DAYTON SHOWCASES DELTAWING CONCEPT IN DC

Highcroft Racing boss Duncan Dayton highlighted the unique opportunity the DeltaWing 24 Hours of Le Mans entry has to act as a catalyst to inspire change in the automotive industry in Washington, D.C. yesterday.

Dayton joined key industry leaders and government officials at the National Press Club for a Green Racing Press Conference showcasing the American Le Mans Series position as a green racing global leader.

The DeltaWing Project 56 project was awarded the 56th entry in June for next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.  “Garage 56” is reserved for vehicles showcasing new automotive technology previously unseen on the racetrack.

Designed by Ben Bowlby, the unique car features half the weight, half the horsepower and half the aerodynamic drag of a traditional LMP1 class sportscar, yet targets the same level of overall performance.

Dayton was one of seven keynote speakers at the event that also included:

• Dr. Kathleen Hogan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, U.S. Dept. of Energy
• Karl Simon, Director, Compliance and Innovative Strategies Div., Office of Transportation and Air Quality, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Mark Kent, Director of General Motors Racing
• Forrest Patterson, Technical Director, Passenger and Light Truck Replacement Market, Michelin North America, Inc. 
• John Doonan, Director of Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations
• Scott Atherton, President & CEO the American Le Mans Series

“The 24 Hours of the Le Mans is the most important showcase for manufacturers around the world to demonstrate their technology, their capability and their products,” Dayton said.

“It really is the ultimate test of man and machine and an ideal opportunity to showcase your technology whether it be alternative drive trains, alternative fuels or new design concepts.

“For the DeltaWing project, Le Mans is even more special because we are in a position where we can throw away the rule book, start with a clean sheet of paper and demonstrate the creativity and ingenuity of our designers and engineers.”

The Project 56 team includes Dayton’s back-to-back American Le Mans Series champion team, Highcroft Racing; DeltaWing Race Cars’ designer, Ben Bowlby; former racing legend Dan Gurney and his All American Racers organization who will build the prototype; and American Le Mans Series founder Don Panoz who is a key adviser and will provide the unique recyclable REAMS material to be used as part of the car’s bodywork construction.

“The DeltaWing project is certainly spreading the word about the efficient use of resources – we’ll use less fuel, have less tire wear – even transporting the car to the track will take less resources because it is half the weight of what is normally traveling in the transporter to American Le Mans Series events or on a plane to France for Le Mans,” Dayton said.

“We believe there is quite a bit of life left in the internal combustion engine.

“While there has been quite a lot of work done on electric vehicles, hybrids, flywheels, hydrogen powered cars and other new drivetrain options – the technologies are not yet at a place where they can have a dramatic impact on the fuel consumption of the country.

“The DeltaWing car will demonstrate incredible fuel efficiency with technology that we have today.

“We think that makes this car incredibly relevant. The fact we haven’t been restricted by a rulebook has given us this incredible freedom.

“By the use of very clever packaging, enhanced aerodynamics and really thinking outside the box, all the partners in Project 56 believe this car really has the opportunity to be the catalyst to inspire change in what we drive on the roads tomorrow.”

The DeltaWing car is currently under construction at Gurney’s All American Racers facility in Santa Ana, California with the final full-sized Le Mans version of the car expected to be unveiled in the near future.

The car will begin testing in December in preparation for its race debut in 2012.

Yesterday’s press conference took advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate the series’ green racing credentials as the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron enters its seventh 2011 round on the streets of Baltimore this weekend – a mere 40 miles / 1 hour from the nation’s capital.