Ginetta, a British manufacturer of racing and sports cars, has a rich history of producing road-legal and race-ready vehicles.
Over the years, they have gained recognition for racing GTs and prototypes in series as esteemed as the FIA World Endurance Championship, but they continually find success in regional and national GT championships such as the British GT Championship, GT4 European Series and GT4 World Challenge with the Ginetta G55 GT4.
Let’s learn more about its virtual translation in Assetto Corsa Competizione.
Introducing the Ginetta G55 GT4
Ginetta is well-known for its commitment to grassroots racing and providing accessible platforms for aspiring racers, especially in the LMP3, GT4 and GT junior categories – even current Formula 1 driver Lando Norris has raced and won in Ginetta machinery during his career.
In Assetto Corsa Competizione, you can race the Ginetta G55 GT4, the primary Ginetta model for GT4 racing until the 2022 motorsport season. The car is available in the GT4 DLC, released in July 2020, pitting it up against ten other class contenders including the Porsche 718 Cayman and Mercedes-AMG GT4s.
- The Coach Dave Academy team of drivers and engineers have created full setup offerings for the Ginetta G55 GT4, available for purchase now as part of our setup subscription.
The Basic Car Characteristics
The Ginetta G55 GT4 uses a 3.7-litre V6 engine, which is positioned at the front of the car, and a six-speed sequential transmission. The engine generates up to only 380 horsepower and does not need to be severely restricted to comply with the GT4 class balance of performance rules, unlike the BMW M4 GT4, the Mercedes-AMG GT4 or the McLaren 570s GT4.
The G55 is one of the toughest GT4 cars to set up correctly because it offers an extensive list of setup options on par with some GT3 cars. Besides, the bulk of the overall pace is in the cornering performance, and you will need to get as much as possible out of it since the G55 is not the fastest GT4 car overall in Assetto Corsa Competizione.
Here are the crucial setup features of the G55:
- A wide setup range of electronic assistants (traction control and anti-lock braking system): 10 and 13 settings for TC and ABS are as many as on many GT3 cars.
- The front and rear anti-roll bars have four settings, while most GT4 cars are limited to two or three settings.
- There is an extensive range of available suspension options. You can customise wheel rates, bump stop rates and ranges beyond what is available on most other GT4 cars.
- Minimal ride heights are 70 mm at the front and 76 mm at the rear, lower than in other GT4s.
Steering and Cornering
This Ginetta G55 GT4 is known for its nimble and agile handling. It’s relatively lightweight and features a well-balanced chassis which allows for quick changes in direction and excellent cornering ability. For example, the G55 weighs just under 1100 KG, compared to approximately 1400 KG for the GT4 models of BMW, Porsche and Mercedes.
You can drive quite aggressively into most corners because the front of the car is so responsive. To complement this strength, the G55 likes a stiff front anti-roll bar to increase overall car stability. Usually, the rear anti-roll bar is one click softer than the front to give the car slightly more rotation in the corners.
On the other hand, Ginetta is not the best over curbs and tends to become unstable if you attack them too much. A stiff bump stop rate at the front is the typical solution to mitigate this weakness, but, in any case, this car cannot attack curbs as aggressively as heavier front-engine cars.
Meanwhile, optimal damper settings vary from one circuit to another. Generally, you should set rebound dampers stiffer than the bump dampers to stabilise this light car quickly as the brakes are released at the corner entry.
Power Delivery and Braking
The Ginetta G55 GT4 has insufficient power to compete on straights at top speeds against many other GT4 cars – many of which are heavily restricted by BoP. Three considerations follow from this feature:
- Use minimal traction control in this car unless the track is wet
- Ensure power delivery is very smooth and that there is not much wheel spin on the exits – keep the differential low for better rotation in the corners
- With the overall setup, try to exploit the strengths of the G55 in the corners instead of compensating for the weaknesses on the straights.
The brake balance in this car is adjustable between 46% and 67%, much like on many GT3 cars. On most tracks in dry conditions, the optimal braking performance is around 53-55% brake balance, although it may vary depending on your preferences.
- Watch onboard laps on the Coach Dave Academy’s YouTube channel to understand the optimal driving style in the Ginetta G55 GT4 around popular tracks in Assetto Corsa Competizione.
Aerodynamics and Bodywork
The G55 has limited aerodynamic features due to the GT4 regulations. The front splitter is fixed, and you can only adjust the rear wing. Unlike many other GT4 cars, the Ginetta gains noticeable performance in the corners with a higher rear wing, and this is something worth testing out even on low-downforce circuits.
As for the optimal rake, the G55 is quite typical and likes the rake between 10-15 mm in Monza and 20-25 mm on high-downforce circuits. Note that Ginetta runs lower to the ground than other GT4s, and the suspension setup needs to be precise to avoid grounding.
Final Thoughts
The Ginetta G55 certainly has a personality among the GT4s in ACC. The car is light, agile, well-balanced and drives comfortably on the turn-in and mid-corner. It lacks power and top speed, but this drawback is not crucial, and you can still set competitive lap times on most circuits with the correct setup.
