cursing the pedal arrangement, you are faced with a wall of tin barriers and painted tyres. Choose how much oversteer you want on exit with your right foot, barrel down past the pits to Eau Rouge pumping spray high into the air and one lap of the 4.3 mile circuit is completed.
As with any race series, the better drivers in the Lamborghini Championship make the most of their equipment, braking, turning and accelerating on the limit. The inexperienced of less committed have fun using the slower point and squirt technique which the torquey Lambos revel in. Considering the almost inevitable mayhem that accompanies most one-make series, the Lamborghini drivers are generally well-behaved. At £160,000 the package is expensive but I have seen more spent on less; and remember, you do get to keep the car. Lamborghini's 1996 Series, like its cars, was extravagant, ostentatious and first class.
My un-timed qualifying session with 29 cars brought home the widely varying capabilities of the drivers. On theis fast wet occasion they were better than I had expected. Only one car got dammaged, and he had crashed in the previous three rounds. Being used to the urgency and desperation of 10 lap do-or-die UK club raced, the Diablo drivers showed more patiences and crashed into each other less. Their speed through the wet turns varied considerably, reflecting the contrast in driver skill. Because of the great speed differential between straights and corners, you must be sure not to fall asleep and miss your braking points. Apart from the too-stiff-in-the-wet set up, the Diablo SV-Rs are a hoot to drive. In case any Gentlemen Drivers are wondering, my International Race Licence is up to date . . . .
___________________
Text and photos courtesy of
AUTOItalia
_____
by Roberto Giordanelli
To take up Pullicino Calssics' generous offer to drive their racing Diablo, we chased the Philippe Chariol Lamborghini Championship circus to Belgium.
Until recently, the Spa-Francorchamps Ciruit had been missing from my racing CV. And, like Samuel Johnson (1709-1774) who wrote, "A man who has not been to Italy, is always conscious of an inferiority", not having driven at Spa bugged me.If you told me in the early severties, when spectating from the top of Eau Rouge, that my next visit would be in twenty-five years as the driver of a racing Lamborghini, I would have directed you to the nearest funny farm. Why? Two reasons: firstly, I would be too old to be still playing with racing cars, and secondly, Lamborghini don't make racing cars.
As you slide down the razor-blade of life, you notice that things change. For my part, as with many . . . shall we say "experienced" racing drivers, all are now permanently 39 years of age. As for the company, the late Ferruccio Lamborghini always resisted entering the costly world of motor racing. Lamborghini have always made glamorous cars. A look at the names of their designers and engineers, most of whom came from top line motor sport, will confirm their engineersing integrity. With hindsight, they should have raced from the beginning. If a company like Volvo think it's a good idea, it should be a sefe bet.
Lamborghini's 1996 one-make series was a good start and a sizeable crowd puller. Trainspotters will point out that Lamborghini made Formula One engines and racing power boat engines for several years, but an engine is not a car. Known as The Philippe Charriol Supersport Trophy, the 1996-7 Lamborghini series folowed many of the BPR Endurance GT meetings around the World's best race circuits. Series sponsor Philippe Charriol (himself a driver) is famous for his Swiss Watch Company.
The series works roughly like this: Lamborghini made a batch of Diablo SVs all identically modified for racing - the Diablo SV-R. Amazingly, the company made and tested the cars in 10 weeks, running 26 cars at the first round - Le Mans. For around £160,000 the car is supplied, maintained and transported around the world by the factory. The drivers (there are two categories: Gentleman and Professional) just turn up in their helicopters wearing their Lamborghini supplied race suits and drive. At the end of the year, they keep the car. In the event of accident damage, the driver is responsible for the first £8,000 worth of each repair bil. Each car has two drivers per long-distance race. Prize money to the first five drivers starts at £5,000 for the winner.
Reading through the technical specifications, I can see that the factory have modified the cars not only to make them quicker but also to ensure reliability and ease of maintenance. The chassis are strengthened and a multi-point roll-cage is bolted in. Weight has been reduced, polycarbonate side windows and a quick-lift ari-jacking system are fitted. Suspension has been modified for racing and huge Brembo racing brakes fitted, together with massive centre lock OZ rims, 17" x 8.5" front and 18" x 13" rear. Aerodynamics have also had the treatment. A revised front spoiler, carbon fibre rear diffuser and full width rear wing also in the black stuff. Headlamps are replaced by air intakes and side skirts are fitted. Safety equipment includes a fire system, electric cut out, race seat and six-point harness.
Power has been increased to a thundering 540bhp at 7,100rpm which, through the special race exhaust, sounds tremendous. Not only has the power gone up, but the gearing has gone down by 18%. This makes the Diablo SV-R a much more responsive and lively "Devil". The manufacturer quotes a 0-60 mph time of less than 4 seconds, not bad for a 1,385 kilo car. Unfortunately, it is this statistic that lets the Lambo down. Racing cars the weigh over a ton are rarely happy in the corners, especially tight corners. We must not forget, however, that this is a production based one-make series and that the Diablo was designed to be a road car rather than a race car. Comparisons with racing cars are ufair. The conundrum is that the Diablo SV-R is so quick that comparisons with road cars would be equally pointless.
Spa-Francorchamps circuit nestles in the beautiful hilly and wooded Ardennes region of south west Belgium, an area notorious for its sudden weather changes. The barking SV-Rs filled the Spa paddock with a cacophony of whoops, their up-openned doors and psychedelic colours looking like mutant locusts from the Planet Zaarg. As I climbed into the Diablo the morning sky was steely grey, low clouds mixed with the tree tops and spray was thrown high from the aerofoils of the Endurance GT cars slithering out of La Source. The sign said "WET PRACTICE" as the green flag waved me on to my virgin lap. This, I thought, would be a good time to swap places with one of the misinformed - those who think motor racing is all champagne, sex and helicopters.
. . .forays into the slippery bits
There was a narrow, almost dry line trying to form on some parts of the circuit. I don't mind wet or dry, but a mixture of the two - I admit to disliking. The reason being that should you make a mistake and get off line, the precise moment you need more grip coincides exactly with when you have less grip. Overtaking also requires heart-stopping forays into the slippery bits.
Tou may have heard about dry and wet set-ups on motorsport commentaries and never been quite sure what is meant. Slick tyres are replaced by softer compound treaded wets but what else happens? The normal proceedure is to set the suspension as soft as feasible. Depending on the adjustability of the car, softer springs are fitted, dampers are adjusted to soft and anti-roll bars are weakened or disconnected. This reduces the load on the outer tyres which do the work at high "g" in the dry and now gives all four wet tyres the job of gripping the circuit when "g" forces are less. Result - lots of feel, so the limit is at a higher speed and can now also be controlled with more confidence. With a good wet set-up, a driver can hurl his car into corners with great aplomb.
In trying to make the Diablo SV-Rs operationally simple and idiot-proof, the only wet mod carried out by the Lamborghini race crews is the fitting of wet tyres. Result - slippery when wet. OK, so it doesn't aquaplane, but there is no feel with such a stiff set-up. You only know you have reached the limit when the car gently rotates, usually at a vast speed. It is almost like driving on ice.
A brake balance adjustment lever is fitted. What does that do? In the dry, a braking car can almost stand on its nose, lots of front brake effort is required. In the wet, grip, and therefore braking, is less. Cars don't dive so much, there is more weight on the rear, therefore more rear brake bias is wanted when wet. I like to see these items fitted in such a way that pushing the lever forwards puts more effort to the front and vice versa. A considerate Lamborghini mechanic advised me that in the SV-R the opposite was the case. Apart from this, the ergonomics were simple; just turn the key and go.
The first thing I noticed - mid-pack - in the long run from the picts up to Les Combes was that forward visibility was difficult. Spray apart, touring and saloon cars have glass areas that you can see clean through. Sitting very low in the Diablo SV-R, the cars ahead are wide and solid. You really do have to jink to "have a look", to use commentator parlance. From inside, there is a narrow field of vision from the interior mirror through the engine cover. By the way, the accepted way to reverse a Diablo is to open the upwards opening door, sit on the high sill and look OVER the roof to see where you are going. Door mirrors were adjusted "out" for blind spot coverage. I don't want to see the sides of the car at all. If the side of the car gets taken out I'll know because it will get all draughty. More important is not to turn in and slam the door on any Kamikaze late breakers.
Eau Rouge ski-jump. . .
What you cannot appreciate on TV or on the Spa video game simulator I trained on two nights earlier, are the gradients. Cornering lines are greatly affected by gradients. In simple terms downhill means turn as little as possible, while uphill you can wind on armfuls of lock. From the start/finish line, a wet lap round Spa in a 540bhp racing Lamborghini goes like this. The view down the steep hill to Eau Rouge is awe inspiring and reminiscent of a ski-jump. Just before the bottom the track ahead looks like a big grey wall. Fourth gear blasts you up the hill away from Eau Rouge. With all that power on tap it's a good idea to be pointing fairly straight before burying the throttle. Power oversteer is available any time, any place, anywhere. In the dip, vertical "g" is pulled - unusual in a car. Pull the lever back into fifth (an easy change on the dog-leg-first layout) at Kemmel. The run up to the high Les Combes, which is a helicopter or airship shot on Grand Prix television, is surprisingly quickly over. Down to third (teo/heeling virtually impossible) for Les Combes, an escape road is available if required. Stay in third for the 180° Ravage, easy on the trottle as the throttle as the gradient and consequently the grip falls away. Into the double apex nearly 180° Pouhon which can almost be taken in one huge radius clipping both apexes. Stay in third as you pick your way through Fagnes and Stavelot, which is followed by the fast fifth gear sweepy run to the bus-stop chicane. In this fast, blind, curved section, skill has to be accompanied by commitment. Side by side in fifth with another Diablo to the second gear bus-stop chicane; the pencil-thin, drying line is not wide enough for one, let alone two, he brakes too hard, flicks sideways and overshoots.
http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/740915fieldrear.jpg
Extravagant and ostentatious
A seemingly pointless up-change into third in the bus-stop gives you a wheelspin-free and oversteer-free exit from the chicane, especially if you are into climbing the wet kerbs. Down to second for La Source cursing the pedal arrangement, you are faced with a wall of tin barriers and painted tyres. Choose how much oversteer you want on exit with your right foot, barrel down past the pits to Eau Rouge pumping spray high into the air and one lap of the 4.3 mile circuit is completed.
As with any race series, the better drivers in the Lamborghini Championship make the most of their equipment, braking, turning and accelerating on the limit. The inexperienced of less committed have fun using the slower point and squirt technique which the torquey Lambos revel in. Considering the almost inevitable mayhem that accompanies most one-make series, the Lamborghini drivers are generally well-behaved. At £160,000 the package is expensive but I have seen more spent on less; and remember, you do get to keep the car. Lamborghini's 1996 Series, like its cars, was extravagant, ostentatious and first class.
My un-timed qualifying session with 29 cars brought home the widely varying capabilities of the drivers. On theis fast wet occasion they were better than I had expected. Only one car got dammaged, and he had crashed in the previous three rounds. Being used to the urgency and desperation of 10 lap do-or-die UK club raced, the Diablo drivers showed more patiences and crashed into each other less. Their speed through the wet turns varied considerably, reflecting the contrast in driver skill. Because of the great speed differential between straights and corners, you must be sure not to fall asleep and miss your braking points. Apart from the too-stiff-in-the-wet set up, the Diablo SV-Rs are a hoot to drive. In case any Gentlemen Drivers are wondering, my International Race Licence is up to date . . . .
___________________
Text and photos courtesy of
AUTOItalia
a007apl
02-12-2002, 10:46 AM
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/bravo/lamborghini/diablojgt1.html
Pics & Technical specifications
Pics & Technical specifications
a007apl
02-15-2002, 06:58 AM
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