Competitor portrait: Ginetta G4

In the series of short portraits of competitors I start with the fastest: Palle B. Pedersen in Ginetta G4. For comparison his lap time at Ring Djursland is 1:02,5 - 8 seconds faster than my Spitfire. The Ginetta is from 1964, and one of the few cars on the grid with an engine smaller than the Spitfire - its 1-litre screamer is from a Ford Anglia. Why is the car that much faster than mine, then? Simply because everything is optimised for racing. The Ginetta has a stiff frame of small diameter tubes, ideal weight distribution, good aerodynamics and not least it is an ultralight car. There is absolutely no flab on the Ginetta that weighs in at a fraction over 450 kilos - almost 300 kilos less than my Spitfire. And it might have a smaller engine, but it is in a higher tune, and develops around 100 horsepower. These key figures mean that the G4 is the king in the division - NOTHING can touch it on lap times. How did I beat it in the 2004 championship, then? Solely on reliability, as I finished all races, the Ginetta only half of them. Better reliability is the only way to beat it, also in 2006. Its driver is an experienced racer, who doesn't make mistakes. In all fairness the Ginetta should win, and should that happen, it really would be no shame. A G4 is a formidable tool on a racetrack, and just having it on the grid pleases me.