Nissan DeltaWing Completes High-Profile Sebring Test

Photo Credit: Nissan

Ahead of the recently wrapped 2012 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the converted World War Two airport strip turned race track played host to a test for what is the subject for the revolutionary 'Project 56'. A prototype sports car racer, the DeltaWing turned its first public laps around the Sebring International Raceway on March 15th as part of the vehicle's training for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. Attracting a sizable crowd, the ultra-lightweight, highly distinctive prototype set for several laps under the momentum of a Nissan powerplant.

In a recently published YouTube clip posted by Nissan, the phrase "incubator for innovation" is an appropriate description for the DeltaWing 'Project 56' sports car racing development. As the race car lapped the Sebring road course, the Nissan DeltaWing's roughly one-half reduction in horsepower over traditional race vehicles coupled with the one-half drop in weight should potentially equate to lap times close to current prototype class cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship. While the Sebring test was mostly exploratory without any official track times, the Nissan DeltaWing showed stability and drivability many critics of the race car were not expecting to see on track. Along with reduced fuel economy, Nissan DeltaWing engineers express that the lighter race vehicle will apply less mechanical stress to components such as tires and brakes. This fact for the Nissan DeltaWing should present some drastically different servicing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Photo Credit: Nissan

Nissan interest in the DeltaWing 'Project 56' initiative stems beyond the race track. The Japanese auto company believes the principles being exercised through the Nissan DeltaWing race car research and development can benefit future production cars for the street. General Manager of Nissan Europe Darren Cox explains, "It's a fantastic project for Nissan." adding "All of the stuff we learn from this project we are going to be able to cross into road car development,".

Included below is the YouTube video log Nissan posted on the DeltaWing chassis being put through its paces at Sebring International Raceway.

Audi R18 Takes Pole for 2012 Sebring Sports Car Opener

Photo Credit: Audi AG

The 60th anniversary to the first 12-hour sports car race to be run at the converted airstrip evolving into Sebring International Raceway, the 2012 edition of the prestigious March race prepares to host five classes of premium race vehicles for an event starting late Saturday morning. With 63 cars set to compete at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida race, this historic event is the season opener for the 2012 American Le Mans Series and will also serve as the launch pad for the all-new FIA World Endurance Championship.

Qualifying on the 3.74-mile circuit Friday provided the first meaningful measurements for the caliber of the teams and drivers. Coming as little surprise to spectators, Audi Sport Team Joest mounted a dominating performance in the time trial track sessions with the 2012 R18 RDI prototype sports cars. Convincingly, the three-car Audi R18 TDI vehicles claimed the overall top-three for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida. Starting in the order of their car numbers, the Audi Sport Team Joest organization #1 car took pole at a time of 1 minute, 45.820 seconds. The #1 Audi R18 TDI is set to be driven by the 2011 24 Hour Le Mans winning combination of Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer. The #2 Audi R18 TDI was 4/10th of a second slower than the pole-winning #1 car. The #3 car for the Audi Sport Team Joest effort was 1.12 seconds off the pace of the lead car.

The fastest non-Audi runner overall in Sebring sports car qualifying was the #6 Muscle Milk Racing team. Fielding a Honda Racing Development-derived ARX-03a sports car, the #6 Muscle Milk Racing effort was 6/10th of a second slower than the 3rd fastest Audi R18 TDI. With a total of three participants campaigning the HRD ARX-03a vehicle, the prototype matches Audi as well as the Lola in total entrants for the 2012 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida.

In other prototype categories, the 12-car strong P2 class at the Sebring International Raceway will start with the Morgan making a fantastic return to the sports car track. The Oak Racing backed #24 Morgan powered by a Judd V8 engine posted a 1 minute, 50.467 second time to lead the P2 category participants to green for Saturday's 12-hour race. In the spec American Le Mans Series LMPC category, the #9 RSR Racing car (piloted by open wheel racing veteran Bruno Junqueira in qualifying) outran the Core Autosport #06 to take class honours in Friday's time trials.

Almost 13 seconds slower than the Audi R18 TDI cars, the GT class at Sebring once again features a tight battle between production-based sports cars. The likes of BMW, Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin and Chevrolet are set to become one of the most hotly-contested competitions at not only 2012 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring but throughout the American Le Mans Series and World Endurance Championship season.

Photo Credit: BMW USA

Shooting first blood in Sebring qualifying, the Ferrari F458 Italia race cars sailed around the 3.74-mile course fastest among GT competitors. The #51 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia (featuring the pairing of Giancarlo Fischella, Gimmi Bruni and Toni Vilander) took the pole with a 1 minute, 58.427 second lap time ahead of the Luxury Racing team. The Corvette Racing pair of C6R ZR1 race cars inserted into the second row of the GT class with the #03 ahead of the #4 car only 0.66 seconds separates the top-5 cars in the GT category in Sebring qualifying serving as a strong precursor to a wide-open bout for the class victory on Saturday. Also racing at sub-categories of the GT class at the Sebring International Raceway will be the GTE-AM cars and the GT Challenge Porsche 911 GT3 Cup vehicles.

The 60th running of the 2012 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida will start at 10:30 AM Eastern time. Weather for the 2012 sports car race is forecasted to have sun with clouds through the daytime as temperatures will reside in the 20 degree Celsius range almost throughout the event.

Peugeot Wins 2010 12-Hours of Sebring

Photo Credit: GM Media

After two times where the Peugeot 908 HDI FAP prototype came up short of the 12 Hour of Sebring victory in 2008 and 2009, the French marque claimed the prestigious victory through a triumphant effort by the two-car team. Piloted through the final laps by Alexander Wurz, the #07 Peugeot 908 crossed the line 13.817 seconds ahead of the #08 team car which was in the hands of Formula 1 driver and Champ Car champion Sebastian Bourdais. Joined by his co-drivers Anthony Davidson and Marc Gene, the #07 Peugeot team celebrated a picture perfect 12 hour run.


Photo Credit: Aston Martin

Behind the French-made diesel-powered prototypes, the #007 Lola-Aston Martin took third on the podium only 3 laps behind the indomitable Peugeot team. With long-standing corporate history at Sebring started with the first 12 hour race, Aston Martin toasted the podium finish. Aston Martin Chairman David Richards praised the team saying “Another immaculate performance by George (Team Principal, George Howard-Chappell) and his team in finishing here as fastest petrol car and a great start to the season.” Unlike the Peugeot squad, the Lola-Aston Martin is committed to running the second round in Long Beach with the American Le Mans Series.

In the P2 category for prototypes, the Porsche RS Spyder once again found class victory at Sebring campaigned by the CytoSport team. Finishing 4th overall in the 12-Hours of Sebring, the driver lineup was a road racing all-star team consisting of Greg Pickett, Klaus Graf and Sascha Maassen. 14 laps behind the Peugeot 908, the CtyoSport group did finish 4 laps ahead of their P2 rival Patron Highcroft Racing opponent.

The third prototype class, the all-new Prototype Challenge took their first green flag torture-testing the Chevrolet-powered spec racers. While all but one car that started the Prototype Challenge class were running at the end, many of the teams faced interruptions such as Primetime Racing team which needed an extended time to replace a broken rear suspension piece. Overcoming the bad luck of fellow the Prototype Challenge, the #55 Level 5 Motorsports car co-driven by team owner Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Canadian Mark Wilkins rolled to victory in class and an impressive 10th overall finish.

Even before the race started, the GT class was guaranteed to be the most contested category in the 12-Hours of Sebring. This promise was fulfilled even before the race started as the fastest qualifying #90 Rahal Letterman Racing BMW M3 was bumped to the back of the GT2 class field after failing post-qualifying technical inspection. Having to start from pitlane, the #90 car did soldier through the event for a podium finish in class. Through the 12 hour race, the #17 Falken Tire Porsche grabbed the lead from the start of the race but the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 430 GT would be holding the lead through the second hour and for much of the remaining event.

As some in GT2 showed strength in the 12-hour duration at Sebring International Raceway, some of the production-based vehicles experienced less than desirable results. The early leading #17 Falken Tire Porsche would be drawn to pit road in two occasions for a rear wheel and tire flying off the vehicle on-track. In the second case, the rear wheel would damaging fellow Porsche, the #45 Flying Lizards car.

The #75 Jaguar XKRS GT2 car suffered a quick withdraw from the event due to engine overheating problem disappointing of team owner and driver Paul Gentilozzi. While the Jaguar averted a catastrophic failure, the Ferrari 430 GT of Scott Sharp's new Extreme Speed Motorsports experienced an extreme hot engine compartment late in the 12-Hour race. With Sharp at the wheel, he brought the Patron-sponsored Ferrari to a stop off the course. A fast-acting track worker with a fire extinguisher prevented the red hot fire from engulfing the whole car.

Another entrant in class, the Ford GT run for the 3rd year by Robertson Racing also fell on tough luck. After a Monday testing crash at Sebring, the #40 Ford GT was skillfully repaired in time for Friday qualifying. In the race, more misfortune found the Robertson Racing effort in the 9th of 12 hours. Running off-track, some comic relief could be found with a Florida Fresh track sign planted onto the front of the Ford GT once the #40 car returned onto the race surface. Repairs on the Robertson Racing #40 Ford GT allowed the team to finish rounding out 10th in the GT2 class.

The final GT2 hard luck story goes to the Corvette Racing team at the 2010 Sebring event. While the Peugeot Sport team enjoyed a near clockwork 12 hour race in the prototype category, the GT2 class saw the prominent Corvette Racing team suffer a rare mistake in pit road within the 3rd hour of the timed event. Reportedly caused by crossed radio communications, the #3 Chevrolet Corvette C6R was heading down pit road for service when the car made hard contact with the #4 Corvette Racing teammate. Not only embarrassing, this collision endangered the crew members of both teams. Fortunately, no one on pit lane suffered injuries as result of the American car tingle. While the #3 Corvette was already displaced deep in the GT2 standings with repairs for a fluid leak, the #4 car damage forced the car behind the wall for repairs taking Corvette Racing out of winning contention for the GT2 class at Sebring. The cars would finish the race 9th and 10th place in class.


Photo Credit: GM Media

The GT2 class winner from last year, he #62 Ferrari 430 GT waltzed to victory after a late race caution positioned the Risi Competizione car one lap ahead of the BMW M3 pair. Gianmaria Bruni, Jaime Melo and Pierre Kaffer shared the red Ferrari for a second-straight Sebring win.

Winning the GT Challenge class after scoring pole on Friday, the #81 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car driven by Butch Leitzinger, Juan Gonzalez and Leh Keen ended the 12-Hours of Sebring race exactly where they started. A bonus for Alex Job Racing was the racing organization's sweep of the GT Challenge podium with the #23 in 2nd and #80 finishing 3rd at Sebring.

The story of the 2010 12-Hours of Sebring is of course the overall victory of the Peugeot 908 diesel prototype car. The French automaker now holds the sports car racing Triple Crown by winning at Le Mans, the Petit Le Mans in Road Atlanta and now Sebring.

Peugeot to lead 12-Hours of Sebring Race

Photo Credit: Aston Martin


Showing themselves to be indisputably fast through the previous two days of practice, Peugeot 908 HDI FAP racing vehicles established themselves as the rabbits for the 2010 12 Hours of Sebring. Between the two-car team of Peugeot Sport, the #07 Peugeot 908 of Marc Gene, Alex Wurz, and Anthony Davidson delivered a best lap 1 minute, 45.214 seconds around the 3.7 mile Sebring track beating the #08 car.

While the presence Peugeot 908 prototypes on the front row is hardly a surprise, the more amazing story of the class comes behind the French team (very closely, in fac). After Friday qualifying at Sebring, the competing prototype Aston Martin-powered Lola has been running on the race favourite Peugeot team. Settling in 3rd place, the Lowes-sponsored LMP #007 car clocked a relatively strong lap 0.8 seconds slower than the lead Peugeot. Even more of a confidence builder for the one-year old Lola-Aston Martin is that they were only 0.238 seconds back of the second diesel-powered Peugeot. The Lola-Aston Martin Team's Principal George-Howard Chappell commented "Third position is exactly where we hoped and expected to be.". Chappell also expresses confidence in the reliability of the #007 car.

Rounding out the top 5 for the prototype class is the Drayson Racing #8 Lola-Mazda 1.246 seconds slower and the Patron Highcroft Racing HPD ARX-01c sitting 2.470 seconds behind the leader's time.

In the GT2 class the #90 Rahal-Letterman Racing BMW M3 leads the category with a lap time of 2 minutes, 0.782 seconds. However, through post-race inspection the BMW M3 failed a stall test causing their top time to be disallowed. Thereby, the #45 Flying Lizards Porsche 997 RSR inherited the pole in the GT2 class after running 6/10th of a second slower than the disqualified BMW M3.


Photo Credit: GM Media


Also with the exclusion of the Rahal Letterman Racing BMW M3, the starting positions of other GT2 cars have been bumped up. With Porsche 997 RSRs starting 1-2, 3rd place in GT2 sees the #62 Risi Competizione vehicle leading the large contingent of Ferrari 430 GT race cars. Struggling for speed through the week against German and Italian-built challengers, the American Chevrolet Corvette C6Rs could only pull off a 4th and 5th place showing on Friday. Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan stated after qualifying "We've still got a lot of work to do and we are climbing a steep learning curve. As a testament to the highly-competitive fight shaping by for the GT2 class in Sebring (and likely the entire ALMS season for 2010) 1st through 8th in the class is separated by under 1.1 seconds.

As for the two Challenge classes running for the first time at Sebring, the #99 Green Earth Team took the Prototype Challenge series' first pole narrowly beating the #95 Level5 car. Gunnar Jeanette drove the #99 car in the lap which vaulted the team over the #95 car being hustled by IndyCar regular Ryan Hunter-Reay added as a co-driver for the Sebring event. An exciting on track battle for Friday qualifying, the class' main source of heart race occurred on Tuesday. A loss to the new Prototype Challenge class, the ALMS mainstay Intersport Racing team needed to withdraw from the 12 Hours of Sebring after their car wrecked dramatically following a right rear suspension failure. While driver Jon Field was not seriously hurt, their Oreca prototype went airborne and flipped several times.

The 7-car GT Challenge field will be led by an #81 Alex Job Racing-owned Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. To be driven by Butch Leitzinger, Juan Gonzalez and Leh Keen on Saturday, the #80 Alex Job Racing teammate secured the full front row for the GT Challenge.

With ambient temperatures in Sebring, Florida slated to peak at 80 degrees Fehrenheit, a hot Florida weekend will heat up the racing surface promising to challenge every driver with a slick race track. The 2010 12 Hours of Sebring starts at 10:30 AM on Saturday.

ALMS for 2010 Starting with 12-Hour of Sebring

Formulated from an World War 2-era US Army Air Force B-17 training base, 3.7 mile Sebring International Raceway on southern Florida is the holy grail site of sports car racing in the United States. As a race which has run once around the clock 57 times, past winners of America's most prestigious sports car event includes racing legends Mario Andretti, AJ Foyt, Sir Sterling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio. Coinciding with the reputed all-stars of auto racing, equally as memorable is the cars which have triumphed after the 12 hour distance with names plates Ferrari, Porsche and most recently Audi being sprayed with the champagne of victory. For the 12th full season, the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) will act as the sanctioning body to the 2010 12-Hour of Sebring supplying a 34 car field of International sports car contenders.

The fastest P1 class group only consists of 5 cars for the 2010 Sebring 12-hour race with two of those vehicles visiting from across the Atlantic Ocean. Two Peugeot 908 HDI FAP prototype cars return for the 3rd time in order to capture the win in the 12-Hour of Sebring (the last remaining sports car racing crown jewel left for the Peugeot 908 to capture). In Wednesday testing and Thursday practice both Peugeot 908s, the #07 and #08, have been easily finding top speed around the Sebring track.

For the first time since 1998, an Audi will not be present among prototype contender at the 2010 12-Hour of Sebring. Winning the event 9 of the past 10 times, Audi Sport has decided to further condense their 2010 race schedule for the Audi R15 prototype race car to just the 24-hour of Le Mans in France and the Petit Le Mans race to run September in Road Atlanta.

Left with the chore of providing a fight against the powerhouse French sports cars will be 4 Lolas (running Mazda, Aston Martin and Judd V-10 powerplants), a Porsche RS Spyder, as well as a Honda-powered ARX-01C car campaigned by 2009 ALMS overall champion team Patron Highcroft Racing. On Thursday, the #8 Lola-Judd of Drayson Racing ran 6/10th of a second slower than the fastest Peugeot but has a serious chance at victory with a strong driving pairing which includes long-time Audi prototype driver Emanuelle Pirro. While three prototype cars are registered as smaller-engined P2 entries, increased air restrictors sizes will allow the P2 cars to favourably compete for overall victory through 2010.

The 2010 12-Hour of Sebring, a new class of prototype race cars will be debuting with a cost-friendlier model for ALMS racing. The Le Mans Prototype Challenge class features common race chassis from Oreca, engine power from a LS3 Chevrolet V8 and a Xtrac transmission. In this first competition for the class will consist of a 6 Oreca-Chevy racers. In practice, these spec prototype racers performed best laps 10 seconds slower than the lead Peugeot.

Two classes will also be running under the GT banner for the Sebring 12 hour race. In GT2, a rich flavour of cars features the two-car General Motors factory-support Chevrolet Corvette C6Rs , the Rahal-Letterman BMW M3s, and a four-car Ferrari 430 GT grouping consisting of 2 cars each from Risi Competizione as well as the new Scott Sharp-owned Extreme Speed Motorsports along with highly competitive Porsche 911 RSRs. Making its first Sebring start in GT2, the Jaguar XJRS will be put through its paces.

In the first practice for the GT2 cars, the BMW M3s had an edge over the Extreme Speed Motorsport Ferrari. However, with the top-6 GT2 teams separated by 0.7 seconds, the GT2 battle is likely to be the hottest contended category through qualifying on Friday and through Saturday's main event.

Much like the newly-devised Prototype Challenge class, the GT Challenge category has also been an attempt by the American Le Mans Series to increase the overall field with a less-expensive class of vehicle. The GT Challenge or GTC is exclusive to Porsche 911 GT3 Cup racers this year but talks surround the possible expansion as Audi has expressed interest for the 2011 season.

With Qualifying set to run Friday, the 58th annual 12-Hour of Sebring coverage is set to start on television at Saturday morning 10 AM on Speed. Announced today, XM Radio subscribers will also be able to follow the 12-Hour of Sebring as well as the entire ALMS schedule on Channel 245. Sirius satellite radio customers can listen on channel 127 .