Crain News Service report
BRASELTON, Ga. (March 5, 2013) — DeltaWing Racing Cars has struck a deal with Bridgestone Motorsports to supply the special tires needed for its distinct low-drag narrow-front racing concept, allowing the team to take part in the upcoming 2013 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) season.
Partly as a result of the deal with Bridgestone, DeltaWing has added a splash of red to the car's predominantly chrome paint scheme. The new look includes red accents on the roll hoop and just behind the front tires.
"It just ties into the DeltaWing being such a unique, revolutionary car," said Don Panoz, managing partner, DeltaWing Racing Cars. "I wanted something that represented that image. A shining, aggressive metal was what I thought of, and that was the chrome."
The design went through several possible design ideas before settling on the chrome and red.
"I think this became apparent once we would be using Bridgestone tires," Mr. Panoz said. "The only color they have outside of black is red. We wanted to keep it consistent. Before deciding on the chrome, I looked at brilliant reds or brilliant greens. We decided the chrome was the thing to keep it in line with Bridgestone and their colors."
At the same time, the team disclosed it will be using an engine supplied by the chassis supplier Elan Motorsports Technologies, replacing the Nissan powerplant used last year, the team's inaugural season.
Neither DeltaWing Racing nor Bridgestone disclosed details about the tires. Based on information from the 2012 season, the car—which features a front track of just 24 inches vs. 70 inches in the rear—runs 15-inch diameter tires front and rear, but the front tires are just 100mm (4 inches) wide.
Michelin Motorsports supplied the tires for the DeltaWing's debut season last year but disclosed recently it had decided not to continue with the project this season.
The DeltaWing's low aerodynamic drag design allows the car to race with just half the horsepower of competing designs. The car with driver weighs just 1,030 pounds.
This is not the first time a Panoz race car has had this type color. The Panoz Esperante GTR-1 that raced in the late 1990s had a primarily silver background, as did the LMP1 Panoz Roadster-S run that premiered in 1999.
Endurance racing veterans Olivier Pla and Andy Meyrick will drive the DeltaWing in the LMP1 class entry. The team has entered the season-opening race, the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 16.
This marks Bridgestone's first involvement in the ALMS, although it's a bit of full-circle engagement for the tire maker. The DeltaWing concept first debuted at the Chicago Motor Show in 2010 on Firestone tires as a proposed alternative for IndyCar racing.