Nissan DeltaWing Shares Pre Le Mans Testing At Circuit de la Sarthe (Video)

Following the past weekend's Automobile Club de l'Ouest test day around Circuit de la Sarthe ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans main event, Nissan released a video documenting their progress.

According to Nissan, the current Le Mans 24 grid represents the automaker's biggest commitment to the French event to date. With a quarter of the Le Mans field powered by Nissan engines, the company also boasts 13 Nissan prototypes dominating the 20 total entries in the LMP2 class.

Of course, it's important to Nissan that all its vehicles perform well during testing but the engineers were especially keen to record the performance of the radical Nissan DeltaWing.

Nissan Europe General Manager Darren Cox comments, "Every single lap we turn this weekend, we'll learn something new about the car. We've only had 100 days to test this car on track. This weekend is absolutely crucial to make sure we're ready for the 24 hour race."

Racer.com reported that the DeltaWing completed a total of 54 trouble-free laps during testing with team drivers Michael Krumm, Satoshi Motoyama and Marino Franchitti behind the wheel. Thanks to its efficient packaging, the DeltaWing is only half as heavy, and possesses only half the aerodynamic drag of a conventional racing car. This allows the DeltaWing to effectively complete all 53 laps on a single set of racing slicks. Only brief precipitation caused the crew to react with a quick change to a set of wet tires before sending the DeltaWing back out for a sole lap.

The quickest lap of the day set by the DeltaWing was Satoshi Motoyama's 3:47.980. Race officials expect to see the DeltaWing reach a pace in the 3m45s ball park and DeltaWing designer Ben Bowlby is certainly confident of the DeltaWing's progress.

Bowlby said, "I was certainly very happy with the results today. It would have been tragic if we had been plagued with technical issues when we were just trying to get drivers qualified for the race."

Bowlby continued, “We've shown the ACO that we've met their desired criteria to run a lap time of around 3 minutes, 45 seconds in around the same cadence as everyone else on pit stops. We're very close to that time so you'd have to say today has been a great success. The physics didn't lie and we've produced a car that does what it says on the box. There is still a lot of preparation to do this week and there is everything to play for. We have to be very sensible about it and try to put on a good show for Nissan and Michelin.”

Beyond lap times, the team is also pleased with its fuel efficiency. During testing German Michael Krumm commented, “We tested out different setups, collected data, worked on fuel consumption and everything went very well with all of that. We managed to meet our targets on fuel consumption which was great. All in all, it was a really successful test. We're now going to analyze all the data and looking forward to next week. We hope we can continue to run without trouble."

Also adding a comment on his return to Le Mans as well as the car's behavior, “It is also great for me to be back at Le Mans. Some things have changed around the circuit but all the improvements are really good. The car feels great around here. I was a little concerned about how it would feel through the Porsche Curves, but it is absolutely fantastic and very stable. You can push really hard – so much fun to drive. I can't wait for the race.”

Given the DeltaWing's miniscule weight, small tire size, and modest 300-hp 1.6 liter DIG-T turbocharged Nissan engine, the numbers really make the radical prototype a David amongst the conventional race car Goliaths. It's good to see that drivers and engineers are happy with the vehicle's performance and handling. We can't wait to see what the DeltaWing can really do once the 24 Hours of Le Mans begins. The 24 hour special is held June 16/17.