[EN] Nissan DeltaWing - The Future of Racing is Here

300hp? Is that enough?

Nissan is aiming to change the face of endurance racing forever by becoming a founding partner in the most radical motorsport project of its time – Nissan DeltaWing.

The DeltaWing is a joint project between former Lola design chief Ben Bowlby and Chip Ganassi Racing, and pitched as the future of IndyCar. IndyCar passed on the design, calling the DeltaWing too radical, and instead falling back on the latest interpretation of the Dallara chassis the series has been using for years.

A highly-advanced and hugely-efficient Nissan engine will power the remarkable DeltaWing car as it races in anger for the first time at the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours (June 16-17). The car gets the start number "0" and is not classified at the official Le Mans result, because this car is ineligible in any category that ACO has given.
  

Powered by the same engine as the Nissan Juke, the turbocharged 1.6 litre engine, coded MR16DDT, the highly-tuned engine powers up to 300hp which is enough to propel the 500kg racer. The extremely-futuristic aerodynamic body gives the car half the drag of the normal race car.

To reduce drag and optimize weight bias, the engine is mounted behind the driver and power is sent to the rear wheels. More intriguingly, with both the engine and driver mounted far back in the carbon fiber chassis, the ultra-thin front tires don’t have to move much to elicit a change in direction.

The lightweight body, along with the aerodynamic design, allows this car to get the same performance as the present Le Mans Prototype (LMP) cars. The small engine also gives an advantage to this racer, making more mileage than normal cars get. Compared to the LeMans leaders in the LMP1 class, including the recently revealed 510-hp Audi R18 Ultra, the DeltaWing is down on both power and traction, but that’s not the name of the game when it comes to endurance racing.

The DeltaWing is running in a class of one, taking the “Garage 56″ spot at LeMans and wearing a “0″ on its sides, both of which indicate that it’s a noncompetitive, exhibition racer; a rolling proof of concept that gets to play with the big boys and put on a show for the ACO, the organizing body of the race.
But that doesn’t mean the DeltaWing’s participation isn’t relevant.

“As motor racing rulebooks have become tighter over time, racing cars look more and more similar and the technology used has had less and less relevance to road car development,” said Executive VP at Nissan Andy Palmer. “Nissan DeltaWing aims to change that.” And change that they will, beginning with its first public exhibition at Sebring International Raceway this week and followed by taking the exclusive 56th slot at the 24 Hours of LeMans this June.

The car will be driven by Marino Franchitti and the driver working for Nissan in FIA GT1 series, Michael Krumm.

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