The Deltawing, last years Garage 56 entry at Le Mans, has been given a roof for its new iteration and has completed a successful test at the hands of Katherine Legge.
The main difference with the car that has been running compared to the new coupe version, is the fact that this model has been built from the ground up as a Deltawing – the original was built on the failed AMR-One’s tub.
This model, designed by Simon Marshall and built by Don Panoz’s Elan Motorsport Technologies, has already had an impact on reducing engine temperatures that has plagued the team this season in the ALMS – a bigger air intake and a redesigned engine lay out should aid cooling.
The roof atop the Deltawing is for the car to fit within the ACOs new rule for all prototypes to have closed cockpits in 2014 – a rule which spreads to the United Sports Car Series in the US.
Regular driver Katherine Legge was ecstatic about the car stating: “The boys have worked extremely hard to get everything together and they’ve done a tremendous job. There are some little nuances and characteristics that are different with this car compared to the spyder version, but it looks super cool. It’s slightly different visually with the closed cockpit, the pillars and the curved windscreen, but you get used to it pretty quickly. Andy and I will have to figure out the quickest way to do driver changes!
“We’re really positive and psyched for the race at Circuit of the Americas in two weeks. I’ll be excited to see everyone’s reaction – it’s going to be attention grabbing!”
Indeed having skipped the most recent round at Baltimore, neither Legge or co-driver Andy Meyrick have had any track time in the car – roofed or unroofed – since the round at Road America in early August meaning the next race at COTA is the teams first in almost two months.
To see the Deltawing in action you will have to wait till September 21st.