The Delta Wing Returns! Discuss...

[gatordad]

DeltaWing 'now a contender', according to its drivers By Matt Beer Monday, August 12th 2013, 09:13 GMT

The DeltaWing's race-leading performance in the American Le Mans Series' Road America round proves the car is now a contender, not a novelty, according to drivers Andy Meyrick and Katherine Legge.
An early change to slicks on a drying track thrust Legge into the lead of Sunday's race at the Elkhart Lake track, and she and Meyrick were each able to hold off the series-dominating Pickett HPD for a while, leading 16 laps in total.
They ultimately finished fifth overall, the timing of late caution periods spoiling the team's strategy.
"Everyone has worked extremely hard and every time we go out we improve," said Legge. "But on Sunday, we really proved what the essence of the DeltaWing is all about.
"Dr [Don] Panoz's dream of showing how revolutionary the car is was realised."
Initially created as a concept for the next generation IndyCar rules package, the DeltaWing came to fruition to race at the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours.
 The science behind the DeltaWing

This season Panoz, one of the partners in the projects, took its development in-house, switching from the previous Nissan engine to Elan power, and swapping from Michelin to Bridgestone tyres.
The Dave Price-headed DeltaWing team now fields the car in the ALMS' LMP1 class, and it will be eligible for the new United SportsCar Championship next year when the ALMS and Grand-Am merge.
DELTAWING 'HELD ITS OWN'
Meyrick, whose top-level sportscar experience includes stints with Aston Martin, ORECA and Dyson said he and Legge had genuine hopes of fending off the HPD.
"To be disappointed at not finishing second shows how this project is moving forward," he said.
"It's a development project and along with Elan Technologies and Bridgestone, it's been an incredible job.
"We've never run in this car in the wet and it's a testament to the car.
"When we were behind the wheel, we both had it in our heads that the Muscle Milk guys weren't going to get past. We both tried but they were really quick in traffic.
"It does show how far we've come - we were really quick in our straightline speeds. We've worked hard on the chassis; we really held our own."
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[Fran]

Bravo!!

[Grand_Fromage]

Wow, the re-hashed DW finished a race.

I loved the DW that was at Le Mans last year but the one that finished the race at Road America, apart from it's overall concept, owes pretty much nothing to the Nissan DW apart from the name. Different chassis, different engine, different tyres, different development team.

[Lorry]

Its still a joke

[geoffd]

All credit to them for finishing the race, but as it doesn't run to any rules it shouldn't actually be classified at all surely?

Any manufacturer could build a car that could win easily, or hold off a car that was obvisouly faster in most places, if it don't have to run to the same rule book as everyone else.

[Grand_Fromage]

True, except that the money behind the current DW originates from the owner of the series. I'm not sure, but I think that might have a little to do with it.

All credit to them for finishing the race, but as it doesn't run to any rules it shouldn't actually be classified at all surely?

Any manufacturer could build a car that could win easily, or hold off a car that was obvisouly faster in most places, if it don't have to run to the same rule book as everyone else.

[JDS]

True, except that the money behind the current DW originates from the owner of the series. I'm not sure, but I think that might have a little to do with it.

[gatordad]

It is his party.  btw, the DW was good on the straights which are long at Road America.  Not so good in the turns.  They got to the front with pit strategy but could not hold off the Muscle Milk guys and others.  Nonetheless, it is good to see them still trying to develop some new concepts.

[Grand_Fromage]

Coupe version for customer teams.

http://www.motorsport.com/alms/news/deltawing-racing-cars-offers-coupe-to-customers/

Want one?     ...Me neither.

[Canada Phil]

In my view the Delta wing was an interesting experiment that has passed it's best before date.
Bring on the Hydrogen Car (that was not ready this year) with it's bulbous tanks and strange appearance.

Phil

[lofty]

i had a girl friend witk bulbous tanks and a strange apearance once.

[Pilgrim]

The first time I saw the DW I thought somebody had already crashed it.

I'm not keen on the diesel-electric hybrids either. They don't like proper racing cars so much as the bastard child of some ghastly backstreet quickie between a lawnmower and an eggwhisk.

[jimclark]

i had a girl friend witk bulbous tanks and a strange apearance once.

'Likewise, and she could evacuate my diffuser like no other...

I digress. Back to strange looking and bulbuous race cars....

[Boorish Grobian]

That car is actually really small in person.  A few years ago they had the '67 Paxton turbine sittting in the IMS museum next to one of the '68 Lotus turbines, the Lotus looked massive sitting next to the Jones car.  That was a good few month's to visit if one was a Lotus enthusiast, they had Clark's 1965 winner on loan from the Ford museum, as well as his '63 mount, and two of the '68 turbines all on display.  As mentioned, the 1968 cars were huge compared to the previous years turbine, and for that matter the 1968 winning Eagle sitting a few yards away.  If I recall correctly on race day morning a few years ago they did some demonstration laps with the one '68 cars...Yawn, my Dyson vacum cleaner makes more noise.
Fax
(Found some photos online of the Paxton car in the IMS museum, unfortunately when these photos were taken it wasn't sitting next to a '68 car like it was when I visited, but it gives a good idea of the scale, and odd design)
08/19 Thought I'd throw in the photo of Clark's winner as well, found this pic online of the 38 at IMS

[Andy Zarse]

In my view the Delta wing was an interesting experiment that has passed it's best before date.
Phil

I agree. I reject the Delta Wing concept.

I don't see what it proved other than to prove that giving designers a free hand on aero means you can make a quick car out of a PoS. That has now been done, so what next?