Delta Wing returns

[lars75]

I think this was a great and prommosing project at last Year LMS 24hrs.

I'm glad that someone still believes in the project and joins the ALMS this year with the Delta Wing. Hopefully it is a strong contender at the LMP1 and LMP2 field and are they able to take some podiums.

They are looking for competetive drivers that can take the car to an higher level and push it to the edge of it's capacity?

I suggest a line-up:

- Jos Verstappen
- Jacques Villeneuve
- Alexander Wurz

[Rollo]

They are looking for competetive drivers that can take the car to an higher level and push it to the edge of it's capacity?
I think a better proposal would be to unclip its wings and allow the rules to give it a better power plant.

If I was the FIA, I'd seriously consider asking to run it at Le Mans with next year's F1 engine in as a test bed.

[EagleEye]

The program, might be done. After getting the nod from the merged Grand AM/ALMS series, and indicating that the Delta Wing would run in some capacity, several key players have left. Nissan and Michelin are gone, as is Ben Bowlby and Dan Gurney.

Don Panoz has indicated he is trying to get a Mazda engine to work, (but with no factory support) and is also trying to make it a closed cockpit. I thnk the closed cockpit would indeed look very cool, but with so many players and money leaving, we'll have to wait and see. Though Don is not too short on cash.....

[shazbot]

I think a better proposal would be to unclip its wings and allow the rules to give it a better power plant.

If I was the FIA, I'd seriously consider asking to run it at Le Mans with next year's F1 engine in as a test bed.

you've completely missed the point here! It wasn't built to any rules in the first place, and the engine choice is in line with the whole ethos of the project - light weight, low power, small capacity economical engine with similar prototype lap times. The Don Panoz connection is probably the kiss of death though.

[Rollo]

you've completely missed the point here! It wasn't built to any rules in the first place, and the engine choice is in line with the whole ethos of the project - light weight, low power, small capacity economical engine with similar prototype lap times. The Don Panoz connection is probably the kiss of death though.

I don't think I have though ;)
The car is obviously an experimental thing (heck it even ran with the number 0), so why not use it as a test bed? And and for being "small capacity" it would go from 1.6L in 2012 form to... 1.6L.
Companies like Audi have held the ACO to ransom in the past and I'm willing to bet that that's why the Deltawing wasn't allowed anything more than 300bhp.

Incidentally Don Panoz was part of Project 56 in the first place.

[shazbot]

I don't think I have though ;)
The car is obviously an experimental thing (heck it even ran with the number 0), so why not use it as a test bed? And and for being "small capacity" it would go from 1.6L in 2012 form to... 1.6L.
Companies like Audi have held the ACO to ransom in the past and I'm willing to bet that that's why the Deltawing wasn't allowed anything more than 300bhp.

Incidentally Don Panoz was part of Project 56 in the first place.

If I was a team that had commited huge amounts of time and money to running a prototype car i wouldn't be too impressed by being beaten by a car built to no rules. The car as a concept was meant to prove that you don't need wings and high bhp to go fast. I dont know what you mean by test bed? It is a test bed for that concept. Obviously. Again I'm not sure what you mean by Don Panoz? He certainly wasn't involved with the Delta wing initially, and as soon as he was he proceded to drive off the cars designer Ben Bowlby, AAR/Dan Gurney and Nissan. Not bad going! Incidentally the car was running with more than 300hp at Petit Le Mans.