It feels like only yesterday that Rodney Gibb debuted the MG ZT 520 purchased out of the Dreadnought team in Scotland. Since bringing the car half way around the world, and to a very different climate he has taken on the challenge of bringing the car up to specification for Australian motorsport and our climate.
The major mechanical update was the fitment of a new gearbox, Gibb commenting that the old one wasn’t up to the task, “it had a European box which was fine but there was a lack of support here so we made the decision to update it so we had more technical support and future proof it”. The car has suffered from a shock of climate with Gibb saying it shows how different the climate is, “the car has had plenty of outings in the UK but it got here and all of a sudden the local temperatures gave it a shock, it was stinking hot in the thing after a few laps and the car was struggling. As we know, Sandown can be 40 degrees, the UK season might hit 20 ambient, but we are getting on top of all that stuff”.
When asked about the heat issues Gibb commented the car itself was physically hot; “we did 5 or 6 laps in high 20 degree heat and the metal in the car was bloody hot, and I thought this can’t be right… we have had to put heat shielding, and look at everything, it has turned into a bit of a project”.
The ZT 520 has the makings of a strong top 5 contender, and Gibb hopes when 2020 gets underway he can prove that, “we sat out the opening round as the car was late getting back together and we just didn’t need the hassle, so I waited and we were set for round 2 but we all know what happened then don’t we?. We will be back when the season kicks back off, looking forward to going back to Sandown and seeing where it is now as that is really our only yard stick”.
The car has had a birthday and is one of 2x ZT V8’s currently active but with at least one more being built, and another project making a 4th potential ZT V8! Watch this space…
