Five years ago this week, I gave a speech on the occasion of receiving an award from the American motorsport media for my role in pioneering, among other things, the one-make formula concept. My talk then focused on how that idea had been taken too far, with damaging effects for the upper levels of our sport, and called for a more technically open approach to the future.

Five years later, we have our catalyst for change. It doesn’t really matter if your concern is climate change, peak oil, environmental pollution, sustainability, or energy security. It doesn’t even matter if you don’t believe in or care about any of those things, as seems to be the case with too many of my countrymen, who seem to spend their own energy looking for ever more convoluted and unconvincing ways of burying their heads in the sand – tar or otherwise.

But what cannot be denied is the ever increasing cost of extracting energy from current sources, which is creating an unstoppable momentum in industry worldwide to do more with less. It is also finally becoming more widely understood that developing alternative energies itself requires additional energy inputs, making efficiency gains and conservation the key prerequisites for bringing new forms of energy to market.

In the next five years, then, something that has been a by-product of motorsport engineering since the earliest days of racing will become our primary product: EFFICIENCY.

Efficiency is the premise of the entire DeltaWing concept, with which I have been closely involved since the very start. The DeltaWing offers a radical leap forward in efficiency that can be summed up as ‘the 50% solution’, delivering current levels of performance and safety for half the power, weight, downforce, drag, materials, and, above all, fuel consumption.

Following our rejection by IndyCar, we were fortunate in having the ACO accept the DeltaWing as its experimental entry for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, recognising it as the embodiment of their event’s long history of innovation. To say we are looking forward to delivering proof of the DeltaWing concept at Le Mans would be an understatement.

Alongside the vision of Ben Bowlby, Dan Gurney, and their team represented by the DeltaWing, there are many others pursuing breakthroughs in efficiency for motorsport. Hybrid projects from Audi, Porsche, Peugeot, and now Toyota are keeping sportscar racing at the forefront of these developments. The FIA is proceeding with plans for its Formula E Championship in 2013, although it is not clear whether current battery technology can deliver a practical or promotable package this quickly. Credible electric racing is more likely to arrive at or soon after our five-year horizon.

My Hyspeed colleague Andrew Burston, an ex-Lola designer who has also studied sustainable engineering at Cambridge, is leading the development of a new fuel flow monitoring system called the HySpy. With the use of Gill Sensors’ most advanced ultrasonic technology, the HySpy aims to provide sanctioning bodies with an effective and dependable way to regulate the overall energy consumption of race engines using a wide range of fuels. It will allow current fuels and second-generation renewable biofuels to compete on a level playing field, and accelerate improvements in engine efficiency through the progressive limitation of energy inputs. This should be a commonplace in motor racing five years from now.

Having touched upon the subject of biofuels, it is crucial to acknowledge that the first-generation approach to biofuels, based on agricultural production of dedicated feedstocks, has by now been conclusively discredited by its staggering and unsustainable water demands – up to 885 times more per 100 miles traveled than gasoline1 – and negative impact on food supplies and costs. It is evident that future biofuels must rely on waste feedstocks only, and this is currently a very active area of research with motorsport again offering the perfect platform for companies such as Shell, BP, and ExxonMobil as well as new players to develop, prove, and promote their renewable biofuel products. And biofuels themselves may only be a transitional phase on the way to more advanced synthetic fuels and electric powertrain technologies scoring higher on the energy-return-on-energy-invested metric.

No one can deny that setting a new course for motorsport will cost money and, having run championships over a span of 25 years including during economic recessions, I can sympathise with series organisers reluctant to change a stable business model. But that is exactly the problem: the sport today is at best stable, with no guarantee that growth will return with a general economic upturn, which could itself be choked by energy supply issues. Racing’s relevance is in doubt, with restricted opportunities for technical innovation holding back automaker participation in many series and a failure to maintain or expand the fan base by appealing to younger audiences. Simply put, we have arrived at the point when the risks of complacency and playing it safe outweigh the costs of breaking with the past. We have to ask whether the current plans of Formula 1, IndyCar, and NASCAR will enable them to move far enough and fast enough to meet the challenge of re-establishing racing’s relevance.

It should be kept in mind that when motor racing is only a marketing exercise, it can only call upon automakers’ marketing budgets, and those are notoriously fickle. But when racing is truly a technology platform, it can call upon R&D budgets as well. And today, because of the pressures on the motor industry as a whole, R&D budgets are growing again and could eventually be as big as they’ve ever been.

We are already losing the next generation of racing fans, with the developed economies of North America, Europe, and Japan all seeing significant drop-offs in applications for driver licences by newly eligible teens. Their attention and interest are being drawn away by the technology of electronic entertainment and the emphasis on environmental issues in the media and their education. But motorsport needs to find a way to attract them to racing, just as the auto manufacturers need to find a way to attract them to cars.

The challenge posed by virtual racing needs to be met with engagement rather than opposition. Consider the promotion by Sony and Nissan of PlayStation Gran Tursimo Academy competition winner Lucas Ordoñez to real-world racing, resulting in a podium finish in LMP2 at Le Mans in just his second season of competition.

This kind of insight is equally applicable on the engineering front, exemplified by probably the least heralded innovation of the DeltaWing concept, which is its commitment to open source development. Similarly, our plans for the HySpy include establishing an online open forum on the topic of cheating the system, which will allow us to pit the collective intelligence of engineering students and professionals around the globe against the best efforts of the racing world’s rocket scientists. This could allow us to turn the usual problem of too few gamekeepers chasing too many poachers on its head.

In terms of making racing relevant, it is obvious that society does not need to educate young scientists and engineers just to make more efficient race cars. But after a century of the car industry, there is still nothing like racing to spur and accelerate automotive innovation, and with manufacturers’ focus now firmly on efficiency, the intensive technology development platform offered by motorsport has the potential to deliver real benefits to society.

Involvement in programmes such as Formula SAE and its Formula Hybrid offshoot, Formula Student, and F1 in Schools represent a promising foundation for what needs to become a far more widespread and integrated commitment by the racing industry to STEM (science/technology/ engineering/mathematics) education outreach targeting kids from middle school onward.

At the end of the day, what are we talking about here is nothing more or less than a return to racing’s original function as the proving ground for road car technology. If we are entering the next phase of the industrial age and the era of motor industry 2.0, racing can only survive and prosper by reclaiming this historical role.

I ended my 2007 speech by saying I might stick around for the revolution against the excesses of ‘spec’ racing. Today, I’m proud to find myself on the front lines with an outstanding group of engineers working to secure the future of our sport, the auto industry, and even the planet. I hope more of you will join us.

1 ‘Catch 22: Water vs. Energy’, Michael Webber, Scientific American, Sep 2008, 18, 34-41

Santa Ana, CA, Thursday, Feburary 2, 2012

Scottish sportscar ace Marino Franchitti has been selected as the first driver for the unique DeltaWing program that will debut at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Franchitti’s name was revealed today at the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) press conference that announced the entries for this year’s twice round-the-clock endurance classic.

Launched at last year’s Le Mans event, the DeltaWing program was awarded the 56th entry for this year’s 80th running of the race. “Garage 56” is reserved for an entry demonstrating new and innovative technology previously unseen in the sport.

“It is so different from everything I have ever seen and everything that I have known a racing car to be – my initial reaction was “what is this?” – it really takes your breath away,” Franchitti said.

“When you look at the people behind the program like Ben Bowlby, Don Panoz, Duncan Dayton and somebody like Dan Gurney who is a hero of mine – if they have faith in this program, then that gives me a lot of confidence.

“I am so excited about getting the opportunity to drive the car. I have no doubt in my mind that it is going to turn, but I am really looking forward to finding out how it is going to feel and how it will work as a package.

“I have nothing to compare this against. Like the car itself, I will be going in with a clean sheet of paper and will start exploring the limits.”

The Project 56 DeltaWing program brings together American Le Mans Series founder Don Panoz; American racing legend Dan Gurney’s All American Racers organization who is building the car; two-time ALMS championship winning team owner and Le Mans entrant, Highcroft Racing’s Duncan Dayton; and award-winning DeltaWing designer, Ben Bowlby.

Franchitti has worked with members of the consortium in the past. The Scotsman drove for Highcroft in 2010 and 2011 – winning at Laguna Seca and taking second place at last year’s Twelve Hours of Sebring. He also previously drove for Don Panoz in 2004 and 2005.

“It is not something that has been done before and it kind of feels like when the first rear engine F1 car hit the track, or the first car with a wing, or the first ground effects car – the DeltaWing will be so new and unique and I am really honored to be given this opportunity,” Franchitti said.

“In recent times, we really haven’t seen major advances like this – great leaps and changes. Technological steps have been quite small and now it is very exciting to be a part of something this huge.

“Being somebody who loves the history of the sport, I am really looking forward to experiencing something that my heroes experienced.

“Those opportunities don’t come along every day. I’m looking forward to being that guy who can say – “yes, I turned the wheel and round the corner it went’”

“I have obviously worked with Duncan and Highroft Racing recently and Don Panoz gave me a great opportunity early in my career – it is great to be involved with those guys again.”

The DeltaWing car is set to enter the Windshear wind tunnel early this month with the first test laps scheduled to take place soon after.

CONTACT DETAILS

Highcroft Racing
Paul Ryan – PR Director
Phone: 678-644-0404
Email: paul@highcroftracing.com

SANTA ANA, CA, Tuesday, January 31, 2012:

The revolutionary DeltaWing Le Mans sportscar is ready to hit the road – the car set to conduct its first full-scale rolling-road wind tunnel test next month.

The first set of the uniquely designed-and-built Michelin tires have been delivered – the final component required to conduct wind tunnel testing with the actual racecar.

Featuring front tires that are remarkably only four inches wide, the tires have been designed and built by Michelin in France.

The car will make its race debut at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans – the car’s official entry for the race recently submitted by Project 56 – DeltaWing partner, Highcroft Racing.

“It takes a company like Michelin who have a global perspective and understanding of the importance of efficiency and personal mobility to be able to come up with a tire that meets the goals of the DeltaWing,” said Ben Bowlby – the DeltaWing designer who was recently awarded the Dino Toso Racecar Aerodynamicist of the Year award at RACE TECH Magazine’s World Motorsports Symposium for his work in designing the groundbreaking DeltaWing (pictured above).

“The level of technology that Michelin can bring is second-to-none and having a company like them who have an incredible racing heritage and an outstanding road car business is a perfect match for us.

“What they have done for us is completely incredible and I can’t wait to see these tires in action very soon.”

The full-scale DeltaWing racecar will soon leave its development headquarters at Dan Gurney’s All-American Racers in California to head to the Windshear facility in Charlotte, North Carolina for testing.

“The tunnel test is the next step in finalizing the aerodynamics of the design to confirm the car will do exactly what we are expecting,” Bowlby said.

“We have already completed extensive CFD development (Computational Fluid Dynamics), simulation testing and scale model wind tunnel work at All American Racers.

“The time has come to bring the real car to life and the first step is to run the car at Windshear at full size on a moving ground plane wind tunnel. We’ll have the real Michelin tires, the real suspension, the real bodywork and cooling systems – everything that you will see on the car at the race track.

“The plan is to ensure the simulations we have done meet reality.”

The unique DeltaWing car features half the weight, half the horsepower, half the aerodynamic drag and significantly reduced tire use and fuel consumption compared to a traditional prototype sportscar.

Technical personnel from Michelin, transmission partner EMCO Gears and the DeltaWing engine partner will be on site at the first track test that is scheduled to follow the wind tunnel visit.

“Michelin races to learn and races to win,” said Silvia Mammone, Michelin motorsports manager and project leader for the Michelin DeltaWing.

“There is tremendous focus in the auto industry worldwide on making vehicles lighter without sacrificing performance, and we hope to learn a great deal from our collaboration with the DeltaWing program.”

Additional details regarding the car’s engine and test drivers will be revealed in the near future.

“Our goal with the car is to use a small capacity modern power train. An ideal example of this is a 1.6 liter turbo direct injection in-line four cylinder engine,” Highcroft Racing’s Duncan Dayton said.

“We have an engine in place from a major OEM – we can’t reveal details at this stage until the manufacturer is ready to make their announcement.

“However, we are very excited about what we have as dyno-testing has shown the engine exceeds all of our expectations in terms of efficiency, weight and power.”

The DeltaWing – Project 56 partnership features DeltaWing designer, Ben Bowlby; Duncan Dayton from two-time American Le Mans Series championship winning team, Highcroft Racing; racing legend Dan Gurney and his All American Racers organization who has built the car and American Le Mans Series founder, Don Panoz.

“This is a very significant step from a tire manufacturer like Michelin to show that experimentation in motorsport has a place in positioning a corporation as a leader in technological innovation,” Panoz said.

“Motorsport can change people’s opinions and transform the perception of certain technologies.

“Light weight and efficiency is the cornerstone of future road car development. The DeltaWing is a perfect fit for that.

“This is about breaking new ground and the journey and lessons learned from the entire program.

“All our partners are demonstrating outstanding technological innovation leadership and we are thrilled to have their support.”

CONTACT DETAILS

Highcroft Racing
Paul Ryan – PR Director
Phone: 678-644-0404
Email: paul@highcroftracing.com

DeltaWing Racing Cars
Bill Lafontaine
Phone: 248-310-6221
Email: bill@deltawingracing.com

Arnaud Martin, Ben Bowlby and Flybrid Systems were the recipients of the Race Engine Designer, the Dino Toso Racecar Aerodynamicist and the Most Innovative New Motorsport Product of the Year awards respectively in a night of celebration during the RACE TECH World Motorsport Symposium.

Arnaud Martin, head of engine design at RML, the leading team that runs the Chevrolet Cruzes in the World Touring Car Championship, produced an entirely new 1.6 litre engine from a clean sheet of paper. While the blue and white cars picked up 21 wins in 25 races, claimed the pole position at every single round and also led for more than twice as many laps as all the other teams combined, what was particularly impressive about this engine was that Arnaud and his small team of engineers produced it in just eight months on a very limited budget.

On receiving the award from Soheila Kimberley, RACE TECH’s Publishing Director, Arnaud said that he was grateful that his team’s work had been so recognised and honoured and that he was proud to be joining such a prestigious list of previous winners.

The Dino Toso Racecar Aerodynamicist of the Year award was presented to Ben Bowlby for his work in designing the groundbreaking DeltaWing racecar that will be raced in “Box 56” at Le Mans this year. While admitting that the award was going to the designer of a car that had yet to turn a wheel, RACE TECH Editor William Kimberley said that no matter what happened, 2012 would be the year of the DeltaWing and that Ben was pushing the boundaries that promised a step change in aerodynamic efficiency and fuel economy, as well as improved safer and closer racing.

Ben made a special tribute to Dan Gurney, the former Formula One driver and president of All American Racers, who was making the project possible, not only in supplying all the resources possible to Ben and his team in California but for his inspirational guidance and advice.

Jon Hilton, Managing Partner of Flybrid Systems, received the award for the Most Innovative New Motorsport Product of the Year for the Flybrid CFT – Clutched Flywheel Transmission – KERS flywheel-based system. It was seen on the Hope Racing car at Le Mans in 2011, the first ever to start the 24 hour race with a hybrid drive system. Different from other hybrid systems it offers a step change in size, weight and cost reduction and in a world where energy recovery systems have suddenly become a major talking point, it represented a pretty compelling case to receive the award.

On receiving the award, Jon said he was enormously proud to have received such an award in recognition of the work that his company, that was only celebrating its fifth birthday in January, had achieved. He also went on to say that such had been the interest from the automotive sector that the company could well be doubling in size over the next year.

For more information, please contact William Kimberley on 020 8446 2100 or email william.kimberley@racetechmag.com

DANBURY, CT, Friday, December 2, 2011

The exciting experimental DeltaWing racing car that will debut at next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans continues to attract leading motorsports partners who are looking to showcase new and innovative technology.

South Carolina-based Performance Friction Brakes is the latest key partner to join the DeltaWing program – joining the likes of tire partner Michelin and transmission specialists, EMCO Gears.

Like many components in the new DeltaWing design, Performance Friction has developed a specific package for the car’s 2012 debut. With the front wheels of the car featuring only four-inch wide tires, the brakes for the front of the car required a unique packaging solution.

“Certainly the DeltaWing concept has shaken up the conventional thinking within the racing community,” said Darrick Dong, Director of Motorsports, Performance Friction Brakes.

“PFC has approached the challenge as to how best to balance the DeltaWing’s braking capacity and created quite a bucket list of achievable goals. We are excited to have come up with a quite unique and innovative carbon brake system.

“PFC’s brake configuration is very advanced and forward thinking, utilizing shape optimized monobloc calipers featuring a patented pad retraction that was awarded the 2011 Most Innovative New Motorsport Product Of the Year Award at the Race Tech World Motorsport Symposium.

“Coupled with the PFC zero drag brake calipers, PFC’s carbon discs and pads are of a continuous strand fiber matrix. This technology is far advanced when compared to the demilitarized carbon products being used by many today. Like the DeltaWing, the PFC brake system has the potential of being a real game changer.”

The DeltaWing consortium has been awarded the 56th entry for next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The new car brings together the talents of DeltaWing designer Ben Bowlby, 2-time ALMS championship-winning race team, Highcroft Racing; US racing legend Dan Gurney and his All American Racer’s organization who will build the car and American Le Mans Series founder and key partner, Don Panoz.

“We are very fortunate to work with key partners like Performance Friction Brakes,” said Bowlby.

“Like EMCO Gears, PFC are based in the US and that has been very handy for us as we finalized the package and they began manufacture of the components. We didn’t partner with PFC just because they are in the same country though, we have joined forces because their products presented a unique solution for the car’s braking.

“Unlike many traditional sportscars, we couldn’t just take parts off the shelf that were being used by teams up and down pit lane.

“The front of the DeltaWing is extremely compact so we had to be very creative with the packaging of the design to ensure adequate performance over 24 hrs while keeping the component weights to a minimum. The car is unique in that 60 per cent of the braking occurs at the rear wheels, but that doesn’t mean we could ignore the front.

“We are thrilled to add Performance Friction Brakes to EMCO Gears and Michelin and we are looking forward to announcing more key partners very soon.”

CONTACT DETAILS

Highcroft Racing
Paul Ryan – PR Director
Phone: 678-644-0404
Email: paul@highcroftracing.com

DeltaWing Racing Cars
Bill Lafontaine
Phone: 248-310-6221
Email: bill@deltawingracing.com

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• EMCO Gears to manufacture transmission
• Unique ultra-light transmission – weighing only 70lbs
• DeltaWing design features active torque vectoring

DANBURY, CT, Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Project 56 DeltaWing assault already brings together some of the biggest names in American motorsport – now a major US supplier has been selected to produce the transmission components for the unique car.

The Chicago-based EMCO Gears will manufacture the unit that will transfer the 300 horsepower from the 1.6 liter turbocharged engine to the rear wheels.

A 75-year-old family-owned business, EMCO originally specialized in commercial gears but entered the racing business in the 60s when it first made gears for AJ Foyt.

The Texan had broken a gear and had asked McDonnell Douglas to make a replacement for him – they in turn, referred him to EMCO who manufactured gears for McDonnell Douglas at the time.

EMCO expanded from making gears and shafts to making its first complete transmission in 1997.

Recently relocated to a new facility to provide twice the amount of manufacturing space, EMCO now makes a wide range of products including gears, shafts, complete transmissions, steering racks and axle systems.

The DeltaWing transmission is a 5-speed (plus reverse) longitudinal design featuring electrically actuated sequential selection via steering wheel mounted shift paddles.

The transmission’s integral final drive differential features an innovative and highly efficient variable torque vectoring control of the driven rear wheels.

Through the use of the same planetary gears for both the final drive reduction ratio and differential action the unique transmission package weighs only 70lbs (32kg).

The DeltaWing’s debut was announced in June when it won the selection for the 56th entry for next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. “Garage 56” is reserved for a car featuring new automotive technology previously unseen in motorsport.

The car was recently unveiled at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta with Michelin announced as the first technical partner for the program.

The Project 56 group brings together the talents of designer Ben Bowlby, back-to-back championship winning sportscar team Highcroft Racing, American racing legend Dan Gurney and his All American Racers group who will manufacture the prototype and American Le Mans Series founder Don Panoz – his Elan Motorsport Technologies company providing the unique recylable REAMS material for the bodywork for the prototype.

“While the DeltaWing brings together some of the biggest names in North American motorsport, we certainly are doing our homework to source the best possible suppliers for components for the car from across the globe,” Highcroft Racing’s Duncan Dayton said.

“The transmission is a very key component and we are really thrilled with the opportunity to work with EMCO. They were selected not only because they are based here in the US, but because they had the technology, the capability and passion to be involved in the project.”

The DeltaWing car is scheduled to hit the track later this year with an extensive testing program planned prior to the car’s scheduled debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“We were involved in a Formula 1 project a couple of years ago and this DeltaWing project provides a similar engineering challenge,” said EMCO CEO, Rich Wolfe.

“We are very excited to be involved in a new series and very much looking forward to seeing our product in action in France next year.

“The DeltaWing car is very different and remarkably unique and the entire company is very excited about having an EMCO transmission in the back of it.”

CONTACT DETAILS

Highcroft Racing
Paul Ryan – PR Director
Phone: 678-644-0404
Email: paul@highcroftracing.com

DeltaWing Racing Cars
Bill Lafontaine
Phone: 248-310-6221
Email: bill@deltawingracing.com

Media images available from:
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Username: highcroft / Password: media

The unique DeltaWing Le Mans sportscar that will make its debut at next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans will tackle the world’s greatest endurance race on Michelin tires.

The Highcroft Racing-run entry was announced by the Automobile Club d’Ouest in June as the successful applicant to occupy “Garage 56” for 2012 – the additional entry reserved for new and unique automotive technologies.

The DeltaWing sportscar concept was unveiled today at Road Atlanta as the world’s biggest sportscar teams prepared for the final round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series – the 10 hour/1000 mile Petit Le Mans.

Highcroft’s Duncan Dayton revealed the stiking red DeltaWing concept with Scott Clark, Chief Operating Officer, Michelin Americas Small Tires.

Michelin is no stranger to working with Highcroft Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series. The Danbury, CT-based team pioneered the use of wide front tires on the LMP1-championship winning Acura ARX-02a in conjunction with Michelin in 2009.

The world’s leading tire manufacturer was also a team partner in Highcroft’s 2010 ALMS championship win as well as its second place run at this year’s Twelve Hours of Sebring – a race where the Highcroft squad carried a livery promoting the French manufacturer’s latest high performance road tire, the Michelin Pilot Super Sport.

For the DeltaWing project, Michelin will design and develop unique tires for the car. The front tires on the DeltaWing are only 4” wide while both front and rear tires will be fitted to 15” rims (compared to 18” on traditional LMP1 sportscars).

“To have Michelin on board for the Project 56 DeltaWing program is a real privilege for everyone involved,” Highcroft Racing founder, Duncan Dayton said.

“Highcroft Racing has a had a great relationship with Michelin in the past through our Acura/HPD program and we worked very closely together in developing the large format front tire on the ARX-02a.

“With Michelin’s direct input and incredible engineering expertise, we are thrilled to welcome them as a partner for the DeltaWing program.

“For our designer Ben Bowlby to be able to work with the Michelin engineers and have them design these unique tires for the DeltaWing is an amazing opportunity for us.”

Michelin and its partner teams have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the past 14 years in succession.

Designed by Ben Bowlby, the DeltaWing car features half the weight, half the horsepower and half the aerodynamic drag of a traditional sportscar.

Targeting extreme automotive efficiency – gaining maximum performance for minimal use of natural resources – the Project 56 consortium behind the project will now aim for a similar reduction in the amount of tires required to contest the event.

“The initial announcement of the DeltaWing at Le Mans drew tremendous interest around the world, and not just from race fans,” said Nick Shorrock, Director Competition, Michelin.

“The car is very different. People look at this car, say ‘how will this turn?’ and they recognize that there are some very interesting ideas at work. We look forward to being part of the answer.”

The Project 56 consortium features Dayton’s Highcroft Racing running the test and race program, Ben Bowlby and DeltaWing Racing Cars designing the unique entry, Dan Gurney’s All-American Racers building the initial prototype and American Le Mans Series founder Don Panoz providing the unique lightweight R.E.A.M.S. bodywork material and acting as a key advisor.

“When you think of success at Le Mans from a tire manufacturer’s perspective, Michelin is an absolute standout. They have won the race overall 14 times in a row so for us to be able to go to that track which has such unique requirements for a tire is a huge advantage,” Dayton said.

“Michelin’s ability and experience in running multiple stints – 2,3,4 or even 5 stints this year on the same set of tires is unique and their experience is something we are going to rely on heavily.”

Michelin has significantly extended the wear rate of its tires and reduced the number of tires used by its technical partner teams by over 20 percent in just the past three years.

“The DeltaWing is the ultimate efficient race car with half the weight, half the aerodynamic drag and half the horsepower of a traditional LMP1 car. In developing our partnership with Michelin, we hope to use half the number of tires as well,” Dayton said.

Michelin is the first key technical partner announced as part of the new project. Construction of the new car is underway at All American Racers and Highcroft expect to test the DeltaWing for the first time later this year.

CONTACT DETAILS
DeltaWing Racing Cars
Bill Lafontaine
Phone: 248-310-6221
Email: bill@deltawingracing.com

Highcroft Racing
Paul Ryan – PR Director
Phone: 678-644-0404
Email: paul@highcroftracing.com

Media Images:
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password: media

Click here to view the news conference video.

DeltaWing design and technology will be utilized by Project 56 Partners.

Two seat DeltaWing will focus on innovation to achieve ultra energy efficiency and 24 hour performance

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (June 9, 2011) – DeltaWing Racing Cars, of Indianapolis, today announced a major project milestone.

“We are pleased to announce a licensing agreement with the “Project 56 Partners” to utilize the DeltaWing design and technology for their participation in the 24 Heuers du Mans in June, 2012,” said Ben Bowlby, the concept’s originator. The Project 56 group includes Dan Gurney’s All American Racers, Dr. Don Panoz and Highcroft Racing.

“The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) has shown great vision in creating an opportunity for an innovative and experimental vehicle such as the DeltaWing to participate “outside the classifications” in this famous event. The race has a long and glorious history, featuring the most advanced and technologically relevant racing cars. We are thrilled to have been invited to join the list of innovators and to honor the Spirit of Le Mans,” said Bowlby.

Visit www.deltawingracing.com and Project 56 at Highcroft Racing and All American Racers for additional information.