DeltaWing Nissan [New Tech]
Of Nissans' 13 LMP2 entries, engineers are especially keen to study the performance of the radical Nissan DeltaWing. Thanks to its efficient packaging, the DeltaWing is only half as heavy, and possesses only half the aerodynamic drag of a conventional racing car.The experimental #0 will be driven by Marino Franchitti, Michael Krumm, and Satoshi Motoyama. Qualifying 26 overall, the Highcroft Racing DeltaWing Nissan posted the fastest time of 3:42.612. Nissan

The upcoming 24 Hours of Le Mans will be all about the hybrid powertrain frontrunners, as Audi and Toyota prepare to wage an epic battle at the LMP1 prototype class.

However, the true dominant force on the 2012 Le Mans grid will be Nissan, as a quarter of the grid is composed of Nismo-tuned Nissan powered racing cars.

Sitting at the top of the Nissan line-up is the innovative, and hugely polarizing, Nissan DeltaWing LMP2 experimental racing car. Designed to operate with only half the fuel and half the tire material of a conventional LMP class car, the DeltaWing doesn't possess any hybrid technology but aims to revolutionize Le Mans motor racing in its own right. According to Nissan, the DeltaWing also boasts half the aerodynamic drag of a conventional LMP car and will be powered by a 1.6-liter DIG-Turbo engine that's more compact and lightweight than anything else in its category. Reserved strictly for experimental racers, the Nissan DetlaWing will wear the #0 designation.

In fact, Nissan-powered cars will account for 13 out of the 20 in the LMP2 class. Notable race teams will include Signatech, represented by drivers Olivier Lombard, Franck Mailleux, and Jordan Tresson, who graduated from Nissan's 2010 GT Academy and finished 2nd in the LMP2 class last year. Also, Greaves Motorsport has assembled former Formula 1 driver and 1990 Le Mans winner Martin Brundle, his son Alex, and original 2008 GT Academy winner Lucas Ordonez for their 3-man team.

Senior Vice President of Nissan Europe anxiously awaits for the race in two weeks. "This year's Le Mans 24 Hours will be our biggest yet and the Nissan DeltaWing shows the direction we are looking to take with motorsport technology in the future. We are already dominant in LMP2, where teams know that we can help them win, while the DeltaWing project is the kind of experiment in design and technology that only a company as forward-thinking and bold as Nissan could get behind.

"As a test bed for future road car and motorsport innovations, there is no greater, more publicly-scrutinized laboratory than the Le Mans 24 Hours for the experiment that DeltaWing represents, but the concept will prove that the technology for a vastly more efficient future is viable now, whether the car finishes the race or not."

Ahead of Le Mans, Nissan sat down with Greaves Motorport for an interview with the team. Check out the video below to learn more about Martin Brundle's expectations for the race ahead:

Related