RE: DeltaWing To Race Le Mans In 2012

RE: DeltaWing To Race Le Mans In 2012

Thursday 9th June 2011

DeltaWing To Race Le Mans In 2012

Video: Radical new racer gets a class of its own



If you're planning a Le Mans trip next year, watch out for a 'low-flying aircraft' mixing it up with the old-school racers.

The radical DeltaWing created by former Lola designer Ben Bowlby was originally mooted as an innovative new Indy racing chassis, but now the Automotive Club de L'Ouest has confirmed a slot has been offered for the car to run at Le Mans next year where it will run in its own class.

"In 2010 the ACO Sporting Committee decided to create the garage #56 to promote new technologies," says ACO sports director Vincent Beaumesnil. "When the ACO Management met the representative of the DeltaWing project everybody thought immediately that it would be a high quality project for Le Mans Experimental entry in 2012.

"The interest of this project is based on the optimisation of all factors that have an impact of global energy consumption and efficiency of the car : weight, power, drag.

"The ACO want to give the opportunity to evaluate each technology, and this project shows that ahead of hybrid, bio fuel or electric technology - we can explore other ways to improve efficiency."

The team behind the DeltaWing project includes Dan Gurney's All American Racers and ALMS-winning Highcroft Racing, so it's got serious credentials.

Specifications

Total weight: 475Kg
Horsepower: 300 BHP
Wheel base: 2.90m
Aerodynamic drag: Cd 0.24
Front track: 0.6m
Rear track: 1.7m
O/A length 4.65m
O/A width 2.00m
Height 1.03m
Brakes: Carbon discs and pads
Fuel cell capacity 40 litres
Chassis construction: lightweight composite
Front tire: 4.0/23.0 R15
Rear tire: 12.5/24.5 R15
Weight distribution: 27.5% Front (72.5% Rear)

Key Technical Features

* Engine and transmission are "non-stressed members" of the chassis structural design which allows teams to install a wide variety of lightweight powertrains
* The car features a liquid cooled 4 cylinder 1600cc intercooled turbocharged engine that will produce approximately 300 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and weigh 70kg
* Transmission is a 5 speed plus reverse longitudinal design with an electrical sequential paddle shift actuation. The differential features an efficient variable torque steer/differential speed-controlled planetary final drive reduction layout with the entire transmission weighing only 33kg
* Vehicle weight distribution is necessarily more rearward than traditionally seen with 72.5% of the mass on the larger rear tires
* 76% of the aerodynamic downforce acts on the rear of the car which has an lift to drag ratio of >5.0
* Rear wheel drive coupled with the rearward weight and aerodynamic distributions greatly enhances inline acceleration capability
* Unique amongst today's racing cars more than 50% of the vehicles braking force is generated behind the center of gravity giving a dynamically stable response
* Locking propensity of the un-laden front wheel at corner entry is greatly reduced due to virtually no front lateral load transfer with the narrow track & wide rear track layout, steered wheel "scrub drag" moment is virtually zero greatly increasing tire utilization and reducing mid turn understeer
* Advanced computer modeling of structures, impact energy management, aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics and tires has been used to develop the DeltaWing design
* Driver position, restraint layout and energy absorbing structures designed to meet the latest occupant survival criteria





Author
Discussion

damienm

Original Poster:

12 posts

191 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
I've got the Speed Racer theme tune in my head now

[AJ]

3,079 posts

197 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
Wow, that looks absolutely fascinating. Although I'm confident the guys behind this know exactly what they are doing and I'm certainly no aerodynamicist, I would have thought in current form understeer would be a bit of a problem?

Crusoe

4,068 posts

230 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
Looks like it would understeer off in high speed corners? Narrow front section tyres with little weight over them compared to huge rears with a wider rear track and most of the down force and weight?

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
I can't be the only one that's suddenly thinking Batmobil? hehe


Looks highly interesting. smile

bobbylondonuk

2,197 posts

189 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
how do they combat the understeer with that design?

left to right

774 posts

175 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
would it not be more aerodynamic as a closed cockpit.

PhillipM

6,507 posts

188 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
article said:
* Unique amongst today's racing cars more than 50% of the vehicles braking force is generated behind the center of gravity giving a dynamically stable response
No it's not hehe

Edited by PhillipM on Thursday 9th June 13:15

Milks

186 posts

211 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
article said:
* Locking propensity of the un-laden front wheel at corner entry is greatly reduced due to virtually no front lateral load transfer with the narrow track & wide rear track layout, steered wheel "scrub drag" moment is virtually zero greatly increasing tire utilization and reducing mid turn understeer
understeer was on my mind too. I think they're saying effectively due to large rearward weight bias and suitably narrow track and tyre width of the front wheels it's not a problem

masseyis

22 posts

177 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
Like everyone else, I thought understeer, but also, three-corner-tople. Won't it want to roll towards the front corners like a trike does?

Also, why the need for a vertical stabilizer? The only time you'll be getting lateral rotational air movement is in a corner, and surely the last thing you'll want is a massive fin trying to keep you straight?

I'm no aerodynamics expert, but I have played one on TV.

EDLT

15,421 posts

205 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
Milks said:
article said:
* Locking propensity of the un-laden front wheel at corner entry is greatly reduced due to virtually no front lateral load transfer with the narrow track & wide rear track layout, steered wheel "scrub drag" moment is virtually zero greatly increasing tire utilization and reducing mid turn understeer
understeer was on my mind too. I think they're saying effectively due to large rearward weight bias and suitably narrow track and tyre width of the front wheels it's not a problem
While that is all very clever, they could have solved it by making the front track wider. wink

What advantages does this car have, apart from making a really cool hot wheels toy?

DonkeyApple

54,783 posts

168 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
300bhp/ton said:
I can't be the only one that's suddenly thinking Batmobil? hehe


Looks highly interesting. smile
Does look very interesting, but my first thought, though, was that Trotter's Independent Traders had set up a race team.

BoRED S2upid

19,622 posts

239 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
Is this thing a reality looking like that or simply a CAD / Model at this stage? Maybe in 12 months time with a bit more testing under its belt we might see more Aueo on the front or a wider car, it looks like its going to be a weapon in a straight line.

alexpa

644 posts

171 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
What a laugh!

Polyphony, put one on GT5 now please!

Galileo

3,145 posts

217 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
Instinct tells me that it will be very unstable in cross-winds and high speed corners.
I'm willing to bet that the project gets pulled when it gets to the wind tunnel.

red_slr

17,094 posts

188 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
Perhaps they will race in reverse gear!

SleeperCell

5,591 posts

241 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
masseyis said:
Like everyone else, I thought understeer, but also, three-corner-tople. Won't it want to roll towards the front corners like a trike does?

Also, why the need for a vertical stabilizer? The only time you'll be getting lateral rotational air movement is in a corner, and surely the last thing you'll want is a massive fin trying to keep you straight?

I'm no aerodynamics expert, but I have played one on TV.
I wonder if would assist high speed turning if they made the vertical fin steerable?

450Nick

4,027 posts

211 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
Maybe they're planning to make it lean in the corners al-la Carver? Or something?

DazBock

825 posts

191 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
300bhp/ton said:
I can't be the only one that's suddenly thinking Batmobil? hehe


Looks highly interesting. smile
No, you're not that is exactly what I thought!

Whilst I think it looks incredible surely this is an accident waiting to happen!

FourWheelDrift

88,337 posts

283 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all

Snoggledog

6,921 posts

216 months

Thursday 9th June 2011
quotequote all
As much as I like the idea and wish them well I keep on thinking of this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQh56geU0X8