Bridgestone has announced for the 2013 racing season an alliance with the Nissan DeltaWing racing program. For the 2013 American Le Mans Series Bridgestone will supply Potenza tires for select races in which the Nissan DeltaWing chooses to compete during the 2013 ALMS racing season.
“We’re thrilled to have Bridgestone on board, as 2013 promises to be an exciting year for the DeltaWing,” said Don Panoz, managing partner with the DeltaWing program.
The Nissan DeltaWing concept and racing program likes to think that sometimes less is more, which can be a hard concept in racing to grasp sometimes. The DeltaWing features the racing performance of contemporary Le Mans race cars, but is differentiated by its improved efficiency, consuming only half of the fuel and tires of today’s traditional race cars. The DeltaWing also runs on a 4-cylinder engine using only half of the power of typical race cars and it’s aerodynamic drag and weight are much less.
In recent months, the DeltaWing has received a number of awards from various publications. This includes, Autosport Magazine which awarded the DeltaWing its “Pioneering and Innovation Award,” and Popular Science presented the DeltaWing with its “Best of What’s New” Award. As well Automobile Magazine brought back it’s “Racing Car of the Year” award, which had been on a hiatus since 2004, to honor the technological achievements of the Nissan DeltaWing.
“We love challenges that drive us forward and separate us from the competition, and we’re excited to be part of the team.” said said Al Speyer, Executive Director of Motorsports for Bridgestone Americas.
The Nissan DeltaWing was originally created as the next generation IndyCar of the future. The DeltaWing project was initially funded by longtime IndyCar team owner Chip Ganassi. Although IndyCar ultimately decided to stay with the traditional Dallara design, the Nissan DeltaWing race car continues to thrive in racing events, competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. (The Deltawing was not officially racing as it was classified in an experimental class.) The DeltaWing also raced in the Petit Le Mans, 24 Hours of Sebring, and numerous other well known races.
