X-Bow's Dallara carbon fiber monocoque is not yet complete: after the Radikal Roadster and the GT4 UFO, KTM and Lailt Engineering start the next phase: the GTX with a 530-horsepower turbocharged five-cylinder engine that weighs less than 1.1 tons. Try it now!
The Internet is rife with lies and deception. In preparation for the first test drive of the KTM X-Bow GTX, I have watched the video of it over and over again on the way here, but the power of reality, especially the power of nature, can still be a shock. The terrain of the Red Bull Circular Circuit adds drama beyond the virtual. In particular, Corner 1, named after Nikki the Great, Lauda, is called the warm-up circle. The GTX rushed down Turn 8, lightly touching the yellow concrete shoulder on the inner edge, and I felt the breakfast in my stomach sink half a floor, 3 gears, full speed, drifting outwards, and the friction of the roadside stones made the carbon fiber body make a firecracker-like crackling sound.
At the end of the straight road from start to finish: horizon. It's a stretch of uphill road, incredible uphill. Behind Corner 1 is the long straight, followed by the horizon. Hans Lairt explained that the GTX is designed for sprint top speed, while the GT4 is designed for fast corners. Lailt and his team, who previously designed the GT4, are now focused on the GTX. In addition, each X-Bow has a design team headed by Gerard Kishka.
So, the speed is extremely fast, and then it keeps accelerating. Fourth gear, fifth gear, each gear is between 6800 and 7200 rpm, you don't have to worry about breaking the turbo engine because of the torque. Shifting gears through paddles on the steering wheel is very easy with little tactile resistance. The Hollinger MF six-speed gearbox is electronically controlled rather than pneumatically controlled. Lailt said this would reduce the weight by 6 kilograms.
It's now gear 6. How fast is it? I don't know, maybe 230 km / h, maybe higher. The horizon gets closer and closer, and centrifugal forces push you into what Recaro and Riyalt call the seat's carbon fiber housing. If it hadn't been fixed to the chassis, it would have been so light that it would have flown. Depending on the direction of the updraft, it may take you to land at Gamskogelbahn in Katzberg, 100 kilometers away. Or maybe a little earlier, a little further north, and land on St. Michael's rustic Hochku. This description is indeed an exaggeration. But in gtx, you do feel a bit like a pilot in a fighter jet. Focusing on the brake zone of Turn 1, racing engineer Tim Fritz suggested that the brakes should be pressed at least 120 bar so that the Tip-3 ABS system from Continental would work optimally.
This force can be adjusted 10 times on the steering wheel, and from level 6 onwards, the controls become analog, rather than digital, which Reilt explains is "designed for those with rough driving styles." Tim recommends moving to level 5 and controlling traction at level 6. The gearbox drops to 3 gears, the 2.5-liter engine roars, the power is forced, the throttle is pressed to about 80%, there is a slight oversteer, and if it were not for the two blue letters "TC" flashing briefly in the upper left corner of the steering wheel display, you would not have noticed these electronic designs. It's incredible that this system is so sensitive. Tim later explained to me at the pit stop what the trick really did.
Continue uphill and rise again to 6th gear. Hans Lairt said: "The speed of the gear shift is about 17 milliseconds, it will not be faster because of the electronics, but it will become smoother. "Another benefit of electronic shifters is the weight reduction, first of all because of the reduction in liquid. "There were only 9 litres of coolant and 7 litres of oil in the car," Reilt said. "If you don't count fuel, the net weight of the car is 1048 kg. Fuel can be filled with up to 116 litres. The height of the tank is only 18 cm, and there is no fuel delivery pump inside. There is only one main pump at the engine.
Work hard
While the GTX will keep us focused on the track, I'd also like to say a few words about the pumps by the way: my pumps are working pretty well now, too. Continue uphill, turn slightly to the left and head towards the Remus curve, which is a very gentle curve. There is no horizon behind the braking zone, but a wooded hillside. Pay attention to controlling the speed of the car, do not let the car fly, that will make a hard landing. Even if the GTX's dome design does not have a roll cage, it can withstand the strongest impact, but there is no need to try. Because we still have a lot of work to do on X-Bow and ams.
Maybe this time a little earlier than before to refuel out of the corner? 2 gears, give oil, go! Even though you are 1.92 meters tall, have a beer belly, and have a helmet size of 62, it is very suitable to sit in. And the steering column and pedals can be adjusted, which is really quite good. In addition, the car's steering power is adjustable, and there is a knob on the center console (which looks like adjusting the brightness of the display) for selection, but even if you choose the one with the lowest boost of the three feature curves, the steering wheel is still very light. The only downside is that there's a bit less feedback, and it's a bit late when you find out there's understeer when cornering. Tim acknowledged in his final discussion that tuning the electromechanical steering system is quite complicated, but they are already preparing for an update.
Climb in and out
Close the canopy and you can take off with this fighter. Unfortunately, every time I reached 5th gear, I would slide out of the track in that Jochen-Rind right-hand bend, which made people feel a little embarrassed. What's even more embarrassing, however, is that the driver always needs to be fully armed in and out of the driver's seat.
Even after many practices, the action of getting on and off the car still looks clumsy, but at least it allows people to sit more securely. When the roof closes above the head, everything gets fine; the steering wheel is more adjustable than many production cars. You can even pull the GTX's steering wheel to your chest to "hold it" and drive. In this supernatural environment, everything seems very natural. Three cameras can replace the interior and exterior mirrors and are able to withstand direct sunlight; in particular, the position of the external mirror camera display is optimally ergonomically designed. The Audi e-tron can be used as a reference.
Scrappy
However, Audi prefers to provide the five-cylinder engine with the code EA855 evo DNW. It can make a magma gushing sound in the RS model, but in the KTM it sounds less explosive and the turbine is less active, although it is a production version (except for its exhaust system and electronically controlled vent valves). This helps to precisely limit the power according to the rules of the competition organizer, keyword: performance balance. Since the GTX was modified to NLS regulations (formerly VLN), it can produce 420 horsepower instead of 530 horsepower. And can carry an additional weight of 127 kg.
What remains unchanged is the moving sighs, hisses and roars of the turbo orchestra. Especially when Laucher was rocking to the left of Voss after braking in a corner. This act of playing with the throttle: roaring, whispering, roaring, whispering, its mood always fluctuates between the exuberance and repression of the enthusiasm of the battle. After the first few laps, Tim adjusted the suspension system again, lowering the front and hardening the lateral stabilizer bars of the front suspension. By the way, the rear suspension is not designed with lateral stabilizer bars.
In fact, the grip of the rear wheels seems to be very firm from the start; Michelin tires mounted on OZ forged rims only slip when the Audi engine emits a maximum torque of 615 Nm. But this small flaw is not worth modifying, because a fully interchangeable engine is cheaper, after all, it is mass-produced.
"Every team will always run out of their budget, no matter how high it is," Reilt quotes from the Handbook of Motorsport Philosophy, adding: "With our car, they can drive longer with the same budget." "Full acceleration? Of course. "I always tell my drivers: drive at full power. But it's still not fast enough. "Of course, there are some places for cars and people to improve, but at the moment I am enjoying the day, and this feeling of happiness comes from the 4.318-kilometer Z-shaped mountain road bathed in the mild spring sun. Almost 1.38 minutes per lap is reasonable, which is pretty good.
12% uphill and 9.3% downhill. It's crazy. On top of that, Corner 1, yes, Corner 1. Again, push the brake point closer to the turning point, turn early, release the brakes, and press the accelerator. KTM swung easily through the corners, rejoicing inside. Thanks to its 2.85-meter wheelbase, the GTX remains robust. Further up, forests and rock walls emerge on a huge panoramic polycarbonate windshield in a carbon fiber frame. Brakes, 120 bar, stomach tingling. Compared to the rumors on the Internet, this is the truth!
summary
It's amazing that once you get into the GTX, people can drive it so easily, and the GTX is also very predictable. impetus? Even in the base version it's as mighty as an explosion. But alas, the helmet and headphones filter out too much of the wonderful sound. Also filtered is feedback from the steering system. The grip of the rear wheels is almost unshakable.
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