Sunday, August 12, 2012

DeltaWing wants to be the 2014 Indy Lights chassis

DeltaWing

In May the Indy Lights series, the top feeder for IndyCar, put out an RFP from manufacturers interested in constructing a new chassis for 2014 to replace the 10-year-old Dallara currently in use.

According to reports, hands were raised by "five or six" companies that included Dallara, Mygale, Swift and Mugen. Also among the submisions, according to Racer Magazine, is the group behind the DeltaWing sans Nissan, which was a collaboration specifically for Le Mans composed of the designers, Dan Gurney's All American Racers, and Elan Motorsports Technologies (the home of Panoz). Remember, the DeltaWing was originally created as an IndyCar chassis proposal.

The DeltaWing would certainly fulfill part of the first requirement of the new Indy Lights chassis, that it have a "forward-thinking, sophisticated and exciting formula." The necessity for paddle shifting, upgraded data systems and alternative fuel considerations sounds easy enough but we don't know what alterations the car might need to satisfy some of the other specs, such as adaptability to the variety of circuits "with a minimum of facility-specific parts," the ability to fit a "broad spectrum of drivers and seating positions," and "improved aerodynamic performance that must also allow for enhanced sponsor placement opportunities on the car." Overall, Indy Lights authroities would like to acquire a manufacturer-badged engine and see top speeds bumped up a bit as well.

Not that the deadline for submissions has passed, the entries are being considered and it's said that a decision could come in the next two months.

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