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Nissan DeltaWing headed back into the fray, will race at Petit Le Mans [w/video]

Chris Paukert — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Nissan, Racing

The racing world has not seen the last of the DeltaWing. Nissan's dart-shaped moldbreaker was last seen at Le Mans in June, where the prototype racer was accidentally taken out of competition by a Toyota prototype. Driver Satoshi Motoyama famously tried in vain to resuscitate his damaged racer for 45 minutes, a struggle that has since been labeled by many as one of the most heroic and touching "agony of defeat" moments in motorsports history.

Addressing what it says is "unfinished business," Nissan has confirmed that GT Academy vet Lucas Ordonez and ALMS PC class champ Gunnar Jeannette will race the car at Petit Le Mans, the ALMS series finale, at Road Atlanta on October 17-20.

The Nismo team trio that fielded the DeltaWing at Le Mans - Satoshi Motoyama, Marino Franchitti and Michael Krumm - are apparently otherwise committed, so the driving duties for the 10-hour, 1,000-mile enduro will fall to Ordonez and Jeannette.

Better still, Nissan reports that the DeltaWing could return to race as part of the ALMS in 2013. As we previously reported, the ALMS and Grand-Am racing series are merging for 2014, and Nissan says "provision will be made" for the DeltaWing in the combined series new regulations, opening the door for it to compete for points.

To watch a video of Nissan talking about the DeltaWing's return to competition and check out the official press release, scroll down.

Continue reading Nissan DeltaWing headed back into the fray, will race at Petit Le Mans [w/video]

Nissan DeltaWing headed back into the fray, will race at Petit Le Mans [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch Nissan driver Satoshi Motoyama's valiant attempts to revive his DeltaWing

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Nissan, Racing

There are really only two possible outcomes when it comes to automobile racing. We're all familiar with the thrill of victory, but sometimes it's the agony of defeat that touches us most deeply. Take, for instance, the example of Nissan driver Satoshi Motoyama, one of thee pilots flinging the automaker's innovative DeltaWing around the track at Le Mans.

After being taken out by a Toyota prototype that was in the running for the overall victory, the DeltaWing was sent careening into the barrier. According to race rules, if the pit crew or race officials were allowed access to the car, its race would be over. For the next two hours, Motoyama poked, pried and desperately tried to put his race car back together again.

Sadly, he failed. The car was unable to get back on track, leaving Motoyama weeping on the sideline. Join us in offering a healthy round of respect to Motoyama and his valiant attempt to continue racing. Check out a pair of videos detailing the episode by scrolling down below.

Continue reading Watch Nissan driver Satoshi Motoyama's valiant attempts to revive his DeltaWing

Watch Nissan driver Satoshi Motoyama's valiant attempts to revive his DeltaWing originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch Toyota racer Anthony Davidson's terrifying airborne crash at Le Mans

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 22:23:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Safety, Videos, Toyota, Racing

The LMP1 racer standing on its nose is the No. 8 Toyota TS030 driven by Anthony Davidson, having just recently begun his driving stint and only five hours into the 24 Hours of Le Mans, while the red car next to it is the No. 81 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia driven by Piergiuseppe Perrazini. Davidson took the inside line down the Mulsanne Straight, and based on the vantage point in the video, it looks like Davidson had got a decent chunk of the Toyota ahead of the Ferrari when Perrazini turned into him.

The result were hard runs into the tire wall and the end of the race for both drivers. Davidson got out on his own but was sent to the hospital for observation until Monday morning, but thankfully Toyota has released a statement saying Davidson shows "no signs of any injuries." However, reports indicate Davidson has fractured two vertebra, and he soon tweeted from the hospital "Well that was a big one! Lying in a French hospital with a broken back wasn't what I had in mind at this stage in the race..."

The safety car came out while the accident was cleared, but the Toyota team's woes were compounded when the No. 7 TS030 driven by Kazuki Nakajima drove into the Nissan DeltaWing of Satoshi Motoyama on the restart. The contact sent the DeltaWing into the wall (and despite efforts to revive it, out of the race) and the No. 7 Toyota headed back to the pits for repairs and a steep drop down the order. As of this writing, Audi's brace of R18 E-Tron Quattro racers appear to have the inside track on a victory.

Scroll down to watch videos of both Davidson's crash and the DeltaWing accident (along with aftermath footage).

Continue reading Watch Toyota racer Anthony Davidson's terrifying airborne crash at Le Mans

Watch Toyota racer Anthony Davidson's terrifying airborne crash at Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 16 Jun 2012 22:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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