Nissan Engine to Power DeltaWing for Le Mans

Japanese auto maker Nissan has signed up as a partner in the DeltaWing project for the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours which will be held from 16-17June, 2012.

Nissan will be supplying a light weight 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine for the DeltaWing, which is based on the automaker's DIG-T (Direct Injection Gasoline - turbocharged) technology.

"As motor racing rulebooks have become tighter over time, racing cars look more and more similar and the technology used has had less and less relevance to road car development. Nissan DeltaWing aims to change that and we were an obvious choice to become part of the project," said Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President, Nissan in a statement.

"Nissan has provided us with our first choice engine. It's a spectacular piece. We've got the engine of our dreams: it's the right weight, has the right power and it's phenomenally efficient," opined Ben Bowlby, Nissan DeltaWing concept originator and designer.

Nissan DeltaWing has a rear mounted engine and the driver sits back in the car, almost over the rear axle unlike the current racing cars on the track.

DeltaWing will be running as an experimental car at the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours with race number 0.

Marino Franchitti and Nissan's reigning FIA GT1 World Champion Michael Krumm will be the drivers of the DeltaWing which will have the first public demo laps at Sebring, Florida, at 12.30 pm local time on 15 March.