By John Oreovicz
Ben Bowlby?s DeltaWing concept car created a lot of controversy and conversation when it was pitched as a potential ?Indy car of tomorrow? in early 2010.
Now, with the help of Dan Gurney?s All American Racers and defending American Le Mans Series champions Highcroft Racing, a revised version of the DeltaWing is becoming a reality. Bowlby?s design has already been accepted as a special category ?56th entry? for the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.
The DeltaWing concept is polarizing, to say the least. In many respects, the car resembles a land speed record machine, with its narrow front wheels tightly tucked in to a slender, rocket-like fuselage that spreads to accommodate a wide rear track with semi-enclosed rear wheels. Viewed from above, the car resembles a triangle - hence the name DeltaWing.
To comply with Automobile Club L?Ouest rules, the cockpit of the DeltaWing that will compete at Le Mans next year has been expanded to include dual openings. But for the most part, the illustration released Thursday is faithful to the original single-seat concept intended for Indy car racing that debuted at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show.
That car sparked a huge debate among open-wheel fans. Once famous for innovative designs like the Cummins diesel powered car that qualified on pole for the 1952 Indianapolis 500 or the STP Turbine that nearly captured the 1967 race in the hands of Parnelli Jones, Indy car racing devolved into a spec-car formula since 2003. While many observers praised the radical thinking that went into the DeltaWing, an even larger group thought that the boundary-pushing design was a step too far and questioned the unusual machine?s ability to negotiate corners.
A year from now, we?ll find out just what the DeltaWing is capable of. Although specifics about the car?s powertrain have not been released, it will be fascinating to see if what Bowlby and his computer simulations insist will work in theory actually translate to a real racetrack. The car is expected to utilize a turbocharged 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder engine producing about 300 horsepower.
The 56th place on the Le Mans grid is reserved for a technologically innovative car outside of the standard prototype and GT categories to showcase future-minded thinking.
?The interest of this project is based on the optimization of all factors that have an impact of global energy consumption and efficiency of the car: Weight, power and drag,? said Vincent Beaumesnil, sporting director of the ACO. ?We 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.?
Englishman Bowlby is the former chief designer for Lola Cars and the architect of the Lola Indy car that dominated the CART-sanctioned series from 2000-06. He claimed that the Indy car version of the DeltaWing could meet or exceed current performance levels despite having less than half the power of the 3.5-liter Honda V-8 engine currently utilized in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
?The secret to the DeltaWing car is simplicity and efficiency,? Bowlby stated. ?To achieve a dramatically reduced carbon footprint, we have looked at ways to reduce weight and drag, as well as the total number of components required to build the car. The 56th entry is really a golden opportunity for us because it gives us the chance to make a step change and race a car that doesn?t comply with the existing rulebook.
?We really have to applaud the ACO for having the foresight to create this opportunity for an entry like ours,? he added. ?We believe this is a true automotive innovation which could be the catalyst for changing the way people look at not only racing car design, but automotive design as a whole.?
The Le Mans project is also a tremendous opportunity for Gurney and his Santa Ana, California-based AAR, who have not been regular participants in a racing series since they withdrew from the CART-sanctioned Indy car series in 2000.
Gurney is famous for winning the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix in one of his own Eagle racing cars. Eagles also won the Indianapolis 500 in 1968 and 1975, as well as 17 consecutive IMSA GTP race wins and two series championships in 1992-93.
?I have a lot of curiosity and when I first discussed this car with Ben Bowlby, I listened closely and tried to shoot holes in what he was saying,? said Gurney, who co-drove a Ford GT to victory with AJ Foyt in the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hours. ?But I quickly found I wasn?t able to.
?The combination of proven items that make up the character and capabilities of the DeltaWing car make it an extremely exciting project,? he noted. ?It weighs half as much current cars, it burns half as much fuel, it uses much less tire, yet goes the same speed because of the exceptional aerodynamics and low drag. After looking at the project and the technical aspects of the car, I was asked if we would like to build it. I didn?t hesitate for a moment ? my response was absolutely yes.?
The final piece of the puzzle is Highcroft, which found itself sidelined from ALMS competition earlier this year after losing support from Acura and Honda Performance Development.
?This is an amazing opportunity,? said Highcroft owner Duncan Dayton. ?To take a totally innovative design like this to Le Mans and run before a worldwide television audience of more than 600 million people is an incredible story.
?In my opinion, it has the potential to be one of the most significant developments in motor racing in 50 years,? he added. ?It is so new and exciting, and such an interesting departure from the traditional race car development path?it is highly relevant to the future. Given that the world is concentrating on efficiency and green technologies in an attempt to achieve sustainability, this project will help promote the direction that is being adopted throughout the entire automotive industry.?
John Oreovicz is a long-time auto racing journalist who writes for ESPN.com and other publications.
Photo courtesy of Project 56
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