24h Le Mans
Photo : JEAN MICHEL LE MEUR - DPPI Media
A year in three acts: Nissan DeltaWing had an eventful first year of existence. After its first official appearance on track in March at the 12 Hours of Sebring, in June it appeared at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for its racing debut. Premature retirement after a collision was frustrating, both for Nissan and for race fans. For its second race at Road Atlanta (USA), in the fifteenth Petit Le Mans, the Nissan DeltaWing suffered a spectacular crash during practice, then finished fifth overall in the race after hanging on to the tail of the leading pack.
A shower of awards. Its silhouette is like no other and its performance in the 2012 season earned it numerous awards from the international press. It received the Autosport Pioneering and Innovation Award, the innovation award (Evo Magazine), the race car of the year (Automobile Magazine), as well as the "2012 Best of What's New" (Popular Science). Nissan DeltaWing designer Ben Bowlby has also been awarded the Simms Medal of the British Royal Automobile Club and the Dino Toso Award for the racecar aerodynamicist of the year.
And now? Creator of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), Don Panoz is one of the promoters of the Nissan DeltaWing, and he intends to create a class for it in the new American endurance series in 2014 created by the merger of ALMS and Grand Am. We could even see the DeltaWing reborn in its original version: it was originally designed as a car for the Indycar series. In any case, one thing is certain: we have not heard the last of the Nissan DeltaWing.
Jean-Philippe Doret
Photo: Sebring (Florida, USA) SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, 12 HOURS OF SEBRING, 15th of March 2012. First official laps of the Nissan DeltaWing with Scots driver Marino Franchitti, during the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
