On race day at the FIA GT in Adria it was the GT4 guys that got their racing on first, and what a battle we witnessed! GT4 is open to production cars, which have been prepared for competition. Performance is equalized by various measures (air restrictors and so on) to make sure that all the cars perform roughly the same. However, I couldn't help feel that the Ginetta was a tad more extreme, as it's hardly a proper production car. It was even running a straight cut gearbox, you could hear it whine all the way around the track!

One of the V8 Vantage's that competed was on UK street plates. All the cars run Pirelli slicks that are regulated to make sure grip levels are the same for all cars.

Rod and I were discussing about the design of the Vantage. We agreed it was one of the most beautiful and balanced shapes out there, and the GT4 racer with the more aggressive front bumper and hood pins looks even better!

The whole GT4 race was a continuos non-stop battle between the n.18 Espace Bienvenue BMW M3 and the n.12 Porsche GT3, once the n.52 Ginetta in the opening picture lost the lead after the pit stops. The BMW had more acceleration out of corners and on the straights, but the GT3 caught up under braking. After the above shot there was an impact….

…which put the n.32 Vantage out of business with a broken steering rack. The driver was forced to drive the car straight into the gravel.

I'm not sure what Caterham owners have to say about the Donkervoorts, but I quite like the look of the D8 GT with the funky hardtop. While walking on the paddock we spotted these two roadsters…

…the rear end looks far too simple when you compare it to the race car.

The more futuristic design with the built-in headlights of the GT looks much cleaner too.

Look at that rear view! Definitely original, I'm surprised many people at Adria didn't like it. What do you guys think?

Here is another strange one, but strange in a cool way! The KTM Xbow is a pleasure to look at, all that lovely carbon fiber…I thought I was back at Pagani for a second!

I'd really like to take one of these things for a drive, it just looks like it would drive the pants off anything. But most reviews I've read seem to say it isn't quite as exciting as it should be.

Exposed front push-rod suspension layout. I bet you can see them working for you as you drive it!

The fibers used in the carbon tub were very thick, and just lit up with the flash. In the X-bow you sit directly in the chassis much like you would on a KTM bike, all you get is a bit of padding…looks painful!

Rear end could definitely do with some cleaning up, looks like its guts are spilling out!

Was impressed at how well the BMW M3 performed at Adria.

With its V8 bellowing at full rpm it was one of the best sounding cars in the class, even if a tad on the quite side. Or maybe refined is a better word. You can now purchase this racing version of the M3 directly from BMW.

There were two Z33 350Zs but due to some bad luck both ended up out of the race within the first few laps.

The Ginetta G50 is the car to beat in GT4. Joe Osborne is currently the point leader and will be doing his best to stay there throughout the 2009 championship. Next up a look at the FIA GT grid, moments before the race started!

Speedhunting in Italy stories 

- Dino Dalle Carbonare