DeltaWing Recieves The 2012 Autosport Award For Pioneering And Innovation

Nissan DeltaWing on display at the LA Auto Show Press Days. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

DeltaWing Recieves The 2012 Autosport Award For Pioneering And Innovation

The 2012 Autosport Awards, the motorsport industry's 'Oscars' held last night at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London's Park Lane, provided a night of delight for Nissan when the Nissan DeltaWing received the award for Pioneering and Innovation.

The Nissan DeltaWing is currently settling in for its close-up near Hollywood, at the LA Auto Show which runs now through the end of this next weekend on December 9th. One will find it on display at the Nissan booth in the South Hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center ... of course.

View slideshow: DeltaWing recieves the 2012 Autosport Award for Pioneering and Innovation

The Nissan DeltaWing has grabbed headlines, turned heads, and divided opinions wherever it has gone. For Nissan, a company known for delivering innovation that excites, this project has gathered great momentum throughout the season, providing excitement for fans of motorsport but has also caught the eye of non-motorsport fans, intrigued by the car's unique design.

The first Nissan DeltaWing driver, Marino Franchitti, presented the award to DeltaWing Designer Ben Bowlby during the star-studded evening.

Image Credit: Nissan (2012)

"While the car wasn't eligible to collect any trophies in its two races so far, it is very rewarding that the industry and the media recognize the significance of the project," Bowlby said. "I can honestly say I've never done anything so cool in my life. The Nissan DeltaWing is all about efficiency and we hope this car can play a part in shaping the future of the sport.

"There are many people who have played key roles in the development of the car but I have to say a big thanks to Don Panoz's Garage 56 consortium with DeltaWing Racing Cars, and of course the ACO. Nissan and Michelins' contributions were imperative. It took a huge leap of faith from them to really make this car possible. Both signed on at a time when we had plenty of doubters saying the car wouldn't go around corners."

The unique Nissan DeltaWing features the performance of contemporary Le Mans sportscars but consumes only half their fuel and tires, using half of their power, aerodynamic drag and weight.

"What made the car stand out from other contenders for the Pioneering and Innovation Award is traditionally the winners are for something underneath the skin of a race car which the man on the street would really struggle to see or even understand," Autosport, Editor-In-Chief, Andrew van de Burgt said.

"No matter whether you are a hard core motorsports fan, or somebody who doesn't follow the sport at all – one look at the car and you can tell that it is totally different from anything seen before. It really is a credit to everyone involved in the project. It has generated great interest amongst our readers and we look forward to seeing the car compete again in the future."

Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

The plaudits don't stop there for the Nissan DeltaWing. The car has already won EVO magazine's Innovation Award; it was voted Automobile magazine's Racing Car of the Year and received the Popular Science Best of What's New Award. Ben Bowlby has also received the Simms Medal from the Royal Automobile Club and the Dino Toso Award for the world's top racing aerodynamicist, awarded by Race Tech magazine.

"Last night was the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people who weren't scared to use their imaginations," said Nissan's Darren Cox. "The Nissan DeltaWing is clearly innovative in terms of the car's design but the entire project and the way it has engaged the interest of the fans is also innovative. We have all enjoyed the challenge."

... notes from The EDJE


** Article first published as DeltaWing Recieves The 2012 Autosport Award For Pioneering And Innovation on Technorati **

Grand Prix of Long Beach 2008 – An International Podium

Race winner Will Power gets doused with a victory magnum of champagne by runner-up Franck Montagny and third place finisher, Mario Dominguez on the podium of the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Image Credit: Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times

Grand Prix of Long Beach 2008 – An International Podium

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was a good race and a nice parade lap for the final event of the American open-wheel racing series known simply as ChampCar.

In this video taken from the press conference that featured the podium finishers of this final race featuring the rules, equipment, teams and drivers of the ChampCar World Series (CCWS), Australian Will Power, Swiss/Frenchman Franck Montagny, and Mexican born Mario Dominguez share their reflections and insights. The CCWS was an American rules sanctioning motorsports series which stressed racing in venues that optimized driver skill on temporary street courses, airport runways, closed road circuits, in North America and international localities.

Fred Nation, Executive Vice-President of Communications, Indy Racing League. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (The EDJE) 2008

The press conference was conducted by the Fred Nation, Executive Vice-President of Communications of the now ruling sanctioning organization, the Indy Racing League. The IRL will stage the Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2009 and beyond for at least the next ten years.

The conference opens with third place finisher, Mario Dominguez – Pacific Coast Motorsports. Mario discusses the car, the team and the fact that he had not been in an open-wheel racing machine in over six months.

Second place finisher, former Formula One driver Franck Montagny, in his first Champ Car start … and finish reflects on why he chose this series to compete in.

Race winner, Will Power, who started third in the 20-car field discussed the importance of his start.

Full Post-Race Transcript>>

The DP01 of Paul Tracy in Technical for specification check. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (The EDJE) 2008

This excerpted from the Press Telegram –

Will Power wins Grand Prix
By Mike Harris, AP Auto Racing Writer - Article Launched: 04/21/2008 06:58:30 AM PDT

Will Power led most of the way Sunday in the streets of Long Beach, winning the final race of the Champ Car World Series, the last remaining remnant of the 12-year rivalry between the newly unified American open-wheel series.
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Danica Patrick reaches for a drink of water during press conference at the Long Beach Grand Prix venue.Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (The EDJE) 2008

Less than 24 hours after a historic IRL victory by Danica Patrick, the first woman to win an IndyCar race, the final race for the series that began as CART in 1979 was run before a large, appreciative crowd. That included Patrick, who arrived after a 12-hour plane ride looking refreshed and very happy midway through the event.

Power, who started third in the 20-car field, spoiled the show a bit, though, jumping into the lead with a great start and leading most of the 83-lap, 1-hour, 45-minute timed race.

"Yeah, it was a very nice day, really good start, good pit strategy and we were very quick," Power said. "I just want to thank (my team owners and team). I feel really happy for them and the team to win the last Champ Car race."

He added, "We had problems all weekend, just little problems. But we fixed everything for the race. My engineer did a great job, the car was nice and it all came together in the race. I was just cool in the car, relaxed. When it comes together, it just comes together nicely."
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Post Race Timing & Scoring display in the press room at the Long Beach Grand Prix. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (The EDJE) 2008

Twelve of the drivers in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach do not currently have rides in the IRL, but two of them, former Formula One driver Franck Montagny, in his first Champ Car start, finished second, followed by longtime Champ Car star Mario Dominguez.

Rookie Enrique Bernoldi and Oriol Servia, both transitional drivers, finished fourth and fifth.

Graham Rahal, the 19-year-old son of longtime racing star Bobby Rahal, who became the youngest driver ever to win a major open-wheel race two weeks ago in the IRL event in St. Petersburg, Fla., spun twice and finished 13th on Sunday.

The youngster had moved back up to seventh when he spun trying to pass Franck Perera, another transitional driver, for position on the last lap.

Justin Wilson, the driver who replaced Sebastien Bourdais, who won the last three Long Beach races for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, started from the pole but lost the lead to Power moments after the green flag and wound up completing only 12 laps before going out with a mechanical problem.

Jimmy Vasser in the pits. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (The EDJE) 2008

Former CART champions Jimmy Vasser, who came out of a two-year retirement to drive here, and Paul Tracy, who didn't have a ride until earlier this week, finished on the lead lap in 10th and 11th.
Reference Here>>

The “Fine Nine” is what we, here at The EDJE, have dubbed the drivers who were able to secure seats with teams that were formed to compete in the now merged ChampCar World Series.

The current standings after three race weekends in the Indy Racing League are as follows:

Position. Fine Nine Driver / Team / Season Championship Points / Pts. Behind Leader

5. Will Power / KV Racing Technology / 87 / -25
7. Enrique Bernoldi / Conquest Racing / 74 / -38
8. Oriol Servia / KV Racing Technology / 74 / -38
10. Graham Rahal / Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing / 70 / -42
12. EJ Viso / HVM Racing / 67 / -45
16. Franck Perera / Conquest Racing / 56 / -56
19. Justin Wilson / Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing / 49 / -63
23. Bruno Junqueira / Dale Coyne Racing / 42 / -70
26. Mario Moraes / Dale Coyne Racing / 28 / -84

So the transition drivers account for four of the top ten positions in the chase for the series championship after only three races. Not bad for all of the sad predictions of how well ChampCar teams and drivers would fair in the new, bigger, unified Indy Racing Series.

This will be the first and only season where the term Merge and Transition will make any difference at all. T-Teams and Established Teams (or E-Teams) for this season are a statistical side-bar and a study in motivation dynamics for those who enjoy the “inside baseball” nature of motorsports.

Special message written on the back of pit crew uniform at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (The EDJE) 2008

The final ChampCar sanctioned Long Beach Grand Prix by any measure was a grand success ... from the large, enthusiastic crowds, competition for a podium position at the end of the race, an international podium, a surprise appearance by the first female to ever win a major professional open-wheel racing series race in Danica Patrick, plus positive wishes from the ChampCar drivers, teams, and fans for a great IndyCar Racing Series championship in the unified season ahead for 2008.

… notes from The EDJE

Long Beach 2008 – The Panoz DP01’s Last Hurrah!

The Champ Car name - In 2003, Champ Car replaced CART as the sanctioning body of the racing series that has been promoted as Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. This name was adopted after FedEx dropped their title sponsorship of the CART series. /// In 2007, with the withdrawal of Bridgestone and Ford Motor Company, the official name of the top-tier series promoted by Champ Car is now simply the Champ Car World Series. Caption & Image Credit: champcar.wordpress.com

Long Beach 2008 – The Panoz DP01’s Last Hurrah!

After a little over one year of service, North American open-wheel racing’s ChampCar World Series racing platform, the Panoz manufactured DP01 will see its last competition this coming weekend - April 18-20, 2008.

The 34th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will be run through the streets and down Shoreline Drive featuring the DP01 and scored through Indy Racing League 2008 Championship points due to the unification of American rules open-wheel racing series between the ChampCar World Series and the Indy Racing League.

Panoz DP01 "Technical Tool" - The measuring rack used to make sure all chassis meet technical specifications. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (EDJE) 2007

By any measure, the Panoz DP01 was a success in its maiden, and as it turns out – last, year. A beautiful and functional design … from the smooth wishbone front wing mount to the rear sidepod airflow escape louvers, a stable platform from the words “Green!-Green!-Green!”

In the initial test of the chassis back at the end of August, 2006, the car spent testing week in the capable hands of two-time Champ Car race-winner Roberto Moreno. Roberto piloted the new machine through every lap of the more than 600 miles in searing 90 degree conditions of the week despite not having been in a Champ Car since 2003. The DP01 Sebring test team included engineers from Champ Car, Cosworth, Pi Research and Elan Motorsports along with Hewland and Performance Friction Brakes.

Top-Down DP01 - Alex Figge's Pacific Coast Motorsports Panoz at the Las Vegas Grand Prix 2007. Image Credit: Pacific Coast Motorsports - LAT

"It was nice to be back in a Champ Car and nice to have that kind of power at your fingertips again," stated Moreno at the time of the initial tests at Sebring International Raceway. "I couldn't be happier with this car. The new aero package is really nice and I think it will be great for the guys once the teams get ahold of it. We are really sticking well in the mid-speed corners and the car is really balanced well aerodynamically and we haven't even thrown anything at it from a standpoint of trying to gain mechanical grip. I think that the team has done a great job with this car."

The Panoz DP01 was developed to be safer, and less aero-dependent while racing closely with other cars. The new model had numerous changes from the previous Lola car, including more downforce from the underbody. Approximately 60% of the car's 5,500 lb (2,500 kg) of downforce at 200 mph (320 km/h) will come from the bottom of the car. This is done by directing the air in a way to create downforce on the car, by sucking it to the racetrack. This will put less dependency on the front and rear wings in the event of a failure at high speed.

Some believe that the Panoz DP01 is a better chassis than the IRL standard Dallara (if not just newer) but both chassis lack the meeting of cockpit measurement and safety standards set out by the FIA Institute. It is the intention of the IRL that the next generation of chassis employed (and hopefully introduced by the 2010 season) will conform to an international standard in design safety.

If the cockpit of the Panoz DP01 was FIA compliant, it still would be doubtful that a Tony George chaired operation would allow that much of a merging to take place within the IRL. Even though the DP01 was designed to fit with the IRL specified Honda engine, and the dimensions are roughly equal enough to run with the current and older Dallara chassis, this chassis is a “ChampCar” chassis and thereby does not fit in the management scheme of things.

Side By Side Comparison
ChampCar Panoz DP01 and the IndyCar Dallara

Image Credit: Scanned image from AutoWeek Volume 58, Issue 9 - (click to enlarge)

... notes from The EDJE