Race cars have all the safety equipment and power required to win races and protect their driver at the same time. Some of them are street legal but most of them are not
The 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans is fast approaching and one car that has been stamped for participation is slowly taking shape. In 2011, we featured the Delta Wing Concept Race Car months ahead of its involvement in Le Mans in June 2012. Now it looks like the Delta Wing is primed and ready for competition - even if it will take the 56th and last place on the grid as an experimental race car.
Leading the way in the development of the Delta Wing is Nissan, which is one of the leading partners of the entire project. For their involvement, the Japanese automaker will be supplying the engine for the racer in the form of a race-spec 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine DIG-T (Direct Injection Gasoline–Turbocharged) that will develop close to 300 horsepower.
Since the Nissan Delta Wing is just an experimental car, it won’t be classified as part of the grid. Nevertheless, the goal for the entire team isn’t so much to win as it is to display what could be a potential technology for the future of motorsport racing and providing enough research and development for the team.
“As motor racing rulebooks have become tighter over time, racing cars look more and more similar and the technology used has had less and less relevance to road car development," said Nissan chief, Andy Palmer.
"Nissan DeltaWing aims to change that and we were an obvious choice to become part of the project," he added.
Piloting the Nissan Delta Wing at the 24 Hours od Le Mans will be reigning FIA GT1 World Champion, Michael Krum, and British racer, Marino Franchitti.
UPDATE 04/12/12: Nissan has released a new video chronicling the development of the Delta Wing race car as it makes preparations leading up to its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this coming June. Check out the video of this unique race car as it undergoes wind tunnel testing. Click on the photo above to watch the video!
Jaguar unveiled the very cool C-X75 concept supercar at the 2010 Paris Auto Show and since then, we have heard all kinds of rumors about a possible production version. According to Inside Line, the development of the hybrid supercar is moving fast, but don’t expect to see the gas-turbine setup from the Concept to show its face in the production version. The Jaguar C-X75 is being developed in cooperation with Cosworth and the Williams F1 team. Williams will be responsible for developing the car’s carbon-fiber tub and bodywork, as well as its hybrid driveline. The power setup will include the four electric motors attached one to each axle and a supercharged 1.6L four-cylinder gasoline engine that develops 313 HP. Those cool microturbines aren’t entirely gone though. Jaguar has put them in the Jaguar and will more than likely be using it to create "an experimental car" for track use only.
Engineers did come across a few problems when modifying the concept to production form. The Williams team had to do some extensive aerodynamic work on the body of the vehicle to make sure it could produce enough downforce to travel upside down at 120 mph. The engineers calculated that the C-X75 needed 1.562 square meters of air intake - much more than the car’s front end had. These aerodynamic requirements changed the design a little, says Jaguar’s global brand director Adrian Hallmark, with the C-X75 "looking more like a sculpture than a car, and more beautiful."
The production C-X75 will be limited to only 250 units, each priced at $1.15 million, and will be unveiled sometime next year. No dates were provided for the release of the experimental track-only C-X75.
Next to the standard Brivido, Italdesign-Giugiaro has also unveiled a racing version for the concept at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. This concept was developed in cooperation with Martini Racing and was built as a competitor for the usual GT racing series.
The car is distinguished by the typical GT racing features: miniskirts, bumpers and bonnet redesigned so to enhance aerodynamics and two big spoilers granting stability. The front has also received a sharper nose full of splitters and of course that there has been installed another set of rims. And if you also add that cool white paint combined with blue-red racing stripes you obtain the perfect racing car. Too bad it won’t actually be raced, but for an exercise it looks very good.
Giugiaro said nothing about the powertrain of this racing car, but most likely it will be identical to the standard Brivido: a 3.0-liter V6 engine that delivers a total of 360 HP and is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.
Electric vehicles running up Pikes Peak isn’t entirely a novelty anymore, especially after we saw a Nissan Leaf and a custom EV from AC Propulsion do it just last year.
This year, Japanese automaker is jumping on the bandwagon by building a custom i-MiEV Prototype that they hope to unleash on Pikes Peak. Called the i-MiEV Evolution, the Pikes Peak-bound race car doesn’t look anything like the i-MiEV. For one, this prototype actually looks like a certified racer, as opposed to the flat-iron-looking i-MiEV.
Despite its completely different look, the i-MiEV Evolution features the same electric motor, drive battery, and a lot of other major components of the production i-MiEV. The i-MiEV Evolution will be using three electric motors - one for the front two wheels, and two for each rear wheel - producing a total output of 322 horsepower. Combine that number to the car’s lightweight structure and you have a race car that’s fixing to make some serious noise at Pikes Peak.
Sitting behind the wheel of the i-MiEV Evolution Pikes Peak Race Car will be two-time Dakar Rally Champion, Hiroshi Masuoka.
It’s pretty interesting to see how Mitsubishi will continue to evolve their i-MiEV Pikes Peak Race Car leading up to this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. We’re not expecting the car to set any records, but it will be cool to see how it fares relative to the times set by the Nissan Leaf last year.
Lotus’ involvement in auto racing has resulted in a storied Formula 1 resume that includes six Drivers’ and seven Constructors’ World Championships. But for all of its achievement in Formula 1, the British automaker also has a World Rally Championship under its belt.
After a long absence in the world of rally racing, Lotus is returning to the dirt for the FIA European Rally Championship with a specially designed Exige R-GT.
Dressed in its iconic black and gold color scheme, the Exige R-GT Rally Race Car will be powered by a 3.5-liter DOHC V6 VVI-i engine that produces 300 horsepower. Seeing as the car is being built for rally racing, Lotus made some tweaks to adhere to FIA regulations, particularly the reduction in output.
According to Claudio Berro, Lotus’ racing director, the Exige R-GT FIA Rally Car will be the first GT car to be homologated by the FIA. "Lotus, of course, has been successful in rallying before, so in many ways we’re going back to our roots," he adds.
The Exige R-GT will see its first testing action before heading over to the customary FIA homologation process. Should everything go according to plan, we can expect to see it make its debut at the Mille Miglia rally on April 19-21, 2012, leading to its participation in special rally stages at the FIA European Rally Championship.
McLaren’s future crown jewel supercar, called the "MP4-27", hasn’t been stopped in any way shape or form out on the roads - even through the lenses of some of the best carparazzis in the world.
But the latest rumblings surrounding the McLaren F1’s successor is that McLaren will be using a unique event to debut the MP4-27. And no, it won’t be in any of the world’s biggest auto shows.
Instead, the word going around is that the McLaren MP4-27 will be unveiled at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. The event, which will take place from May 24 to 27, 2012, is the glitziest race in the F1 calendar and, when you really think about it, is an appropriate venue for the MP4-27 to be unveiled.
Nothing spells glamour and luxury quite like Monaco, and if the MP4-27 is everything it’s being touted to be, then it has to makings to have an extravagant world debut.
As far as the car itself, there have been plenty of rumors going around as to what it looks like, but the safest description, albeit one that’s still reaching for straws, is that it will be "bigger, angrier, and more functional-looking" than the MP4-12C. McLaren illustrates that with a reported 5.0-liter V8 engine that produces an output of 800 horsepower with a top speed of 260 mph.
The year 2012 will mark Aston Martin’s return to the FIA World Endurance Championship with the Vantage GTE entering in the GTE Pro category. A second car will join in the third round at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The cars will be driven by Darren Turner (GBR), Stefan Mücke (D), and Adrian Fernandez (MX).
The new Vantage GTE is based on the Vantage GT2, but improved upon with significant additions to all areas including the engine, drivetrain, and suspension. The new GTE will be powered by the same 4.7 V8 engine found in the production version, but with significant changes made to the cylinder heads, connecting rods, valves, and camshafts. The engine is coupled to a racing system and a six-speed semi-automatic sequential transmission with competition clutch.
The Aston Martin Vantage GTE’s body is made from lightweight carbon fiber and features an advanced aerodynamic package with a carbon fiber splitter, flat floor and diffuser, and a carbon fiber rear wing designed using the latest computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. Aston Martin has also added a bespoke wishbone suspension and six-piston Brembo racing calipers.
Aston Martin Lagonda Chairman David Richards shared his enthusiasm for the new project: "It’s great to be returning to our core motorsport activity; production-based GT racing. It formed the basis for Aston Martin’s return to competition when the DBR9 GT1-racer was launched in 2004, and it was in GT racing that we achieved our famous victories at Le Mans in 2007 and 2008."
Rumors have been flying around that say Citroen is preparing a competitor for models like the Volkswagen Golf R and the Renaultsport Mégane RS, and here it is. The French company has offered the first official confirmation of the upcoming DS4 Racing Concept. This first concept model will be unveiled next month at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
The new DS4 Racing Concept will be finished in a textured-effect matte grey paint combined with a two-tone roof and 19" two-tone wheels with a special DS4 Racing design. The car has been lowered by 35 mm, but offsetting that is a widened track, 55mm at the front and 75mm at the rear. These adjustments make the DS4 look aggressive, as well as more aerodynamic.
The Citroen DS4 Racing Concept is powered by a 1.6-liter turbo petrol engine that delivers a total of 256 HP. It also features a ton of carbon fiber components, including the air diffuser, front splitter, and wheel arch extensions.
Full details on the Citroen DS4 Racing Concept will be unveiled next month during its official debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, so stay tuned!
At this time of year, snow is definitely a problem in many parts of the world. Some wish they had some, and others wish all of the snow would just melt and disappear. But for some, snow can actually amount to a lot of fun, even behind the wheel of an F1 car, or especially behind the wheel of an F1 car.
Germany is one of the many countries that have seen plenty of snow this winter, and with the entire being blanketed in snow, the Nurburgring was not spared. Chief Instructor of the Nürburgring Driving Academy, Andy Gülden, decided to take full advantage by hopping in a Formula One car and gliding his way to the snow and ice on the Green Hell. He slapped on a different set of tires, strapped on some cameras, and put the pedal to the floor, skillfully gliding around the track.
Enjoy the video and let us know if snow driving doesn’t really look like fun?
After revealing the GT2 and GT3 race cars, Ferrari has also announced they will be entering the 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship. Stephanel Ratel, founder and CEO of SRO Motorsports Group, announced there will be two 458 GT1 racing cars entering the series, but failed to mention the names of the drivers scheduled to be behind the wheel.
"The addition of Ferrari to the 2012 line-up makes for a mouth-watering array of supercars racing in one world championship," Ratel said. "The Ferrari team brings to five the number of confirmed teams and we are in advanced talks with a number of other teams. For reasons of confidentiality, we are respecting the wishes of those teams to announce their participation in their own time."
The new Ferrari 458 GT1 will compete with models from Audi (Team WRT), BMW (Vita4One), McLaren (Hexis), and Mercedes (All-Inkl.com Munnich Motorsport). Details on the race car are being kept under wraps, but the team has confirmed that the car will ride on Pirelli tires - the official tire supplier for the FIA GT1 World Championship and the FIA GT3 European Championship in 2012.
The FIA GT3 series will begin on April 8, 2012 in Nogaro, France.
