DeltaWing
 | |||||||||
| Constructor | All American Racers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Designer(s) | Ben Bowlby | ||||||||
| Technical specifications[1][2] | |||||||||
| Chassis | Aston Martin AMR-One tub[3] with Recyclable Energy Absorbing Matrix System bodywork panels | ||||||||
| Length | 183.07 in (465.0 cm) | ||||||||
| Width | 78.74 in (200.0 cm) | ||||||||
| Height | 40.55 in (103.0 cm) | ||||||||
| Axle track | 23.6 in (600 mm) (front) 66.93 in (1,700 mm) (rear) | ||||||||
| Wheelbase | 120.8 in (3,070 mm) | ||||||||
| Engine | Nissan DIG-T 1.6 L (98 cu in) I4 turbocharged Élan 1.9 L (120 cu in) I4 turbocharged | ||||||||
| Transmission | 5-speed sequential manual , torque-vectoring differential | ||||||||
| Weight | 1,047 pounds (475 kg)* | ||||||||
| Fuel | Le Mans Shell E10 petro 98RON | ||||||||
| Tyres | Michelin Bridgestone | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants |  Highcroft Racing | ||||||||
| Notable drivers |  Marino Franchitti Michael Krumm Satoshi Motoyama Lucas Ordóñez Gunnar Jeannette | ||||||||
| Debut | 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans | ||||||||
| |||||||||
The DeltaWing is a racing car designed by Ben Bowlby and debuted at the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans. The entry was run under the Project 56 name, composed of Ben Bowlby's DeltaWing Racing Cars (design), Dan Gurney's All American Racers (constructor), Duncan Dayton's Highcroft Racing (racing team) and International Motor Sports Association owner Don Panoz (advisor). Nissan's NISMO division also assisted in the development of the car.
History
The project began in January 2009, when Bowlby started to design a new IndyCar Series vehicle meant to be in the field starting in the 2012 season.[4]
With financial backing from Chip Ganassi, owner of major squad Chip Ganassi Racing, the prototype was unveiled in February 2010 at the Chicago Auto Show. Ganassi owns the car and its patents.[5] In July 2010, IndyCar chose a Dallara design instead.
Bowlby then worked with Don Panoz to present the idea to representatives from the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They applied for and received an invitation to race in the 2012 Le Mans race.[4]
Despite skepticism over the project, the DeltaWing made its on-track debut on 1 March 2012, completing a shakedown at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.[6]
The DeltaWing is planned to compete at the 2012 Petit Le Mans. Panoz stated that he hoped that the car would be allowed under the LMP1 and LMP2 regulations of the American Le Mans Series in 2013, or that it would replace the Oreca FLM09 as the LMP Challenge spec car.[7]
On February 5, 2013 Marshall Pruett of SpeedTV.com revealed that Don Panoz will enter the DeltaWing in the American Le Mans Series for the 2013 season at Sebring International Raceway, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and Baltimore. Panoz will develop the car without the DeltaWing's original partners Nissan, All American Racers, Michelin, and Ben Bowlby's company DeltaWing Racing Cars. Instead of the car being set to P2 regulations, Panoz will make the 2013 model to P1 specifications as well as enable the car to compete for points as a fully classified P1 entry. The Sebring version will continue to be an open top prototype, but later versions will be closed top. The power plant will be a 2.0L Mazda MZR-based engine which is currently producing 345hp on the dyno and is lighter than the RML-built Nissan engine of 2012. Future iterations are rumored to include a carbon fiber engine block.[8]
Design
The DeltaWing was designed to reduce aerodynamic drag dramatically, to allow a marginally faster straight and corner speed than a 2009-2011 Dallara IndyCar on both ovals and road/street courses with half as much weight, engine power and fuel consumption. As the name suggests, it has a delta wing shape, with an unusually narrow 0.6 metres (2 ft 0 in) front track and a more traditional 1.7 metres (5 ft 7 in) rear track. The car lacks any front or rear wings - downforce comes from the underbody. The engine will be a four-cylinder turbocharged direct injection 300 bhp unit assembled by Ray Mallock Engineering with Chevrolet and Nissan parts.[9] The model to run at Le Mans will have a 40 litres (8.8 imp gal; 11 US gal) fuel tank, bespoke BBS 380 millimetres (15 in) wheels and Michelin tyres, a weight of 475 kilograms (1,047 lb), a power-to-weight ratio of 631 brake horsepower per ton, and a drag coefficient of 0.35.[10]
The braking system weighs 13.2 kilograms (29.2 lb), about half the normal weight for a race car. Also unique compared to other race cars is that 72.5 percent of the mass and 76 percent of the downforce is at the rear. It has a moveable Gurney flap, normally not allowed but can be used by experimental vehicles.[4]
Coupe model
In 2013, a coupe variant of the DeltaWing was unveiled at the 12 Hours of Sebring race and will make its race debut at the 2013 American Le Mans Series round at Austin in September.[11]
The redesign was intended to bring the DeltaWing in line with Le Mans Prototype P1 regulations, and to minimise the chance of the driver's head being hit in the event of an accident.[12] There are also several other changes to the design: including the adoption of a purposebuilt monocoque (rather than the Ason Martin derived one used on the previous car), and addition of a roof mounted air intake. The car was first tested in September 2013.[13]
Competition history
2012 24 Hours of Le Mans
In June 2011 it was announced that the car would fill the 56th garage at the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans, reserved for experimental vehicles. As with all Le Mans cars, the DeltaWing was a two-seater. Marino Franchitti, Michael Krumm and Satoshi Motoyama drove the DeltaWing at Le Mans.[4] It qualified 29th with a time of 3:42.612, which was 18.825 behind the lead car.[14] The car was retired after 75 laps following an accident in which the DeltaWing ran into a concrete barrier at the Porsche Curves after a collision with Kazuki Nakajima's Toyota TS030 Hybrid.[15] The DeltaWing recorded a best race lap time of 3:45.737, rivaling some of the LMP2 teams.[16] Nakajima later apologized for the incident.
2012 Petit Le Mans
After failing to complete the 24 hours of Le Mans, DeltaWing was granted an unclassified entry to the 2012 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. After rebuilding the car from a collision in practice the DeltaWing went on to finish fifth overall,[17] completing 388 laps to the overall winner's 394. The car also underwent testing for its potential inclusion as a classified entry in the American Le Mans Series starting in 2013.[18]
2013 12 Hours of Sebring
The DeltaWing was entered in the 2013 12 Hours of Sebring race at the Sebring International Raceway, where it was driven by Olivier Pla and Andy Meyrick. Pla qualified the car in fifteenth place,[19] ten seconds off the pace the Audi R18 that qualified on pole, and five seconds slower than than its nearest rival in the P1 class, but 5 seconds ahead of the fastest GT class car. After struggling with temperatures all week, the car retired in the second hour with a terminal engine failure after only ten laps.[20]
References
- ^ 2012 - Deltawing - 24 Hours of Le Mans (pamphlet), Michelin
{{citation}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "DeltaWing Le Mans 24 Hour in 2012 Technical Features". DeltaWing Racing Cars. June 9, 2011. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Fuller, Michael J. (September 13, 2011). "9.13.11". Mulsanne's Corner. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Considine, Tim (2012). "The DeltaWing". Road & Track. 63 (11): 121–124. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Vettraino, J.T. (September 17, 2012). "Inside His Mind". Autoweek. 62 (19): 70–75.
- ^ DeltaWing race car hits track for first test - Autoweek, March 2, 2012
- ^ Le Mans blog: Panoz responds to DeltaWing doubters, 'Why not?' - Autoweek, June 13, 2012
- ^ http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/alms-panoz-returning-with-new-deltawing-engines-chassis/
- ^ Smith, Steven Cole (2013). "Half the Weight, Half the Fuel, Half the Tires, Half a Chance". Road & Track. 64 (5): 86–89. ISSN 0035-7189. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
The four-cylinder engine that the DeltaWing raced with at Le Mans was billed as a Nissan, but it was built largely from Chevrolet parts by England's Ray Mallock Engineering, which built the fours that won the 2011 World Touring Car Championship in a Chevrolet Cruze. The DeltaWing did, at least, sport a throttle body from a Nissan Juke.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Data as published on the Deltawingracing.com website after 2012 Le Mans Race after the addition of rear view mirrors
- ^ "DeltaWing coupe makes track test debut ahead of Austin ALMS race". Autosport.com. 05 September 2013. Retrieved 05 Septebmber 2013.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ "DeltaWing Coupe unveiled at Sebring". Speedcafe.com. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ "DeltaWing coupe makes track test debut ahead of Austin ALMS race". Autosport.com. 05 September 2013. Retrieved 05 Septebmber 2013.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ "DeltaWing to start 29th in 24 Hours of Le Mans after qualifying". Autoweek. June 14, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ^ 24 Hours of Le Mans: Nissan DeltaWing retires after crash
- ^ 24 Hours of Le Mans 2012 - Classification (See Lotus-Lola B12/80)
- ^ "Nissan DeltaWing Racer Finishes 5th at Petit Le Mans (Video)". The Wall Street Journal. October 22, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
- ^ "DeltaWing Racing Forward to 2013 in ALMS". alms.com. October 12, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
- ^ "61st Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Unofficial Qualifying" (PDF). International Motor Sports Association. March 15, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
- ^ "DeltaWing Gets Wakeup Call at Sebring". Motor Trend. March 18, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
- Inside The Delta Wing Project - Speed, Robin Miller, 10 February 2010
- Exploring the Delta Wing concept - The Way It Is, Gordon Kirby, 22 February 2010
- Franchitti and Panoz discuss the Nissan-Delta Wing - The Way It Is, Gordon Kirby, July 2, 2012
- Pruett, Marshall (August 2011). "Project 56". Racecar Engineering. 21 (8). Chelsea Magazine Company: 44–48.
- Developing the Deltawing - Racecar Engineering, 8 January 2012
See also
External links
