The DeltaWing, the most original and exotic racing car design introduced in the past several years is right on track—according to the latest press release from constructors All American Racers.
The DeltaWing, brainchild of veteran designer Ben Bowlby was originally proposed as the replacement for the current generation of IndyCars.
When the radical design was rejected by Indycar, it was proposed for the experimental 56th grid spot at the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans, by a consortium including racing legend Dan Gurney’s All American Racers, Duncan Dayton’s multi-championship-winning Highcroft Racing team, veteran designer Ben Bowlby, and American Le Mans Series founder Dr. Don Panoz.
The DeltaWing was designed to be half as heavy as a modern race car, with half the drag, this needing half the power, thus being twice as fuel-efficient. Its unique tricycle shape, with a long pointed nose and very small front wheels, plus its rearward weight bias and electronically-controlled differential, would supposedly allow the car to corner as fast as a conventional car while being more stable under braking.
The car’s body will be made from a revolutionary material called REAMS, Recyclable Energy Absorbing Matrix System, developed by Dr. Panoz out of bullet-proofing materials created for the military at his Elan Motorsport Technologies factory.
REAMS, according to Dr. Panoz, can be 50 percent lighter than the carbon fiber currently used in race car construction, can be made using less energy, and is recyclable.
Dr. Panoz said in a press statement that the DeltaWing “could be a great leap forward for the sport. If you can build a car that is lighter and needs less horsepower then that provides significant ‘green’ improvements
“When you throw REAMS in the mix it makes things even better—particularly for the tracks. One of the biggest problems you have with on-track impacts is the pieces of shattered carbon fiber littering the track and causing tire punctures. This doesn’t happen with REAMS.”
According to the latest DeltaWing press release, everything is on schedule and looking good.
Designer Ben Bowlby said, “The progress so far has actually been far better than I dare hoped—The guys working on the design are doing an outstanding job and everything is coming together exceptionally well.
“The details of the front suspension/nose module are complete and we have been working with the ACO and the FIA on arranging the crash testing for those components.
“The tub itself actually conforms to full LMP1 chassis regulations. From the drivers’ perspective, their ‘office’ will be the same whether driving the DeltaWing or another LMP1 car.”
That press release includes a photo of the new tub—and offers some explanation of why drivers might feel right at home.
This could be an ingenious time- and cost-saving measure—certainly Aston Martin would be willing to sell parts cheap, considering their car has been shelved—but also raises questions as to whether the Delta Wing project could have met its schedule whole producing its own monocoque. Surely they didn’t plan to use Aston Martin all along?
There are other worrisome signs. Apparently the consortium has not signed an engine supplier yet. Theoretically absolutely any small engine would fit; the chassis is designed for an unstressed engine, which means it doesn’t need a bespoke racing design. Any small powerplant from any road car could be bolted in.
Still one would think that the DeltaWing managers would want the engine supplier signed up as soon as possible; the car is scheduled to start track-testing in December.
Also, some reports indicate that there is no supplier for the specialized small front tires.
Another troubling sign is that Duncan Dayton, owner of Highcroft Racing, apparently had to lay off 90 percent of his workforce early this week, keeping only two mechanics and a truck driver.
Apparently Dayton had been paying for a full racing crew but the team hadn’t raced since March, and with no income in sight, Dayton could no longer carry the crew.
How is the DeltaWing supposed to track-test with no crew? The benefit of having Highcroft Racing on board was that the highly experienced crew could shake down the untested car more quickly than most, having proven their ability with the ARX-02a and the ARX-01e.
Sure, Dayton could hire back all the engineers and mechanics in a couple months when testing starts, but it makes one question how much money the DeltaWing project has left in its accounts.
The DeltaWing is an extraordinary design. It breaks the boundaries of sports car design—it looks like a ‘50s Sci-Fi rocket ship, it doesn’t depend on huge wings for downforce, it uses cutting edge materials and is designed to save fuel while offering performance equivalent to current cars.
The DeltaWing could redefine the modern competition automobile—but it needs to get built first.
In the latest press statement, Ben Bowlby said, “Everyone is so excited about bringing this project to fruition, getting the car on track and surprising the world.”
The world is equally excited, Mr. Bowlby. Here’s hoping the car is ready for testing at Sebring and racing at Le Mans.
