Tags: DeltaWing GT / DeltaWing racecar / DeltaWing Technology / Don Panoz / IMSA / Panoz / Road Atlanta / Tudor SportsCar Championship

DELTAWING TECHNOLOGY: STREET-LEGAL GT!

- Kamis, 01 Oktober 2015 No Comments

Concept car showcases new design for a highly-efficient, street-legal two-seat GT.

 DeltaWing Technology Group today revealed at Road Atlanta a full-size concept of what a Panoz DeltaWing GT street-legal car could look like, as well as a DeltaWing® GT race car concept chassis. Reveal provided a glimpse of the fuel and energy efficient DeltaWing® architecture in another form. The display showcases the company’s rapid progress toward a new DeltaWing racecar and ultimately a highly efficient Panoz DeltaWing® GT.
 




Both are on display October 1-3 in the DeltaWing Racing Cars and Panoz exhibit in Road Atlanta’s Vendor Village. Road Atlanta is home to the 18th Annual Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda, the finale of the 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup season.
 




The Panoz DeltaWing GT concept car and DeltaWing GT racecar concept chassis broke cover just six months after DeltaWing Technology Group’s March 2015 announcement that it would begin developing a DeltaWing GT racecar concept. Development began immediately after the company received the results of an independent engineering analysis of a four-

passenger road car concept based on the patented DeltaWing narrow front

track vehicle architecture.

That analysis showed it could achieve nearly 74 mpg highway and 57 mpg combined. The team then focused on further refinement of the architecture and design, preparing for prototype development. As a result, the Panoz DeltaWing GT road car design’s coefficient of drag in simulation has been optimized and currently is in the 0.26 Cd range.




DeltaWing’s vehicle architecture can be defined as a “green technology multi-tool.” The architecture can accept virtually any current or future transverse engine powertrain and deliver significant fuel savings and green benefits when compared to traditional vehicle designs. The DeltaWing platform also can be fitted with all-electric or hybrid powertrains; today’s smaller and lighter high-efficiency gas, diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG) engines.

As a result, it can reduce EV range anxiety and help put more EVs on the road, further reducing emissions and helping improve air quality. Other benefits include further extending a diesel-powered vehicle’s already impressive range as well as reducing emissions from gasoline-powered vehicles by up to 42 percent and even extend the range of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.



Sports car endurance racing fans are familiar with the DeltaWing. It debuted as the inaugural Garage 56 entry at the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans and quickly proved it could compete with technology rather than brute horsepower. Today the Claro/Tracfone DeltaWing Racing Cars DWC-13 Coupe competes in IMSA’s 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship with about half the weight and aerodynamic drag, half the horsepower, and half the fuel consumption while delivering the same performance as its competitors.



The DeltaWing Technology Group engineering and design team leverages the data acquired through racing and applies it to next-generation projects like the DeltaWing GT. For example, many DeltaWing GT racecar concept sub-assemblies like steering and suspension are derived from the DWC-13 Coupe, and what has been learned about the DWC-13’s driving dynamics influence the direction of the DeltaWing GT street and race projects. Preliminary DeltaWing GT racecar concept targets call for a vehicle powered by a 350 to 400 horsepower engine and weighing about 1,800 to 2,000 pounds, depending on the powertrain.
 


The goal is to begin real-world testing of a DeltaWing GT race car concept prototype in 2015 to further drive the company’s goal of creating both a two-passenger Panoz DeltaWing GT and four-passenger Panoz DeltaWing car for the road. Like the DeltaWing DWC-13 Coupe, the company hopes to acquire valuable data through motorsports but has not announced official plans to race the DeltaWing GT racecar concept.



For more information about DeltaWing projects, please visit http://deltawingtech.com/

Tags: Audi of America / Audi R8 / Audi Sport / Audi TT / Australian GT Championship / FIA / IMSA / Le Mans / Martyn Schorr / Nurburgring / Scott Keogh / Sydney Motorsport Park / Tom Kristensen / WEC

AUDI RACING: MOTORSPORTS NEWSLETTER!

- Minggu, 23 Agustus 2015 No Comments

Motorsports news from around the world.

  

Tom Kristensen with Danish crown prince at golf tournament.

Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen was delighted about receiving an invitation to the European Tour with royal participation. The former professional racing driver competed in the Pro-Am class in the golf event ‘made in Denmark’ with two celebrity competitors – the Danish Crown Prince Frederik and the most successful Danish golfer Thomas Bjørn. Jacob Brunsborg, the son of Himmerland Golf Resort owner Lars Larsen, completed the team. Around 6,000 spectators attended the competition in Farsø in northern Denmark.

   

Victory and podiums finishes in Sydney.



Audi customer teams successful in Australia: at the Australian GT Championship race weekend in Sydney, Audi drivers celebrated two victories and podium positions.



At the fourth round of the Australian GT Championship, Christopher Mies and Ryan Millier produced the best performance in an Audi R8 LMS ultra. At the Sydney Motorsport Park, the duo fielded by Audi customer team Jamec PEM Racing headed an Audi one-two finish. Second was Audi driver Nathan Antunes (Skwirk/Beechwood), who was third in race two ahead of Mies/Millier. There was also an Audi victory in the Trophy classification to celebrate: in race two, Mark Griffith won from his stablemates Greg Taylor/Barton Mawer. In the first race, Taylor/Mawer made the podium in third place.



Expert training with the Audi Sport legends.



No less than six of Audi’s former Le Mans winners passed on their motorsport knowledge during expert training for sales assistants. Frank Biela, Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner supported the Audi Training seminars in Munich on 30 training days. Sales assistants are trained here for their job as Audi Sport experts in the retail trade. “It was fun showing just what is possible with the R8 V10, the new TT cup and the R8 LMS,” said Allan McNish on behalf of his colleagues. “With us, the employees discovered that Audi Sport ignites a burning passion and sporty models like the R8 V10 have their roots in motorsport.”



André Lotterer at product presentation in Japan.



Audi driver André Lotterer attended the press preview for the new Audi TT Roadster and TTS in Tokyo on Thursday. Audi Japan launched the two models on its domestic market and invited the guests to an event in the ‘Studio Earth’ on Tokyo Tower, an architectural landmark in Shiba Park in the Japanese capital. 110 media representatives from Japan and around 50 other guests visited the presentation of the models, which are very popular within the Japanese sportscar market. André Lotterer, currently FIA WEC championship leader with Audi, talked about his expectations for the 6 Hours of Fuji, which is set to be held on 11 October.



Racers visit Audi of America.



The racing drivers representing Audi customer teams visited the Audi of America headquarters in Herndon on the way to their next events. Racing drivers Christopher Haase and Dion von Moltke, currently second in the GTD classification standings of the Tudor United SportsCar Championship, travelled with Paul Miller Racing to Virginia. In addition to their Audi R8 LMS machines, there was also an R8 LMS from team C360R at the headquarters. The Audi of America employees could also admire exhibits from Audi’s motorsport history, including the Audi R8 and Audi R10 TDI LMP racecars. Moderator John Hindhaugh hosted proceedings in the presence of IMSA President Scott Atherton, President of Audi of America Scott Keogh, as well as key personnel responsible for the motorsport program Tristan Herbert, Andy Sattler and Brad Kettler.



A word from Marcel Fässler.



The Swiss travels as championship leader to the Nürburgring with his team mates.The summer break in the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC is over. Now, five races are on the agenda in twelve weekends. What are looking forward to the most?



It’s great that Le Mans sportscars are at the Nürburgring again for the first time in many years. Audi’s home race will definitely be a classic. By the way, it is also my home race, because no other track is closer to my home in Switzerland. I’m also really looking forward to the following race in Austin. And in Asia, the title battle then enters its crucial stage in Asia – they will be five fantastic races.



Your currently lead the standings together with your team mates André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer. There must surely be only one goal. How difficult will the title fight be this year, who are the strongest challengers?



We are highly motivated. The season so far shows how challenging the job is. Porsche is our strongest rival, has two excellent driver line-ups and continuously develops its technology. Our own team mates Lucas di Grassi, Loïc Duval and Oliver Jarvis should not be taken lightly. I also don’t want to write off Toyota.



A different classification for the racecar is valid from the Nürburgring, which appears to favor Audi slightly. Is this a help or are the remaining races about other qualities?



I’m pleased that the Audi R18 e-tron quattro is slightly better categorized again. However, we’ll only see the real performance level at the Nürburgring. For us it’s a question of approaching every race totally focused, to make no mistakes and to score as many points as possible. These are the strengths that will count.



Your team mates and you were World Champions in 2012 in the FIA WEC, in 2013 and 2014 championship runner-up, and now you are leading the standings again. You’ve won Le Mans three times. What has distinguished the Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer trio for so many years?



We form a close knit and harmonious team together with Audi Sport Team Joest, Audi Sport and our engineer Leena Gade. Every one of us knows how the other ticks and how we can exploit our respective strengths, even of the circumstances seem to be against us. Benoît, André and I have been driving together since 2010. Our success together strengthens the entire team.



Coming up next week.



28–30/8 Sonoma (USA), Pirelli World Challenge, race 18 and 19

29–30/8 Moscow (RUS), DTM, race 11 and 12

29–30/8 Sachsenring (D), ADAC GT Masters, race 11 and 12

29–30/8 Sachsenring (D), Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy, race 7 and 8

29–30/8 Magny-Cours (F), French GT Championship, race 9 and 10

30/08 Nürburgring (D), WEC, round 4

30/08 Le Castellet (F), V de V Endurance Series, round 5

30/08 Suzuka (J), Super GT, round 5



For more information about Audi racing events, please visit http://www.audi-motorsport.com/content/audisport/motorsport/de/en/home.html

Tags: Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge / Dave Pericak / Flat-crank V-8 / IMSA / Multimatic Motorsports / Mustang / Shelby GT350 Mustang / Shelby GT350R / Shelby Mustang

SHELBY GT350R-C: GT350R MUSTANG REDUX!

- Rabu, 24 Juni 2015 No Comments

There’s no mistaking the wicked sound or aggressive looks of the all-new Shelby 

GT350R-C that Ford announced today would see its first official track time at 

Watkins Glen this weekend.

Ford Shelby GT350R-C, the competition version of the reincarnated icon, will compete in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, a showdown of the most popular – and accessible – performance cars from around the world. The GT350R production car was unveiled in January. Since its introduction, enthusiasts have eagerly awaited the debut of a racing version.

"Like so many Mustangs before it, the Shelby GT350R is a car born to race,” said Dave Pericak, director, Global Ford Performance. “We’re taking it to the track as the GT350R-C and we’re ready to see what it can do against the best competition in the world.”



Both production, right & below, and racecar versions feature the first-ever production car V8 from Ford with a flat-plane crankshaft. This unique layout – typically reserved for the world’s most exotic sports cars – helped create the most powerful naturally aspirated engine Ford has ever produced.



The race car features an adapted version of the advanced, fully independent suspension from GT350R – fitted with revised spring rates and antiroll bars, lower ride height, unique track-tuned alignment settings, revised bushings and cross-axis ball joints in the front.



Longtime Ford partner Multimatic Motorsports, designated constructor of the new Ford GT, will manage the race team. The squad will field drivers Billy Johnson, Scott Maxwell, Austin Cindric and Jade Buford for the GT350R-C debut at Watkins Glen.

“Ford is committed to the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and we’re very happy to be campaigning its product here,” said Larry Holt, team principal, Multimatic Motorsports. “We like the endurance format, and the racing is always intense. Strategy plays a big role; the cars must be fast and reliable, and there are always at least 10 contenders running door-to-door for two and a half hours. It is the perfect home for the GT350R-C.”

“American muscle cars have a storied history in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, and we eagerly anticipate the start of a new chapter with introduction of the Shelby GT350R-C,” said Scott Atherton, president of IMSA. “Mustang has earned icon status through its racing heritage going back to the competition Mustangs of the 1960s, and this new race car will undoubtedly add to the legend.”



For complete details, please visit http://racing.ford.com/series/more-racing/news/articles/2015/01/shelby-gt350r-mustang--the-most-track-capable-production-mustang.html

Tags: Audi Q7 / Audi Quattro / David Hakim / IMSA / SUVs / TDI Diesel / Watkins Glen

’14 AUDI Q7 QUATTRO: BEAUTIFUL BEAST!

- Kamis, 11 September 2014 No Comments

Audi’s do-everything, go-everywhere high-performance people mover.

With the low-speed grunt of a big-block muscle car and the fuel-sipping consumption of an eco-friendly four-cylinder ride, the ‘14 Audi Q7 quattro Tiptronic offers the best of both worlds. On a recent trip from Detroit to Watkins Glen, NY, we had the pleasure to climb behind the wheel of this very luxurious yet sporty seven passenger SUV. We saw for ourselves that a brawny powertrain wrapped around beautiful bodywork can peacefully coexist. So, with our camera gear packed, we headed down the highway and up through the Allegheny Mountains to Watkins Glen International Raceway. 

Our destination was the IMSA Tudor United SportsCar Championship for the annual “Six Hours of the Glen.” One of the top endurance races on the circuit; both prototype and production-based sports cars compete for bragging rights. This grueling race tests man and machine, and with a multitude of classes running on the track at the same time, the action is pretty intense. Here, the drivers put on a great show for the fans with their passing maneuvers. It’s also interesting to see the team strategies being played out while some very fast machinery is pushed to its limits on the winding curves and straightaways of this famous racetrack. 

Under the hood of our Audi Q7, its clean-burning and quiet 3.0L TDI direct-injected turbo diesel generated 240 horsepower, but its neck-jerking 406 pound-feet of torque were what really got our attention. Tipping into the throttle, the massive Q7 was quick to get out of its own way in hurry, quite a feat considering its curb weight (5,400 pounds.). The Q7’s intuitive eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission had a sweet spot in is power band, allowing us to hurl ourselves past the lines of tractor-trailers lumbering up the steep grades in the Alleghenies. 



With the standard Quattro all-wheel drive feeding power to the massive 295/35 R21 Dunlop SP Sport Maxx performance tires and adaptive air suspension, that in Sport mode, lowers ride height and improves the center of gravity for better stability, the Q7 felt as surefooted as its A5 or A6 siblings rolling through the sweeping corners of the roads through upstate New York. 

What impressed us even more was its mileage, as we were knocking down close to 28 mpg along the Ohio Turnpike and around 26 when it had to do some hill climbing though Pennsylvania and New York. With a 26-gallon fuel tank, our average cruising range was around 590 miles. Needless to say, we stopped more for snacks than to feed the Q7’s 3.0L TDI V6! 



Inside the Q7, there was five-star treatment for seven, as everything was wrapped in leather and gleaming aluminum. But the Q7 retained a sporty look and feel inside and out; due to the S-Line package option. From the command center, the S-Line gives you a three-spoke multifunction sport steering wheel with paddle shifters, brushed aluminum inlays, and on the outside, S-line badging on the door sills and throughout the interior. 



On the outside, our Q7 was covered in Glacier White Metallic while clad in unique front and rear bumper and side valences and riding on five-segment, titanium-finished 21-inch wheels. The Q7 looked like a Saturn V rocket, and it sort of felt like one on lift-off as we stomped on the big pedal getting on the interstate and blasted up to 60 mph in just over 7 seconds. 

When we arrived at The Glen, we were greeted by fellow racing aficionados from the North American Audi Club who were hanging out at Turn One to see the mighty R8 LMS competing in GTD class. With the awesome sounds coming from the R8’s 500-plus horsepower V10 engines blasting around this historic racecourse, it sent chills up our spine. However, it was knowing there was some Audi Sport DNA in our luxurious yet powerful Q7 people hauler that had us grinning every time we got behind the wheel.



Words & Photos: David Hakim



For more information about the latest Audi vehicles, please visit http://www.audiusa.com/models#