# Rolex 24



## [email protected] (Nov 25, 2013)

Is anybody else going from the forum?


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Following three successful days at the "Roar Before the 24" test session, the DeltaWing Racing Cars team looks forward to their first Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona - the inaugural event for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

Drivers Andy Meyrick, Katherine Legge and newcomer Alexander Rossi logged 226 laps over the three day test session that included a night practice Saturday evening. The fast lap for the DeltaWing coupe came on Saturday afternoon, with a time of 1:40.508. Conditions at Daytona fluctuated wildly over the weekend, from Friday's 45 degF high temperature to Sunday's warm and sunny conditions ***8211; exactly the sort of weather variation the team can expect over the Rolex 24 weekend.

It was Rossi who had the most on his to do list for the test session. The young American, who served as the Caterham F1 reserve driver in 2013, enjoyed a stint in the 24 Hours of Le Mans that sparked his interest in sports car racing and led to his addition to the DeltaWing team. The weekend test saw his first laps in the revolutionary prototype and his first experience on the famed high banks of Daytona.

"I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised," said Rossi. "The feedback and sensation we get is like any other race car, even though it doesn't look like any other race car. But the most difficult thing here was the traffic. When I'm trying to learn a new car, I try to experiment, but I really couldn't here because I could never do the same corner the same way on two successive laps. So you put it all together in a 30-lap run and try to figure out what worked and what didn't. But it's become more like second nature now. I'm really looking forward to coming back here and putting all our eggs in the basket and seeing what the performance of the car can be.

"The performance of the car was very good in this test and we're going into the race with very high expectations. To be here at Daytona and to be a part of such a special project is very cool. I'm getting more and more comfortable with the car and we've had a very good test, especially in terms of reliability, so it's all looking very positive."

"The team has worked very hard and we've definitely improved the car and the reliability in the short off season," said Legge." We had a list of things to go through this weekend; getting Alex comfortable in the car, working on traction, trying to put less stress on the car ***8211; we got through them in very good shape. Reliability is key for the 24 and we've really had that this weekend.

"There are obviously situations we deal with at Daytona that we don't encounter at the shorter races, like running at night. It was very busy during the night practice Saturday, because of course everyone was on the same sort of program, so I didn't have a clear lap. But that's how the race will be as well, so it was good to experience that."

"We've brought forward a great deal of the things we learned at the test in November," agreed Meyrick. Like our reliability. The car is nice and consistent, good on the Continental tires, easy to drive. It really is a perfect race car right now. We'll work on a few things for some additional performance but I wouldn't mind if I had to race the car just as it is now. We've done good preparation for the race ***8211; and Alex has done a great job to get up to speed.

"The car ran well at night ***8211; and our visibility at night at Daytona is fine. But there are so many cars and that's going to be difficult for everyone. Of all the 24 hour races I've done, this will be the busiest in terms of the number of cars on track. We really do need to stay out of trouble during the race."

"We were good at the November test as well," said Team Manager David Price, "so we made the improvements we knew we needed to make and they've proved to be quite successful. We've had three trouble-free days and we're competitive in our times so we're happy with the results. We will continue to work on our reliability and our fuel consumption, but we've been working on that this weekend and it seems to be paying dividends. Andy and Katherine have had a good amount of time here now and Alexander has gotten on it and he's proved to be very competitive in the car. So we're very pleased."

"I am very pleased with the performance of the car and the performance of our drivers," said DeltaWing Racing Cars Managing Partner Don Panoz. "The DeltaWing Coupe continues to deliver technology in the way it was designed."

http://www.deltawingracing.com/news/2014/1/5/competitive-test-session-ahead-of-the-rolex-24.html


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Alexander Rossi has gone from driving a Caterham Formula 1 car during free practice a Circuit of The Americas in November to piloting the DeltaWing for the first time during the Roar.

"Anything, compared to an F1 car, is going to be a night and day difference. The DeltaWing isn't that different to drive. It's not difficult to drive. You can get in it and drive straight away and be there or there about on pace. Getting the last second or two is the hard part, which is the same of any car. With this, you take a different approach than that of a standard car-once you adapt to it, it's fine. The feeling is the same as any formula car. I went out of pit lane wondering how I was going to judge the rear of the car to the front of the car, but it comes naturally. Understeer, oversteer, the car stepping out, it's the same. It's wicked quick in a straight line. We lose out to the P2s because they're downforce cars, and we're down on the straights to the DPs, but overall, our pace is quite good. I'm happy I was able to get up to speed pretty quick."

The DeltaWing, at least by my visual estimation, has been the fastest car through the International Hairpin. Its mechanical grip is simply staggering, and Rossi was particularly adept at carrying entry speed into and through a turn that usually requires hard braking, a slow, off-power turning phase and re-acceleration.

Rossi is only scheduled to do the Rolex 24 with Don Panoz's team, and says his full-season plans for 2014 should be revealed soon. "My focus is on Formula 1, and I should have an announcement on what I'm doing before the Rolex 24. Getting the invite from Dr. Panoz to drive for him here, at Daytona, is a huge honor and one I definitely want to put on my resume. After Le Mans, I gained such an appreciation for endurance racing and when I was asked, it was an immediate yes. It's an honor and a privilege to be here."

When the Deltawing gets twitchy and loose at speed hitting the curbs or catching the gravel, it would immediately get straight and take off like it never happened in corners; where other cars would lose time or spin if it happened to them.

The Deltawing will be able to triple stint their tires (based on the last test) and only require 48 L of fuel on each stop. DP's & P2's will not be able to do that.

http://www.racer.com/imsa-roar-before-the-24-live-updates--saturday/article/327966/

http://imsatiming.com/Results/2014/.../TUDOR Roar Daytona Combined Sessions 1-8.pdf


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

BMW Z4


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Don Panoz's 2.3-liter Mazda-based Elan 4-cylinder turbo, which powers the DeltaWing, has had its boost set at 29 psi. An amendment to its minimum weight has also been made after the DWC13 chassis was weighed during the Roar.

Power: 350 hp

***8220;We had 525 kg (1157 pounds) for it initially, and then we checked the car at the Roar, we found that it was running actually at 515 kg (1135 pounds), which is its new official minimum,***8221; Elkins added.

The DeltaWing, with its small 48-liter (12.6-gallon) fuel cell, will sip fuel from the 23.495mm restrictor placed in the refueling hose.

http://www.racer.com/imsa-final-rolex-24-prototype-bop-adjustments-announced/article/330022/

http://www.deltawingracing.com/tech-specs/


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Katherine Legge put the revolutionary sports car prototype on the starting grid just behind the Daytona Prototypes, but ahead of the DeltaWing's former American Le Mans Series P2 competitors with a quick time of 1:39.270.

Katherine Legge
"We've made a lot of changes to the car since the Roar but now it feels like the car we had then, which was really quick. The car was very well set up and we were able to show what we're capable of. I think we have an advantage on some of the other cars, because of how quickly our tires and brakes come up to temperature - it only takes a lap, lap and a half max. That means we can make up time on every pit stop."

Team Manager David Price
"That really is the sort of time we thought we could do during the Roar," said Price, "but we couldn't get a clear lap. It was much easier to get a clear lap with only 18 cars on the track - you can get a clear lap the whole way if you're clever. We achieved what we thought we could by doing times in the mid-1:39s. I was anticipating being in the top 10 and we are where we thought we should be."


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Andy Meyrick took the green flag in seventh position and kept the car in the top 10 with a relatively trouble-free stint. Meyrick handed off to Katherine Legge after 95 minutes, but Legge soon began to experience gearing issues. A quick trip to the garage took care of the problem, but soon after she rejoined the field, the race was brought to a halt by a 79-minute red then yellow period following a huge crash in the racetrack infield section.

Once the green flag came out, Legge managed the traffic as she worked her way up through the field, posting the DeltaWing coupe's quickest race lap on lap 100 (1:40.975). Gabby Chaves took the wheel at 7:00pm, only to end up in the turn one tires on his out lap. The team made a lightning fast nose change and sent Chaves on his way, putting down laps and handling a variety of situations, including the 9:00pm fireworks.

Chaves handed off to Alexander Rossi shortly before 9:30pm, but Rossi soon experienced boost problems. A quick look at the engine revealed that the connector between the header and turbo had broken.

The 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona was the first 24 hour endurance race for the DeltaWing coupe and in the end, the revolutionary sports car prototype went its longest distance to date, logging 288 laps and 1,035 miles in 16 hours before transmission failure ended the day.


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

BMW Z4


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

DeltaWing


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