Nissan Delta Wing Set for U.S. Debut at Petit Le Mans
After an unfortunate accident took the Nissan Delta Wing out of the running at 24 hours of Le Mans back in June, the company has announced that the next race for the experimental race car will be at Petit Le Mans, held every year at the Road Atlanta race course.
Petit Le Mans operates under the same rules as the 24 hours of Le Mans, and a class win at the race buys the team a spot at next years 24 hours of Le Mans in France.
The Delta Wing set out at Le Mans to use half the fuel, and half the tires compared to its competitors, and based on the six hours the car completed, that feat would have been accomplished according to the company. It uses a lightweight aerodynamic design and a 1.6-liter turbo four cylinder engine to achieve its impressive fuel economy.
Due to other engagements, the three regular drivers of the car will be unable to compete in Petit Le Mans, so Lucas Ordonez, original winner of the Nissan GT academy gets the nod along with Gunnar Jeannette.
“At Petit Le Mans, we will get the chance to show the US fans just how cool this car is but also the chance to prove that it works on a much tighter, twistier road course, rather than the flat-out, 300kmh, Le Mans-style racetrack. It’s important for us to gain in lap experience, testing and driver feedback and really validate the whole concept,” said the Delta Wing’s original creator, Ben Bowlby.
GALLERY: Nissan DeltaWing
Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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How cool is that the winner from the video game to race in a real race with a truly unique car. Congrats to him.