The Delta Wing will race at Le Mans next year

http://www.google.com/m/url?channel=iss&client=mobilesearchapp&devlocsession=off&ei=Z1pkTvjyIIaalQeFnOeiAw&hl=en&q=http://www.planetlemans.com/2011/06/10/deltawing-project-selected-for-le-mans-2012/&source=mobilesearchapp&v=0.9.0.7005&ved=0CA8QFjAA&usg=AFQjCNHz4g6ma8KY6TL5ZkbqGCGfuwWrbw

Ho-Damn and Boy-Howdy!! 

You think maybe one of the Super Mario Brothers will be piloting it? 

That pig is gonna push!!!

Me thinks they may have issues with understeer.

Looks awesomely cool though!!

I've read about this thing several times in various car magazines, and fail to see how it could corner. After all, it's proportioned like a fuel dragster and they don't corner so well.

Surely they've tested it and know some magical secret....

Quote from: Speedbag on September 06, 2011, 09:05:50 AM
I've read about this thing several times in various car magazines, and fail to see how it could corner. After all, it's proportioned like a fuel dragster and they don't corner so well.

Surely they've tested it and know some magical secret....

maybe the rear diff can proportion the amount of twist side to side and it "steers" more with the rear than the front?

Next thing you know, Bobcat will have an entry too.

Bobcat!! That's a good one.

The Delta Wing looks like it would be right at home at Bonneville. It will interesting to see what it does at Le Mans.

Does a laser shoot out of the front of it?

If they do not even have a physical car yet, how will they be ready in 2012? 

They have that rapid prototyping machine from the other post.

They need to reverse the front and rear track setup

Quote from: Raux on September 07, 2011, 11:50:31 AM
They need to reverse the front and rear track setup

+1

Then it might have a snowball's chance in hell.

Great article on it in race car engineering magazine. It's extremely light, and most of its weight is behind the driver, along with most of the downforce generated from the underbody on the rear. As such, the normal lateral weight transfer that one gets in a wide track car is nearly negated, meaning that the front will change direction very quickly. The rear will also have an active diff to assist, but that's apparently more for drivability.

Given the names involved I have high hopes this will succeed.

DeltaWing Le Mans 24 Hour Simulation

If you want to see the simulation with crappy sound effects.

Well, you know, a guy can 'simulate' doing the nasty with a number of impossibly hot women too, but in reality things don't always pan out there either....

Quote from: Speedbag on September 08, 2011, 02:11:47 PM
Well, you know, a guy can 'simulate' doing the nasty with a number of impossibly hot women too, but in reality things don't always pan out there either....

True, but when Ben Bowlby, Duncan Dayton, Don Panoz, and Dan Gurney say it'll work it'd be like Charlie Sheen validating your simulation scenario.

Bowlby's supposition is that with 76% of the downforce and 80% of the weight on the back of the car, and the narrow track essentially eliminating any yaw moment, the front wheels have been sized to match the forces they will carry. Plus, being out beyond the center of gravity so far makes turn in much sharper.

Personally, I want a radio controlled version.

Update:

Did demo laps at Sebring - Marino Franchitti (Dario's kid brother) did the driving.....

His comments were positive -



Hope is goes great at Circuit de la Sarthe