When racecar designer Ben Bowlby guested on the Parc Ferme Podcast a few months ago, something that came up in conversation was the narrow wheel track at the front of the car.
Numerous armchair designers have commented that the car would not be able to turn a corner; however Bowlby was adamant that the truth was otherwise.
It has transpired however that the DeltaWing can, in fact, turn as witness at a shakedown test the Cal Club circuit at California’s Buttonwillow Raceway Park late last week.
Although it took to the track at shallow speeds, it showed at least in this instance that the DeltaWing can meet its basic capabilities of a racecar, proving somewhat that the DeltaWing was not drawn by the tooth fairy, but rather designers with engineering capabilities.
A higher speed run followed later in the day, before running was wrapped up for the shakedown.
The DeltaWing is to debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June – the third round of the inaugural World Endurance Championship – breaking cover at Le Sarthe on June 3rd for the series test day. Thus far, only Marino Franchitti has been announced as driver of the Michelin-shod machine.
