Reigning Australian GT4 champion Vantage Racing has unveiled KTM’s brand new 2020-spec X-Bow GT4 as its weapon of choice for the Australian GT Championship. Reiter Engineering have made some big changes to this year’s car, most notable being an increase in power, the addition of power-steering and the removal of the rear wing.

The extra power and the removal of the rear wing will see the car reach higher top speeds at tracks like Bathurst and Phillip Island whilst remaining agile in the corners.

“Wow,” was the feedback from Vantage Racing team-owner David Crampton after his first laps back in a race car at Phillip Island recently. “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.”

Crampton, last year’s Australian GT4 runner-up behind Vantage team-mates Justin McMillan and Glen Wood, spent more than six months out of the seat but was finally able to unleash his new 2020 KTM X-Bow GT4.

“It is different to my current car. 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.

“Part of the trade-off with an increase in power was a reduction in aero, but on top of that, Reiter have 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!”

The opening round of the 2020 Australian GT Championship gets underway at Sydney Motorsport Park on 14-16th August as part of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships.

Images by Vantage Racing.

 
 

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