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I guess by now all forum regulars here know that Highcroft parted ways with HPD, therefore closing up in some garage the car that came second overall in this years' 12 hours of Sebring and was therefore the most credible "petrol" challenger to the might of the Le Mans diesels of Audi and Peugeot.
And I also guess all regulars know too what Highcroft announced during this edition of the "LM 24": That, together with Dan Gurney's AAR, Don Panoz (in a consulting role) and the Deltawing creators, they would field a DeltaWing car at Le Mans next year, under the #56 garage program set by the ACO.
The "car" (for lack of a better word ) was originally born as one of the candidates to the future specs of Indy Car racing, and back then it looked like this:
But the powers that be at IRL turned it down. So, this "project" resurfaced now, with a double cockpit Le Mans style, headlights and front wheels covered (among other less obvious differences). It now looks like this:
As already discussed in this forum, what most fans can't understand, when looking at the pictures displayed (and even the CG videos posted), is how will this car be able to simply turn into medium to tight corners, or how will it cope with the need of sudden direction changes. We all look and we all "see" the same problems. narrow tyres ... narrow front ... how will load act, if at all, to make this car balanced? And what grip can those skinny tyres possibly produce?
So we all tend to think this concept is a disaster, an understeering disaster.
But ... is it really? Are all the guys behind this totally nuts???? Something is odd and we have to consider the chance that maybe, just maybe, we are mistaken.
Anyway, past this introduction, I have just read and re-read a Q&A about this car. Highcroft, ever the most communicative and fan-friendly professional racing team I have ever known, asked fans to ask them whatever they wanted. And selected 10 questions, providing the answers. You may find it HERE but I'll quote it anyway for this thread's use:
Ok, I have a problem with replies to questions 4 and 5. First, I don't understand how having litle weight at the front makes the car need only a small contact patch to turn. Doesn't downforce "create" weight anyway? Doesn't less weight mean the opposite of what they reply, meaning, the need for a greater "patch" of contact with the road?
Second, and specifically about the reply to question 5, my problem is double: 1) I'm no enginier; 2) I'm not an English native speaker. So ... I just don't understand that reply properly, could anyone more knowledgeable both in engineering and in English help me out?
Note - I think this specific car and its entrance at Le Mans next year deserves its own thread in this forum, under the "Sports Cars " tag. If mods think otherwise, than please merge this with whatever other thread you think appropriate. Thanks
And I also guess all regulars know too what Highcroft announced during this edition of the "LM 24": That, together with Dan Gurney's AAR, Don Panoz (in a consulting role) and the Deltawing creators, they would field a DeltaWing car at Le Mans next year, under the #56 garage program set by the ACO.
The "car" (for lack of a better word ) was originally born as one of the candidates to the future specs of Indy Car racing, and back then it looked like this:
But the powers that be at IRL turned it down. So, this "project" resurfaced now, with a double cockpit Le Mans style, headlights and front wheels covered (among other less obvious differences). It now looks like this:
As already discussed in this forum, what most fans can't understand, when looking at the pictures displayed (and even the CG videos posted), is how will this car be able to simply turn into medium to tight corners, or how will it cope with the need of sudden direction changes. We all look and we all "see" the same problems. narrow tyres ... narrow front ... how will load act, if at all, to make this car balanced? And what grip can those skinny tyres possibly produce?
So we all tend to think this concept is a disaster, an understeering disaster.
But ... is it really? Are all the guys behind this totally nuts???? Something is odd and we have to consider the chance that maybe, just maybe, we are mistaken.
Anyway, past this introduction, I have just read and re-read a Q&A about this car. Highcroft, ever the most communicative and fan-friendly professional racing team I have ever known, asked fans to ask them whatever they wanted. And selected 10 questions, providing the answers. You may find it HERE but I'll quote it anyway for this thread's use:
Highcroft's Deltawing Fan Q&AWe asked the fans via Facebook and Twitter what they wanted to know about the new DeltaWing car well be running at next years 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Here are the top 10 questions we received and all information you need to know about this unique car.
1. Conner Johnson via Facebook
Q: How is the new car different from the Deltawing Indycar concept car?
A: The car is very similar the obvious main differences being the sportscar style cockpit and double roll-hoops. There are slight dimension changes, but the basic concept works just as well as a sportscar as it would have as a single seater.
2. Scania Kin Fung via Facebook
Q: How fast Highcroft expect on Deltawing? P1, P2 or GT?
A: We expect the car to run at a very similar pace to the LMP1 cars. Because of the very low drag, we only need 300 horsepower to achieve those speeds.
3. Ryan Ziegler via Twitter @momedic9019
Q: What size engine, KERS? and how is it going to be packaged? Awfully tight behind the cockpit for engine/ancillaries.
A: The plan is for the car to feature a 1.6 liter turbocharged engine. The engine length and the packaging of the transmission mean there is a short distance from the front of the engine to the rear axle center line so we do have just enough space.
4. Brian Kirkland via Facebook
Q: What is the size and width of the tires on this car? Especially interested in the front.
A: The front tire is: 4.0 wide, 23.0 high on 15 rims. The rear: 12.5 wide, 24.5 high also on 15 rims. We have a small proportion of the weight at the front of the car, so therefore, we dont need as much contact patch to achieve a tire balance between front and rear.
5. Adam Schultz via Facebook
Q: How is the car gonna turn sharp corners Looks like the back wheels steer the car?
A: It will turn of course, and turn remarkably well. The back wheels do not steer the car. The key is that the front wheels have a long lever length on the center of gravity which is more rearwards than normal with more tire to match.
6. Anthony Akens via Twitter @kraegar
Q: Is there concern re driver depth perception for how wide the back is, when they can only see the narrow front?
A: It is a natural assumption, but it only takes a short time for the driver to gain the special awareness. In many cases particularly with some racing cars you really cant see anything beyond the front windshield. This is the case in NASCAR. The drivers quickly pick up a feel for the dimensions of the car. Drivers in single seat/open wheel cars also cant see where their front wings are. A racing motor cyclist knows by how much to miss the curb to avoid hitting their knee, they do not watch the front wheel .
7. Justin Lipson via Facebook
Q: I am curious about the steering mechanism the car will use. Will it be a standard rack and pinion type?
A: It will have a very compact form of rack on pinion steering system that accommodates the requirements of a very narrow front track width. The car actually has significantly more degrees of lock than a standard sportscar.
8. Samuel Neagles via Facebook
Q: Is the lack of a wide track in the front going to hinder the car in transitions? Is the car going to favour understeer rather then oversteer?
A: Counter intuitively the vehicle dynamics computer simulation actually indicates the car will have a stable oversteer tendency. Changing direction will not be a problem for the car at all, the mass distribution being very rear biased allows the front to have a very rapid reaction to change of direction.
9. Jerome Peregrine via Twitter @JeromePeregrine
Q: LMP1 cars generate a lot of downforce. Where is aero advantage with the DeltaWing without generating too much drag?
A: With the DeltaWing only weighing half as much as regular prototype, it needs only half the downforce relatively to achieve the same grip potential. All of the downforce is generated from beneath the car due to the shape of the underbody - which is very efficient at creating downforce for little drag .
10. Christopher Ruehl via Facebook
Q: Can you explain more on how the downforce is generated from below eliminating the need for wings?
A: With any regular racing car, a significant portion of the downforce required is already generated from the underside of the car. The shape of the underside of the car generates a significant low-pressure area due to the way the air flows underneath the car that ground effect downforce is very powerful and drag efficient. This is the reverse of how a wing works on a plane where the airflow creates a low-pressure area on top of wings creating lift.
Ok, I have a problem with replies to questions 4 and 5. First, I don't understand how having litle weight at the front makes the car need only a small contact patch to turn. Doesn't downforce "create" weight anyway? Doesn't less weight mean the opposite of what they reply, meaning, the need for a greater "patch" of contact with the road?
Second, and specifically about the reply to question 5, my problem is double: 1) I'm no enginier; 2) I'm not an English native speaker. So ... I just don't understand that reply properly, could anyone more knowledgeable both in engineering and in English help me out?
Note - I think this specific car and its entrance at Le Mans next year deserves its own thread in this forum, under the "Sports Cars " tag. If mods think otherwise, than please merge this with whatever other thread you think appropriate. Thanks
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