Revised DeltaWing completes debut test before Sebring 12 Hours
The new version of the experimental DeltaWing has successfully completed a shakedown test ahead of its debut in next weekend's Sebring 12 Hours
The revised car, which is powered by a Mazda-based engine developed by Elan Motorsports Technologies, completed its first laps at Road Atlanta on Wednesday and Thursday in the hands of Johnny O'Connell and Andy Meyrick.
Dave Price, team manager of Don Panoz's DeltaWing Racing Cars squad, said: "Johnny went first because he had driven the car before [in testing last October] and then Andy had a go. Everything was fine, except a few of the new-car issues that you would expect.
"It was really a systems check and about tuning the engine out the track, because it had only previously run on the dyno."
Price said there were no issues with the new tyres from Bridgestone, which have replaced the Michelins on which the Nissan-powered version of the car ran last year.
Price suggested that a race finish at Sebring, when Olivier Pla will join Meyrick in the DeltaWing, was a realistic target.
"We want to run reliably, finish the race and show a bit of performance," he said. "We have set no targets beyond that; we know we ain't going to win it.
"I think a finish is realistic: we know the car and the gearbox are the same that finished Petit Le Mans last year [the car's second outing after the Le Mans 24 Hours]; and the engine has done quite a lot of running on the test bench."
Panoz, the managing partner in the Project 56 group that brought Ben Bowlby's DeltaWing design to the race track, has now assumed full control of the programme following the withdrawal of primary backer Nissan.
The plan is for the car and its successor, built around a bespoke monocoque rather than the current Aston Martin tub, to contest eight of the 10 ALMS races this season.
Renault unveils Le Mans plans for Alpine brand
Matt Howson hopes KCMG Le Mans chance is career springboard
Friday Favourite: The Porsche “twins” who usurped Audi’s best
In a long career as a Porsche factory driver that yielded success in prototypes and GT cars on both sides of the Atlantic, Timo Bernhard was frequently paired up with Romain Dumas. Together, the pair were a near unstoppable force and were no less potent when they were loaned as a package to Audi
Porsche completes two-car LMDh test at Monza as US-bound chassis debuts
Porsche Penske Motorsport has begun testing a second example of the 963 LMDh contender as it ramps up preparation for its twin programmes in the World Endurance Championship and the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2023.
The final episode on the Monza round of the FIA World Endurance Championship sees the action reach a dramatic and thrilling conclusion in the race.
Rast, Muller and Cassidy to miss Fuji WEC to focus on DTM
Rene Rast, Nico Muller and Nick Cassidy are all expected to miss the fifth round of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship at Fuji Speedway next month to prioritise their DTM commitments.
The problem sausage kerbs continue to cause
Track limits are the problem that motorsport doesn't seem to be able to rid itself of. But the use of so-called 'sausage kerbs' as a deterrent has in several instances only served to worsen the problem, and a growing number of voices want to see action taken
The history lessons Peugeot should have learned on its return
The Peugeot 9X8 will make its World Endurance Championship debut at Monza this weekend. The French manufacturer has gone radical and will be hoping it doesn’t need to overhaul its contender, as it did with its first Le Mans challenger…
Why Peugeot's sportscar return will capture the imagination
OPINION: Peugeot will make its World Endurance Championship debut at Monza this weekend with the 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar that has ignored design conventions by eschewing a rear wing. Its distinctive look will help sportscar racing appeal to fresh audiences as a new golden era is ushered in
How Formula E's double-duty drivers influenced their Le Mans teams' fortunes
Eight Formula E drivers made the 7,000-mile sprint from the streets of Jakarta to the fabled Circuit de la Sarthe and every one had a story to share at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours. Despite a range of triumphs and disappointments, each driver doubling up on the day job played a key role in their teams' fortunes
How an Italian junior formula giant is readying for its Le Mans future
Prema remains a colossus in single-seaters, but the serial Formula 2 and Formula 3 title-winning squad has joined forces with top GT squad Iron Lynx for an attack on sportscars in the World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series. Ahead of its debut at the Le Mans 24 Hours, its sights are firmly fixed on LMP2 glory – and a future in Hypercars next year...
The British rookies targeting a good first impression at Le Mans
Three young Britons will make their first starts in the Le Mans 24 Hours this weekend in the highly-competitive 23-car GTE Am field. But how did they get here? Autosport hears their stories.
The wingless wonder Peugeot hopes will restore it to Le Mans glory
Peugeot went radical with the initial plan for its Le Mans Hypercar project, and then stuck to its guns. Here’s how things are shaping up a few weeks before the debut of the 9X8 in next month's Monza World Endurance Championship round
How Toyota’s sole survivor turned the tables at Spa
After a chastening opening to the season at Sebring that ended in an enormous accident, Toyota's #7 crew got their World Endurance Championship underway with victory at a treacherously slippery Spa to make up for its sister car's Sebring defeat to Alpine, as Glickenhaus's promising qualifying turned to disaster in the race