American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans - Official Trailer | Prime Video

I watched this a couple of weeks ago on Prime. It was insane!

I don't follow NASCAR much so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I had no idea this even happened. They raced a Cup car at Le Mans, (with a lot of adjustments obviously) and they finished quite well.

I would highly recommend checking it out if you have Prime, you won't be disappointed. 

Oh, and hats off to the mechanics. You'll see what I mean when you watch it but they were the ones that got the car over the finish line.

FERRARI - Official Trailer - In Theaters Christmas

Got to see this for sure.

FORD v FERRARI Official Trailer

Gulf

Alex Roy at the track

McQueen drives Porsche

DeltaWing car hits track for first test

(by Mark Vaughn autoweek.com 3-2-12)

Sometime around 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 1, the twin-cowled, triangulated DeltaWing race car took its first lap around a race track. The car that could either revolutionize open-wheel racing across the globe or become an historical oddity akin to the six-wheeled Tyrrell Formula One car drove onto the Cal Club's track at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in California, at about half speed for its first shakedown runs.

And? The car some thought would flop over on its side because of its seemingly unstable needle nose, actually took corners at what appeared to be normal speeds.

“They weren't going fast, but they went around the track a few times,” said one race fan who watched the test.

The car was back out after lunch, and this time opened up a little more, hitting what sounded like a rev limiter on the engine--the supplier of which remains unknown--before it went back into the garage for the day.

The main thing is it worked, turning corners with remarkable stability. So far, so good.

Two days before the test, Autoweek visited All American Racers, Dan Gurney's engineering and speed emporium in Santa Ana, Calif., where the car was built. We got some background on the project, or as much as the team could reveal before a couple of sponsorship deals go through and all is made public. First up, how exactly does this thing go around corners?

“Well, it is counterintuitive,” said chief designer Ben Bowlby, formerly of Lola Cars. “For a long time, we all believed that the world was flat, because it's counterintuitive to think that it's round, or spheroid or whatever.”

Before he described how the DeltaWing turns, Bowlby started out describing the basic concept and the physics behind it. The craft is both simple and at the same time somewhat delicate.

“In this case, the tire capacity, the mass distribution and the aero distribution are all in harmony,” Bowlby explained. “The result is that the car is actually balanced.”

Given that it's a rear-wheel-drive configuration, Bowlby said the DeltaWing is extremely well-balanced, with the optimum distribution for traction and braking.

“With a two-wheel-drive car, you put the majority of the tractive capacity at the end that's going to have the weight transfer and acceleration,” he explained. “But equally interesting is braking stability, which is also a function of trying to have more than 50 percent of the braking behind the center of gravity. This is perhaps one of the most unique aspects of the DeltaWing, that from a racing-car perspective it does have more than 50 percent of the braking behind the center of gravity.”

So no matter how much force you apply, there's a self-correcting stability. Like an arrow, sort of.

“It's a combination of factors, and really it's a result of throwing away the rule book,” Bowlby continued. “Racers have become constrained by regulations, and so by throwing away the rule book and saying, ‘Hey let's do something that is in line with our times, which is to get more for less, right?' That's what we did.”

The idea is that with less aerodynamic drag, less car and less weight, you can drive the same race distance as everyone else, using less fuel.

But that still doesn't explain how the car turns.

“Well, obviously, the front wheels steer, and the front wheels have a very long lever arm to the center of gravity and the amount of mass, the amount of weight, on those tires means that the contact-patch pressure load, per square inch if you like, is the same at the front as it is at the rear,” he said. “So it's all in tune. So the result is that the front has the ability to cause the car to change direction very quickly. But then, somewhat unique to here, the majority of weight transfer, like 97 percent, occurs across the widely-spaced rear tires.

“Obviously, the center of gravity has to be between the widely spaced rear tires, otherwise you have a completely unstable device that will fall over. Essentially a delta-plan-form car, otherwise known as a tricycle gear, has to have the weight distribution very carefully observed. There isn't a huge latitude to where you put it. In a conventional rectangular layout, you have the ability to put the center of gravity in a lot of places, and it stays stable. In a delta-wing form you have to observe it very carefully. So you don't want the weight distribution 5 percent further forward, and you don't want it 5 percent further back. You have one spot. In racing, you can control that and end up with a very optimum tire utilization and light weight.”

Bowlby said that there is almost no torsional loading on the chassis, because there is not a pair of axles with their own stiffness.

“Three points makes a plane no matter where you put them. So the result is the chassis is under a very small amount of load. And there isn't a balance effect of different roll stiffness distributions. The car always has an intrinsic balance as a function of its mass, tire capacity and aerodynamic distribution.”

The differential has capacity for vectoring torque to either wheel (or for remaining open), but the car is stable without that torque vectoring.

“Our intention is to make the tuning of the car's balance driver-adjustable,” Bowlby said. “That's a slightly lofty goal at the moment, but all of our simulations have been done without torque vectoring.”

The DeltaWing is a collaborative effort between American Le Mans Series founder Don Panoz, Highcroft Racing, Ganassi Racing and Gurney's All American Racers. The Automobile Club de l'Ouest, the Le Mans organizer, has agreed to let the DeltaWing run as part of its Garage 56, the 56th entry in the field at the June race this summer. The idea is to promote innovation.

The car was, of course, offered up originally as an alternate to the traditional Izod IndyCar Series chassis but rejected by IndyCar in favor of a more conventional design from Dallara. Where it goes after Le Mans is anyone's guess. But just seeing it run laps around a track was a big step.

“It's more than three years that we've been waiting,” said Bowlby. “I have to say that without Dan, it would not have been possible. He knows the process of idea to race track and realized that if we don't start now, it ain't gonna happen, so let's get going.”

Aston Martin at Le Mans, 2011

Sleek LMP's, 2011

Level 5 Lola


Audi

Corvette at Le Mans, 2011

McQueen painting

Wicked crash at 2011 Le Mans 24

The Audi #3 before the race

Some funny Crapwagon comments that were posted during the Le Mans 24

-last2brake

I can't believe I'm missing nascar truck practice for this stupid sports car race.

Hey, those headlight stickers have light coming out of them!


-gregtummer

This so legendary.

I can't stop smiling.

It oozes with legitimacy.


-gregtummer

Racing is supposed to be dangerous. Not IRL dangerous and a death trap. But it is supposed to be just fast enough and dangerous enough that it differentiates itself from say, tennis.


-gregtummer

Michael Waltrip must be crapping his pants over a race that oozes this much legitimacy

DeltaWing To Build LMP1 Car For 2012 LM24 Race

IndyCar’s loss is Le Mans’ gain as Highcroft Racing, Dan Gurney, Don Panoz and Ben Bowlby come together to build a two-seater DeltaWing.

(speedtv.com 6-9-11)

Some of the biggest names in American motorsport have joined forces for the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans to showcase a unique concept demonstrating extreme performance with half the weight and horsepower of a traditional racing car.

The Project 56 group brings together the design talents of DeltaWing Racing Cars LLC; the manufacturing capabilities of All American Racers - the company owned by 1967 Le Mans winner and American racing legend Dan Gurney; and back-to-back American Le Mans Series championship winning racing team, Highcroft Racing.

American Le Mans Series founder Dr. Don Panoz has also joined the project as a key advisor.
The group has received an invitation from Le Mans 24 Hour race organizers, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest to contest the 2012 race as an additional 56th entry.

The 56th place on the grid is reserved for a technologically innovative car to participate “outside the classifications” – a vehicle showcasing new applications and unique technologies previously unseen in the world’s greatest endurance race.

While racing cars have traditionally strived for increased performance through gains in horsepower and aerodynamic downforce, the DeltaWing concept concentrates on exploiting efficiency gains found outside contemporary regulations to reduce fuel consumption without reducing performance.

The new and experimental car is targeting competitive performance with only half the horsepower of the outright contenders. It does this through halving the amount of aerodynamic drag of traditional racing cars as well as a similar reduction in weight.

The Project 56 Group is in discussion with engine partners to provide a 1.6-liter turbocharged power plant for the project – producing approximately 300 horsepower.

The car will be unlike any previously seen at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car features a slender nose with extremely narrow front track – minimizing the horsepower required to push the car to speeds of 200mph around the 8.5 mile circuit.

Eliminating the use of traditional wings, downforce for the DeltaWing is generated solely beneath the car by the contoured underbody.

The DeltaWing selection was revealed today at the ACO’s annual press conference coinciding with this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans event.

Construction of the new machine will begin next month at Gurney’s California facility. The Highcroft Racing team will begin track testing of the new car later this year.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world’s oldest and most famous endurance race. First held in 1923, the event has attracted the world’s finest automotive manufacturers and drivers.

Highcroft contested the race for the first time in 2010 while Gurney won the race in 1967 aboard a Ford GT40 with AJ Foyt – famously spraying champagne on the podium for the first time to kick start a now world-renowned tradition.

VINCENT BEAUMESNIL, Directeur Sports, Automobile Club L‘Ouest:

In 2010 the ACO Sporting Committee decided to create the garage #56 to promote new technologies. When the ACO Management met the representative of the Delta Wing project everybody thought immediately that it would be a high quality project for Le Mans Experimental entry in 2012. 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, drag.

The ACO 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.

BEN BOWLBY, Chief Technology Officer, Delta Wing Racing Cars:

The secret to the DeltaWing car is simplicity and efficiency. To achieve the 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. Essentially, the car has a three-point layout with the narrow front and wide rear track – as opposed to the rectangular layout of contemporary racing cars. We have a delta-shaped car that allows us to take a different route to achieving our performance goals as well as enhancing driver protection.

We need much less chassis torsional stiffness for handling performance so we don’t need to use such stiff and brittle materials in the chassis. We can use light, tough and energy absorbing materials instead.
“One of the attractions of Le Mans is the incredible variety of vehicles in competition - with different fuel types, open and closed cockpits, GT cars – there are lots of different solutions and they all run together during the event.

What is particularly impressive is the fact the ACO decided to create the 56th entry where a car that is outside the regulations is invited to participate to showcase an even greater diversity of automotive engineering concepts.

It’s an industry runway, it shows what the future may look like. We are lucky to receive this entry and amongst all the other diversity, the DeltaWing will be very much in the spirit of Le Mans.

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 rule book.

We really have to applaud the ACO for having the foresight to create this opportunity for an entry like ours. 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.

DUNCAN DAYTON, Owner, Highcroft Racing:

This is an amazing opportunity. To take a car like this with a totally innovative design to Le Mans and run before a worldwide television audience of more than 600 million people is an incredible story. This will be the first legitimate test with 55 other cars on the track – it will be a huge challenge but one that we are looking forward to.

The DeltaWing project really represents a unique opportunity for all automotive industry sectors; the OEMs and suppliers, whether it be engines, drivetrains, lubricant and fuel companies, tire manufactures – it is such an innovative concept that it provides an incredible platform for them to market and prove their capabilities.
In my opinion, it has the potential to be one of the most significant developments in motor racing in 50 years. 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 in my opinion will help promote the direction that is being adopted throughout the entire automotive industry.

DAN GURNEY, Founder, All American Racers:

The combination of proven items that make up the character and capabilities of the DeltaWing car make it an extremely exciting project. It weighs half as much current cars, it burns half as much fuel, uses much less tire and goes the same speed because of the exceptional aerodynamics and low drag.
“Almost every aspect of the car is really basic engineering but the combination of the total package should be astoundingly good.

After looking at the project and the technical aspects of the car I was asked if we were selected to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, would I like to be involved – or in our case, would we like to build it. I didn’t hesitate for a moment – my response was absolutely yes. 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 but I quickly found I wasn’t able to. I told him I was very interested. I believe the targets and predictions are valid and now we have been given the green light from the ACO – count me in.

It has been a very long time since I have been to the 24 Hours of Le Mans – in fact, the last time I was there for the race I won with AJ Foyt and the Ford GT40. I certainly am very much looking forward to heading back there next year and seeing our car compete.

Once again the French are leading the global charge for efficient automobiles as they have done so often in the past.

DON PANOZ, Founder, American Le Mans Series:

I am extremely proud of the progress that the ACO and the American Le Mans Series have made in showcasing sportscar racing as the global leader in green racing. The ACO has proven itself to be a leader in encouraging manufacturers to investigate new technologies to tackle the world’s greatest endurance race. Their decision to encourage this forward thinking through the creation of “Garage 56” has been the inspiration and catalyst to bring together some of the biggest names in US motorsport with a view to “how can we do things differently.

I am delighted to play a role in bringing this project to life as I believe it is one of the most important technical innovations and philosophies displayed in the sport for many years. I am also thrilled that the bodywork of the DeltaWing car will utilize R.E.A.M.S. - Recycle Energy Absorbing Matrix System – the same system debuted on the Panoz Abruzzi earlier this year at Sebring. This is a multi-layer composite system that is lighter than carbon fiber, equally strong and can be recycled. Technologies like this will certainly help us achieve our performance goals.

This entire project is an incredibly exciting opportunity and I am sure the fans will be eagerly awaiting the chance to see the car in action at Le Mans in 2012.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Vehicle weight: 475kg
Horsepower: 300 BHP
Wheel base: 2.9 m
Aerodynamic drag: Cd 0.24
Front track: 0.6m
Rear track: 1.7m
O/A length: 4.65 m
O/A width: 2.00m
Height: 1.03 m
Brakes: Carbon discs and pads
Fuel cell capacity: 40 liters
Chassis construction: lightweight composite
Front tire: 4.0/23.0 R15
Rear tire: 12.5/24.5 R15
Weight distribution: 27.5% Front/72.5% Rear

KEY TECHNICAL FEATURES:

• Engine and transmission are “non-stressed members” in the chassis structural design which allows the installation of a wide variety of lightweight powertrains.

• The car features a 4 cylinder 1600cc liquid intercooled turbocharged engine that will produce approximately 300 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and weigh 70kg.

• Transmission is a 5 speed plus reverse longitudinal design with electrical sequential paddle shift actuation. The differential features an efficient variable torque steer/differential speed-controlled planetary final drive reduction layout with the entire transmission weighing only 33kg.

• Vehicle weight distribution is necessarily more rearward than traditionally seen with 72.5% of the mass between the wide track larger rear tires.

• 76% of the aerodynamic downforce acts on the rear of the car which has a lift to drag ratio of >5.0.
• Rear wheel drive coupled with the rearward weight and aerodynamic distributions greatly enhances inline acceleration capability.

• Unique amongst today’s racing cars, more than 50% of the vehicle’s braking force is generated behind the center of gravity giving a dynamically stable response.

• Locking propensity of the un-laden front wheel at corner entry is greatly reduced due to virtually no lateral load transfer with the narrow front track/wide rear track layout, steered wheel “scrub drag” moment is virtually zero greatly increasing tire utilization and reducing mid turn understeer.

• Advanced computer modeling of structures, impact energy management, aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics and tires has been used to develop the DeltaWing design.

• Driver position, restraint layout and energy absorbing structures designed to meet the latest occupant survival criteria.

--------------------



The original Indy proposed DeltaWing from 2010. The new Le Mans version in my opinion looks much better and more aggresive. I hope it works, it would be great for something from the United States to shake the racing world up and prove revolutionary. (That isn't me in the photo by the way, I posted that more for comedic purposes.)

I love the smell of new tires in the morning

A new Continental tire at the 24 Hours of Daytona testing. Can Spring be that far off? I hope not.

McQueen and Le Mans

More Matt Connolly Motorsports photos

I'm still diggin' the livery.

Matt Connolly Motorsports Porsche GT3

Preparing for the 2010 season and the Rolex 24. (I'm diggin' the paint job.)

Spain's Gene and Peugeot end Audi's run at 24 Hours of Le Mans

(by the Accociated Press si.com 6-14-09)

LE MANS, France (AP) -- Peugeot driver Marc Gene of Spain won the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Sunday, ending Audi's five-year domination.

The diesel-powered Peugeot No. 9 was one of the few cars to enjoy a trouble-free run in the world's most famous endurance race.

"To win such a race is the nicest thing I've enjoyed in my life," Gene said. "I was really emotional on the last lap. I've never had such a feeling in a race. Tears were coming to my eyes on the last lap."

Gene and supporting drivers David Brabham of Britain and Alexander Wurz of Austria completed 382 laps in 24 hours, one lap more than the Peugeot No. 8 driven by French trio Sebastien Bourdais, Franck Montagny and Stephane Sarrazin.

It was the second victory at Le Mans for Wurz, who won in a Porsche in 1996.

The two Peugeots were challenged by Audi's No. 1 car until the 21st hour. The Audi car had to pit twice within the space of a few minutes, first by Allan McNish of Britain to change a steering wheel and then by Rinaldo Capello of Italy to fix an engine problem.

Defending champions McNish, Capello and Tom Kristensen of Denmark finished third, six laps behind.

Peugeot has made efforts to improve the reliability of its cars this season while Audi has developed a faster model, the R15, to replace the aging R10. But the change did not pay off for the German manufacturer.

"The Peugeot cars were more consistent," said Wolfgang Ullrich, the head of Audi Sport. "They did not have any big problem. We didn't really manage to find a good rhythm in the first hours of the race."

Stefan Mucke of Germany and Czech drivers Jan Charouz and Thomas Enge came in fourth, nine laps off the pace, but their Lola Aston Martin No. 007 was the best gasoline car as the Peugeots and Audis are powered by diesel.

Audi and Peugeot had their share of problems throughout the race.

The Peugeot No. 8 led from the start until the sixth hour when a transmission problem forced Bourdais -- the former four-time Champ Car series winner and now Formula One driver -- to pit and change the left rear axle. Wurz took advantage of Bourdais' lengthy pit stop to take the lead.

Pedro Lamy of Portugal lost 24 minutes for repairs after his Peugeot No. 7 collided in the pitlane with Jean-Christophe Boullion's Pescarolo No. 17 in the first hour. But Nicolas Minassian then clocked the fastest lap in 3 minutes, 24.352 seconds on the 13.629-kilometer (8.45-mile) circuit to put the car back into sixth place, 13 laps behind Gene.

"Our team was so much criticized last year that it's a nice revenge," said Olivier Quesnel, the head of Peugeot Sport. "I'm very proud of my team today."

Audi's hopes were seriously dented on the third lap when Alexandre Premat's No. 3 car veered off the track to go into the gravel trap. The car became unstable after that and quickly fell out of contention. In the seventh hour, Lucas Luhr's Audi No. 2, running third, smashed into the tire barrier and he had to retire.

McNish also wasted time in the pits after damaging his nosecone in the second hour. His Audi No. 1 suffered from turbo overheating later on Sunday morning.

McNish put pressure on the pole-sitting Peugeot No. 8 in the rolling start, but Montagny held off the charge at the first curve to keep the lead.

The Corvette No. 63, driven by Jan Magnussen of Denmark, Antonio Garcia of Spain and Johnny O'Connell of the United States, completed 342 laps to finish 15th overall but first in the GT1 class.

A total of 55 cars started the 77th edition of the French endurance race, but 21 failed to finish.

Pics of Le Mans 2009