Next Generation BNT V8 Breaks Cover

A new and exciting era for V8 racing in New Zealand is on the horizon with the BNT V8s Championship announcing technical details of their next generation car.

A huge leap forward in design and technical specification the new car platform is to be designed and built by Pace Innovations in Australia, and will be designed to look like two door American style muscle cars, with other two-door body style’s also possible on the base platform.

Set to race at the start of the 2020 Championship season the new car is an evolution of the current class one platform – built as a turnkey package by Pace Innovations, the first version, called the ‘Pace V8GT ZC1’ will be priced at approximately AUD $230,000 ex works.

Current cars competing in Class One of the championship will remain competitive with any new generation chassis. The category’s current parity tuning will be staying in effect.

Designed to be a cost effective platform for circuit racing in New Zealand, the Chromoly space frame chassis will feature bolt on front and rear crash structures for ease of repair in the event of a collision.

At the heart of the car will be a 6.2L LS3 race engine developing 630hp at 7200rpm.  Other body style cars will have the option of other manufacturer engines.

A notable new technical feature is that the chassis will be fitted with a rear mounted Albins ST6 6-Speed transaxle and will also have steering wheel mounted shifter paddles.

The chassis will feature independent front and rear suspension, double unequal length wishbone with spherical bearings, adjustable anti-roll bar and direct-acting Ohlins 2-way coil-over shock absorbers.

The braking system from Brembo will consist of a 6 piston forged caliper to suit a 380mm x 35.0mm rotor on the front with a 4 Piston forged caliper to suit Brembo 332mm x 32.0mm rotor on the rear.

The cars will utilise a Pace flow forged 18×11” rim with centre lock spindles allowing competitors to readily utilise their car for endurance racing should they wish.

The cars will continue to use the category controlled Dunlop 18×11” tyre.

“The NZTC (New Zealand Touring Cars) Board of Directors believes that it was important during the design process to make sure that the car could be used for multiple events not just confined to the BNTV8s Championship. For that reason the car has been designed with upgrades able to be added for endurance racing such as Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Traction Control,” says Ian Barlow, head of the NZ development project team.

“We have spent a lot of time finalising the specification of this new generation car with Pace Innovations and think it will be a car that teams and competitors will be excited about.”

The development team in conjunction with Pace Innovations have made efforts to ensure the car has a long competitive life span so that the initial cost can be spread over a number of years.

A lot of effort has gone in to the design proposal process and to ensure that the components will be robust enough to provide for a cost effective maintenance programme for competitors.

Current BNT V8s competitor Nick Ross has visited the Pace Innovations facility in Australia and says he was impressed by what he saw and is enthused by the technical specification of this new generation chassis.

“The facility Pace has over there is certainly world class. I was very impressed with the high level of manufacturing capabilities,” said Ross.

“When it comes to this next generation chassis, it is a huge leap forward as far as level of specification and performance. It has great features and design characteristics as well as being built with some of the highest quality motorsport products such as Brembo, Tilton, Motec, Ohlins and Albins. What’s more, what is being offered to competitors is exceptional value for money. It is going to provide a fantastic racing platform.”

For new car sales enquiries email: sales@nzv8touringcars.co.nz

V8GT ZC1 Technical Specification

Concept	GT Car, 2 door coupe, rear wheel drive
Body Style	V8GT – ZC1
Weight	1200kg est. dry weight
Chassis	Common platform chassis. 25CrMo4 alloy steel space frame. Bolt on front & rear crash structures
Body	Composite panels with Lexan windscreen and windows. Removable bonnet & rear decklid. LH & RH opening doors
Aero Package	Composite splitter, flat floor, composite diffuser, adjustable rear wing
Lighting	OEM tail lights and FIA rain light
Engine	N/A 6.2l LS3 based full race engine. Velocity Engineering dry sump oil scavenging system with external oil tank. Velocity rocker covers. Fast intake manifold. Fully built rotating assembly. Drive by wire. 98 Octane with E85 compatibility. 630HP, 7200RPM limit
Engine Management	M150 GPRP ECU, PDM 30
Fuel System	FIA-FT3 fuel cell, 18-gallon (65L) capacity. Combined in-tank fuel pot/collector unit with lift pumps and main pump w/filler plate
Airbox/Intake	Intake duct through front bumper to custom airbox
Exhaust	Full custom mandrel exhaust (Mild Steel) with muffler
Cooling	PWR engine & oil cooling system with front bumper duct
Transmission	Rear mounted Albins ST6 6-Speed transaxle, integrated spool differential. Internal oil pump, dual external air-oil coolers. Transaxle mounted clutch housing, alternator, and starter motor (Tilton). Option for LSD $2,000 AUD excl GST at time of purchase
Rear Drive	Incorporated in transaxle. Changeable drop gears. Steel driveshafts with CVs. Single piece solid prop shaft.
Clutch & Flywheel	Tilton 5.5” 3 plate metal heavy duty clutch, Albins flywheel.
Shifting System	Pneumatic shift actuation with steering wheel mounted shifter paddles
Front Suspension	Independent front suspension, double unequal length wishbone with spherical bearings. Mechanic adjustable anti-roll bar. Direct-acting Ohlins 2-way coil-over shock
Rear Suspension	Independent rear suspension, double unequal length wishbones with spherical bearings. Mechanic adjustable anti-roll bar. Direct-acting Ohlins 2-way coil-over shock
Front Upright	Ambidextrous custom upright, bolt-in replaceable spindle/bearing unit, camber adjustment via shim stack
Rear Upright	Ambidextrous custom upright, bolt-in replaceable spindle/bearing unit, camber adjustment via shim stack
Front Brakes	Brembo 6 piston forged caliper to suit Brembo 380mm, 53.5mm annulus rotor. Cooling via 5” brake ducts from front bumper intake
Rear Brakes	Brembo 4 Piston forged caliper to suit Brembo 332mm, 53.5mm annulus rotor
Pedals	Tilton 3 pedals (fixed position) with driver adjustable brake bias. Tilton master cylinders
Steering	Electronic power steering rack. Woodward collapsible steering column
Fire Suppression	In cabin handheld fire extinguisher
Air Jacks	Inboard air jacks with external spike fill
Rim	Pace Innovations flow forged 18×11” rim, centre lock spindles
Tyres	Category supplied Dunlop 18×11” Tyre
Wiring Harness	Heatshrink sealed chassis and engine harness with expansion patch
Data logging/Display	·         MoTeC C125 display (120mb logging enabled) ·         5” full colour display ·         GPS lap timing ·         Engine diagnostics ·         Front & rear master cylinder pressures ·         Front wheel speed sensors ·         Steering position sensor ·         Analysis through Motec i2 or i2 Pro
Driver Interface	OMP Seat, harness, and steering wheel w/quick disconnect.
Estimated Cost	$230,000 AUD excl GST, ex Pace Innovations Yatala, QLD, Australia