On red letter days

...the Q2 shows its bests shot. The racetrack at Kakucs Ring  was 1 km long with two short straight stages and lots of technical turns with a double-cross hairpin just before the finish line. 

<

BeeGee’s opinion: We changed our cars after some laps, after we were about to came to know the track. At first sense, Halesz’s GT is smoother. It’s correct for the steering power and for the leather upholstery also, but most of all for the turning features. You can feel it inside, that the car is getting bank at the corners. That’s why I can feel a little procrastination; I twirl the steering wheel, the car banks and just after this, starts the black GT to take the corner on the right arc. On the second lap we started the timer. The engine, the output is the same, produces the same speed at the straight stages, but at the speed-up you can hear and feel the swinging wheels.  At pulsating load the car stayed frank to the road, but didn’t seem very self-confident. Verdict: the car doesn’t raise the drivers self-confidence, which can easy measured in seconds. It’s more consistent, more comfortable, but less sporty. Halesz’s opinion After I ran about 10 laps with my own car at the track, I tried out how BeeGee’s Q2 took the corners. Right after the beginning I felt, that the steering wheel is more direct than mine, and on the second lap I realized that the cassis isn’t banks so hard.  You can stay in the right arc with smaller steerage and you can feel the Q2 at the speed-up from the corners: the inner wheel doesn’t start to swing as in my car. On the next lap I was more spirited than before. Thank to the sticky leather I didn’t slid in the seats, so it gave me a bit self-confidence and the steering wheel is harder also as in my car. My experience: the turning speed is much faster with the Q2, it’s go-ahead and has a dependable suspension.

We can say for both cars, that they aren’t developed for racetracks. It’s mainly because its diesel engine. You shouldn’t change the gear; the track was achievable with 40-110 km/h speed. We conjectured that the Q2 isn’t omnipotent. If we want to absolve the corner too fast, the opening out of the throttle can’t help for us, the outer wheels swing and we slip down from the right arc with a convulsive steering wheel and understeer. But if we find the optimal torque, we would have a feel, that an attentive hand pushes it to the best arc. Fine.

So on racetrack the Q2 has an incontestable benefit, which is shown up at the lap times. None of us is a race car driver, but with the red GT you could easily gain 2 seconds per lap. The differences would be more spectacular at a rainy, slippy surface/track, but for this the circumstances weren’t ensured.

These two GT’s represents the two negative pole on the current GT palette, but fortunately there’s a  resolution. Those who doesn’t want sporty suspension, big wheels and other gadgets, can offer only the Q2 differential. This item is eligible from the Progression range for every diesel GT, for around 800 Euro extra charge. 

We think that the slip differential is a must have extra equipment, but the Q2 series are referenced only for less comfort orientated people. We declare that they will get the Alfa’s current best sport suspension. And we hope that this technique wouldn’t be a short-term craze, but a steady gauge for the Alfas, just like Bobby for Dallas.

count M Kakucs Racer 2007 I went with the band to the racetrack: I held the connection, took some pictures, and so on. Finally of course I wasn’t above myself, so I asked for the two GT’s from its owners.  Both were pretty good: the snap of the diesel engines is always conclusive, and the suspension – with smoothly chopping in into the drivers decisions, and correct its failures – easily fulfil its own business. But the pulse and the size of the track forced upon me to stay in 3rd gear. I just adjusted the throttle, or the brake, and steer left or right, throttle, brake, steer, throttle, brake steer...it was a cake-walk, an order of simple procedures, which are improvable and after some extra laps, you can achieve a very good time. Thanks for these after the second lap, an arcade, and simple, gaming roomed computer game’s fantasy came in my mind.  You don’t have to change gear, you can’t miss, the only important thin is the lap time. If we miss, we just drop a new coin and start it again.