DeltaWing.

This TOTALLY new innovative race car concept makes its first public debut this weekend with a demo run at the Sebring 12 hours. If you’ve not heard of it, you will be shocked to see this video. It will be powered by a tiny turbocharged 1.6 Nissan engine. No American car company had the balls to support the project (and all were asked). The goal is to showcase it in the Experimental Class at this year’s 24 Hours of LeMans.

Big name key players are behind the project – Dan Gurney, Chip Ganassi, etc. It was designed by Ben Bowlby, a UK designer who started with Lola and came to the US as technical director for Ganassi Racing nine years ago. Duncan Dayton, owner of Highcroft Racing is entering the car. Dan Gurney’s company is the constructor. He places Bowlby in a design category with the likes of Colin Chapman and Jim Hall for his innovative thinking. Don Panoz of Panoz car fame is a managing partner and responsible for fundng and maping out its life after LeMans. And the final two-pieces are Nissan and Michelin. Both willing to jump into brave new world to hopefully showcase what a small lightweight engine in a lightweight setup with really small tires can do.

You will see all kinds of stupid comments from viewers…. For example, it must handle like dog. Little do they know; this is what the designer has said it that respect:

“It's got a very benign, but exciting, handling characteristic in that it is an oversteer limit vehicle. In other words, when you reach the threshold of grip the tendency is towards oversteer. This is unusual in a rear-engined racing car which, unless provoked, is normally an understeer limited vehicle with an inevitable snap oversteer event at the limit of control. In our case we will have progressively increasing oversteer, allowing the driver to counter steer and maintain that threshold condition in a very controlled way, something you can't do in a car that understeers. From a racing driver's standpoint understeer is an unstable condition because you can't correct it other than by slowing the car and starting again, but with controlled oversteer - intrinsic in the layout of DeltaWing - it's much more controllable.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlLZ3...ature=youtu.be

PS- F1 starts this weekend as well.

 

Not sure if Dave meant to have a link at the top or pics but here is the web site. Very cool enterprise!

http://deltawingracing.com/

 

I posted the U-tube video of the actual car..... can't you see it?

 

Oh. Sorry, Dave. I should not have underestimated you. No, the embedded youtube vid did not show up on this PC. But that could be our filter here at the hospital. It changes behavior daily. Regardless, thanks for bringing this story to the attention of those of us who enjoy motor sports, innovation, and engineering excellence.

 

The Sebring race is on Sat but only available on ESPN 3 over the internet. However, ABC has a 2-hour recap on Sunday at noon. I am sure they will be showing the car in that broadcast. That's got be a wild ride sitting almost on the rear axle but they say that's essentially where the driver's sit in the German touring car series and they say they have great control from that seating position.

 

Oh. Sorry, Dave. I should not have underestimated you. No, the embedded youtube vid did not show up on this PC. But that could be our filter here at the hospital. It changes behavior daily. Regardless, thanks for bringing this story to the attention of those of us who enjoy motor sports, innovation, and engineering excellence.
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If you can view youtube - you can go there look for the video named Nissan DeltaWing launch - 13th March 2012.

 

I think the concept is very interesting and look forward to its participation at Sebring and also at the 24 Hours where it will carry the number "0" and run outside of classification in an experimental class.

As I recall this was also evaluated by IndyCar and they chose not to go with it. One thing that works against it is its looks. It does not have the conventional race car look people expect and is bound to draw snide comments. However I think it can be made to look appealing in subsequent iterations once they establish beyond doubt what the car can achieve.

As it stands it looks more like something that is run at the Bonneville Salt Flats or on a drag strip than something belonging on a road course. But setting my opinion about looks aside, I am looking forward to the potential of this car being demonstrated and perhaps influencing future vehicle design.

 

For road track people it's a foreign design, that is for sure. But that's the bottom line isn't it - a straight line speed record car shape that can actually handle and demonstrate that smaller can be better. I wish them well. Indy could not accept the idea..... like it's doing so well without 'at least' trying something new.

 

I wish them well with it. Innovation starts somewhere and those are some pretty impressive names involved.

However, when I look at the shape of car and try to imagine a track full of them it kind of scares me. The rear wheels look like launching pads hanging out there, far worse than open wheel and what will that shape do when it catches air?

Wish I had time to go to Sebring and watch it.

fltsfshr

 

It's ugly, like most Nissans, so they've got that worked out

I saw footage from Buttonwillow Raceway in that video which is a benchmark track out here. Any reported lap times?