Franchitti: Nissan DeltaWing readyposted in LMANS13 | 06 | 2012
BATHGATE'S MARINO FRANCHITTI got his Le Mans 24-Hours bid underway today when he was first on-track for the opening practice session in his Nissan DeltaWing (see more official photos of the Nissan DeltaWing).
The 33-year-old Scot, partnered by Germany's Michael Krumm and Satoshi Motoyama from Japan, believes the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol-powered Nissan is capable of being a surprise package this weekend.
“The ACO test earlier this onto was certainly a very encouraging start to our Le Mans adventure," Franchitti said today.
"It was great that the car ran faultlessly at the test as it allowed us to complete our program, and then some.
"That certainly puts us in a better position coming into the race with more information to learn from. Michael, Satoshi and I are looking for the same improvements from the car so that makes all our jobs easier.
“I was really happy with how the Nissan DeltaWing handled and felt in traffic, the aero performance seemed consistent no matter what cars we ran with and that is a very important thing in multi class racing.
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“The performance of the Michelin tyres was just as we hoped and whether we have rain or shine at the weekend, I'm confident in the grip we have from the rubber on the road.
“From the moment the car was unloaded off the truck at the test we had a huge amount of interest around our garage.
"When the pit lane was open for fans, everyone seemed to want to come and take a look and a lot of other drivers, team members and mechanics were also very interested too. It's been the same again so far this week.
“It's nice that the car has had such a great reception from not only the fans, but also from our fellow competitors and I can't even imagine how crazy it's going to be later in the week when 250,000 spectators are here.
“With such a new and innovative program, we’re, to a degree, heading into the unknown entering a 24-hour race, and while we were certainly happy with the test, we're not complacent about the huge task ahead of us.”
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Jim McGill