Mancini's Punto HGT in CIVT
(Italian Speed Tourism Championship)
If
the Fiat Punto Rally car presented in May 2002 on Elaborare magazine appeared
very far from the Fiat Punto HGT production car and the tuning world both, here
it is formula almost reproducible at all: the Group N version which Elaborare's
press director drives in the CIVT championship...
We have promised you the race test of our Punto HGT class N/4 on the track:
here it is! Contrastingly the monster appeared in Elaborare no.62, tuned by the
Chivasso's performance team N Technology, our group N car is very near from the
tuning world. In earnest, like every race prototype, the car relies on some details
which make it unsuitable for the civil roads and traffic, most important ones
are: the slick tyres, the frame reinforcements and the suspensions. These arrangements,
because of the spirit of group N cars, are not so different from the soft tuning
on road cars, about the mechanic modifications, apart the adoption of different
springs (very hard and lowered) and very racing performance shockers (which really
match only with the smoothed circuit ground).
For the benefit of all of you who don't live with competitions, we remember the
allowed modifications on these class of cars are really minimal, because they
need to be conformant the famous "homologation fiches". These fiches
are a set of tables and specifications (released by FIA with international validity)
which report every restriction very detailly, so that the same car model or equivalent
car belonging to the same class, can fight on equal terms. For each part of the
car the fiche reports the shape with technical sketches, the weight and often
the material used to make it!
Before going deeply into the usual speed test which terminates with the race test
driven by Giovanni Mancini, let us shortly cover our story and the story of the
Punto HGT.
How
the idea was born
I think Elaborare is the magazine which best matches our reader's expectations! At the very start of the philosophy who took us for the current seventh year, there is thirst for curiosity and experience, which can be satisfied only by facing the issues, and by attempting to come out after solving them! Our conceitedness consists in taking care your doubts to convert them in solid statements. We are aware this enterprise is difficult, although we do our best to propose new product tests (springs, brake pads, air filters, electronic units). This is not the only way available. Our director, charmed by the racing world since ever, is meritful for the idea to bring Elaborare magazine in the competitions, and to bring the prototypal car on the track. The tuning passion, at last, is a sporting expression and it is a paradoxial, leaving it out of the circuit's gates: it's between track bounds where the car is to face the toughest and most sincere test. During the race, every part is being tested not only for its performance, but also for its reliability. The track expresses the workbench we were looking for in order to solve our issues!
The adventure starts
In
the vaste range of racing types, the group N has been the ideal choice to satisfy
our needs. The reason, said above, is the very strictly relationship with the
road tuning experience, which tries to grind the available "weapons",
without upsetting the soft tuning philosophy and without changing the original
car into something completely different... Yes: tuning ok, but not too much! The
first car bringing the magazine colours was the Honda Civic VTi 1.6, which was
hardly part of the class N4 and it must race with a dead weight of 115 kg! During
the last year (2001) and the current racing season (2002), the choice was the
Fiat Punto HGT, which showed being effective (and cheap for consumption) at the
first test: the rough 6 Hours of Vallelunga. Far from the previous seasons, when
experience was lacking, the driving experience and the tuning mastery, our director
this year seems really faster. His worst enemy looks like the destiny, instead
of the other race competitors, because lap times are often the fastest, but bad
luck was often on the stage. Anyway some changes on setup and a perfect engine
balancing let him fight for the top position of the podium today. Let us discover
how the group N Fiat Punto has been tuned.
Design
The Punto's livory, at the beginning blue and white, is now more shining: yellow and blue! The body and the painting have been cared by Cesaroni Racing from Collevecchio (Rieti). The body look keeps original, excluded the paramount lowering of the frame to the ground and the widening of the wheeltrack by 20mm, through Sparco wheel spacers. The aluminium alloy wheels have been substituted by very light magnesium alloy Speedline Corse 7Jx15" wheels. The tyres, Michelin during the last year, and now Avon 19/57/15 are of course lacking of any sculpture; but that's not all: the source of some important details which are not captured on the fly. However, if you look very nearly or you touch them, you will surely notice the difference! For example the glass surfaces, excluded the windscreen, are built with Lexan, whilst the bonnet and the rear door in resin. All those modifications are allowed by the homologation rules, provided that the weight savings are compatible with the lower bound admitted by the homologation fiche for the Punto HGT: 890 kg!
Cockpit
If
the outer look is preserved, we can't say the same for the inner part! A group
N car looks clearly unclothed of everything not really needed and gives only a
Spartan accomodation to the driver: the other seats are disappeared! Anyway, you
need to open the door to be aware how much hard getting the seat is: you have
to stride the roll-bar to accomodate. The later, soldered on the frame, is homologated
by Fiat. All the panelings have been removed, the frame is visible from any point
of view! Competition cars don't offer ever a beatiful sight in the cockpit; they
fit marvellously to the driver better than a glove. The driver chooses every add-in
and its setup, in sake of the unique way to handle easily the commands and fight
the effort during the race. The driving seat is the driver home and it must be
obsessively taken care of. Isotta ha monopolized the cockpit: racing seat, caliper
steering wheel (competition type not in the products list), gear knob and aluminium
bored pedal set are made by the Ferrara's firm. The four-points safety belts are
from Sparco. The only additional gauges are three analogic instruments, two for
the water temperature and oil temperature and one for the lubricant pressure.
The racing tools are completed by the fire extinguisher of 3 kg, the emergency
battery switcher (a red lever in front of the gear lever) and the brake distribution
device with a lever with three states. The new seat fits exactly out director!
This issue prevented me to make the circuit test, while the last year I was able
to drive the car, because the seat was more comfortable for my back.
Mechanics
The
1.8 liter 16V DOHC, with variable phase variator on the inlet camshaft, is declared
with a max power of 130 HP in original configuration. Nevertheless its most interesting
feature is the torque availability, with constant values of 90% the max torque
from 1,800 up to 6,500 rpm, thank to the variable geometry inlet hoses.This year Leone Motorsport, which takes care of the mechanics of our Punto, has focused the good balance of the engine. In the list of modifications, other works are present, compatible with the homologation fiche: the flywheel enlightment (7,15 kg), camshafts with upgraded shrug, compression ratio change from 10.3:1 to 10.6:1 thanks to the head lowering, engine oil Bardahl XTR (synthetic for racing use), Platinum Spark Plug plugs, and standard air filter by BMC.
The
original exhaust collector has been kept, instead the central silencer with a
metallic kat, and the exhaust backbox are from Supersprint. The trasmission area
has been revised with a Fiorentini syntherized four-buttons clutch, the Bacci
slip limited differential and, from the same Florence's part maker, the gear with
front couplings, fitted out with two different final ratios. We have talked a
lot about it in the technical articles of Elaborare no.52. The electronic unit
remapping has been made by the Rome's based All Car Racing, with the engine fueled
with unleaded petrol Magigas Thunder 102 octanes.
The braking system is based on four CTF disks, drilled and inlined on the front
axle, with Ferodo Racing DS2000 brake pads; the brake liquid is Bardahl DOT 5,
which flows in aeronautic tubes by Sparco. The suspension setup is very lowered
through Eibach springs, coupled with Bilstein shockers with threaded ring nuts
coaxial with springs on the front part, while the rear part they are divided by
elastic items. The front unrolling bar is of 22 mm, while the strut brace is from
Sparco.
The list of mods is completed by 20mm wheel distancers and modified camber angles
within the bounds allowed by the fiche, thanks to appropriate eccentric guides.
The wheels, Speedline Corse in magnesium alloy 7Jx15", have been painted
with blue colour and are equipped with Avon slick tyres 19-57-15.
| Engine | Position: 4 cylinders inline, 16
valves, fitted transversally Exhaust system: Supersprint Air filter: BMC Sparks: BMC Engine Lubricant: Bardhal Fuel: Magigas 102 octanes Spare parts: Fiat original |
| Transmission | Drive: front Clutch: sintherized four button clutch disk |
| Brakes | Front: CTF lined disks, Ferodo DS3000 brake pads FCP1376 |
| Suspension | Front: MacPherson independent, adjustable, Bilstein dampers, Eibach springs |
| Wheels - Tyres | Tyres: Avon slick |
| Dimensions | Length: 3800 mm Width: 1660 mm Weight: 890 kg |
| Performance | Max speed: 230 km/h at 7.300 rpm |
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Championship 2003 conclusion
On Sunday October 12th, the CIVT (Italian Tourism Championship) ended with the last round on the Roman circuit of Vallelunga. The racing season 2003 was characterized by the starring Punto HGT in class N4, the only car to pace the worrying Rover ZR cars from Pai Tecnosport.
The championship terminated with the wonderful victory in the Vallelunga's Sunday, where the small Fiat car, supported by Roma based Leone Motorsport, let Giovanni Mancini to row also superior cars of the N3 class!
In the first series of free tests, the time setted by the Fiat Punto HGT was the first of class N4 and fifth absolute just behind four BMW 318 cars in class N4.
The race, with hard battles, happened with the domination of the Punto in class N4 with a spectacular get back, which excited the spirits of several people who visited Vallelunga circuit.
The Fiat Punto HGT ended with honorable standing in the final classification.
The related website: Mancini's Punto HGT in the CIVT