LE MANS DeltaWing proves its worth Radical Le Mans project has convinced Michelin to design bespoke tyres after detailed talks DeltaWing will take up 56th Le Mans slot he deal for the experimental clearly weren’t going to just take All American Racers’ workshops in will be mounted on a composite TDeltaWing sportscar to race our word for it. California should hit the track in subframe, which will also double on Michelin tyres at the “We sent them all the data and December on the West Coast. The as the front crash structure. This, Le Mans 24 Hours is the stamp answered a lot of questions. They test programme will subsequently in turn, picks up on the mountings of approval the project needs to had to do the correct due diligence.” be based out at Dayton’s Highcroft for the front nose box on the move forward, according to team Serge Grisin, boss of four-wheel Racing base in Connecticut. AMR-One chassis. boss Duncan Dayton. motorsport at Michelin, said: “We DeltaWing technical director Ben “That is possible because the The French company revealed last now know this is something that Bowlby revealed that the design is loads from the front suspension week that it was becoming a can work. This is a chance to being built around an existing 2011 on the DeltaWing are less than technical partner on the DeltaWing accelerate our innovation processes LMP1 monocoque. the aero loads from the splitter of machine, which will take up the and think outside the box.” “We could have done our own a current LMP1 car,” said Bowlby. 56th pit garage at Le Mans reserved Dayton said that the momentum tub, but it would have been a big Bowlby insisted that the use for an innovative green project. behind the DeltaWing could grow ask in the timeframe,” he said. “It is of an off-the-shelf tub would not It will be producing special tyres in the coming weeks with further not a big deal, because the tub isn’t result in any watering down of for the car, which has four-inch- announcements. He said several the secret to this car.” the DeltaWing concept. wide front wheels. sponsors were already in place and Bowlby tacitly confirmed that the “We are not about to creep the Dayton, who has put together that he was in negotiation with DeltaWing’s chassis was from front track out,” he said. “The whole DeltaWing’s 2012 Le Mans assault more than one manufacturer for the Aston Martin’s AMR-One. concept falls apart if you widen the under the Project 56 banner, said: supply of a 1.6-litre turbocharged “There has been some track. The two very narrow wheels “Michelin would not put their Global Race Engine. speculation, and it is accurate,” always share the same load around name to the concept if they didn’t The first of two DeltaWing he said. “Enough said.” the track, so you can keep the tyre believe it could be a success. They chassis being built at Dan Gurney’s The two narrow, 15in front wheels ve ry l i g h t .” LMP1 AMR-One is not Aston AMR-One abandoned likely to race again THE ASTON MARTIN AMR-ONE LMP1 produced at the start of the year are project is almost certainly dead. now unavailable after being sold to the Confirmation from DeltaWing designer DeltaWing group. Ben Bowlby that his innovative 2012 Le AUTOSPORT was unable to obtain a Mans contender uses the AMR-One comment from either Aston chairman monocoque must mean that the decision David Richards or Aston Martin Racing. has been taken to abandon the 2011 Aston Richards insisted last month that the LMP1 after two races. The business model car would race again, though he claimed it for the AMR-One was based on selling “might be in a different guise”. This was half a dozen cars, but two of the six tubs clearly a reference to the DeltaWing deal. 22 autosport.com October 6 2011 .