INDYCAR president hopes new car opens new doors to competition A new era of INDYCAR is officially under way. A test of the new Verizon IndyCar Series universal aerodynamic bodywork kit that starts Tuesday is expected to provide a cheaper, sleeker and safer next generation of Indy car, INDYCAR’s President of Competition and Operations Jay Frye said Monday. But it also could open doors to additional manufacturers and teams joining the series in the next three years. “I would say we're closer (to adding additional manufacturers) because there were some hurdles that we had,” Frye said today in a national media teleconference following the release of photos of the cars that will participate in Tuesday’s test. “Hopefully we've removed the hurdles, so there seems to be more enthusiasm about the direction, and they see our five-year plan, they see where we're going. That doesn't mean they're coming. It's just maybe there's now an opportunity that they could come.” Testing begins Tuesday when Oriol Servia and Juan Pablo Montoya take to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in cars fitted with the new kits. Testing continues – with Montoya in a Team Penske Chevrolet and Servia in a Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda – Aug. 1 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Aug. 10 at Iowa Speedway and Sept. 26 at Sebring International Raceway. Manufacturers then will be supplied kits that can be used by their teams for testing. The kits are expected to be delivered to Verizon IndyCar Series teams in November, with team testing expected in January. “Once we’re done with (the initial testing), then we give it to the manufacturers,” Frye said. “The manufacturers can then go test with their teams. After that, the teams will get their kits and they can go test. We’ve tried, like we did over the last year and a half (of planning the new kits) to have a process and a procedure that we go through. This is the first part of that.” The universal kit will replace individual aero kits supplied by Honda and Chevrolet. Other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have been consulted about the change, with the hope that more will join because of the commonality and lowered expense of the kits. “We made sure to let other OEMs who aren't currently our partners know what we're doing and ask for their opinion because we thought it certainly behooved us to show them where we're going and what we're doing before it came out, get their opinion on it,” Frye said. “... I think they see we're doing what we said we're going to do, and they like our direction. They like where we're going. Again, now we've just got to keep doing it.” Frye also said he expects a significant reduction in annual costs to the teams. “The annual cost will actually be 30 to 40 percent cheaper than what the current is now,” Frye said. “One of the things with having a universal car is we’re able to negotiate the term so the teams can plan for it. That’s very important. … The conversion cost didn’t end up being bad, and part of that is because we were able to do it over a three-year period.” The sleeker, less-cluttered design is less top-heavy, with a 30 to 40 percent reduction in topside downforce and an increase in underside downforce. “This car does have less overall downforce,” Frye said. “The downforce opportunity window is moved down. Obviously as the teams start running the car, they’ll get better and better.” The new kit also is designed for the possibility of adding a windscreen to help deflect debris for added driver protection, Frye said. “We’re definitely conscious of (the possibility of a windscreen being added to the kit in the future),” Frye said. “We’re conscious of how it will affect the car aesthetically, we’re conscious of the safety piece. Some of the things that have gone on with some other (series’ testing, hopefully we’re already ahead of that and already aware of some of the issues that could come with the testing. When we put it on, we want to make sure we’ve got it right.” The project is led by Frye; Bill Pappas, INDYCAR’s vice president of competition/race engineering; Tino Belli, INDYCAR’s director of aerodynamic development; and Dallara, the supplier of the IR-12 chassis that has been used by teams since 2012 and supplier of the universal kit. Fans can watch Tuesday’s test, which is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum parking lot, the Turn 2 viewing mounds and the South Terrace grandstands. A second day of testing is scheduled for Wednesday if needed. INDYCAR president hopes new car opens new doors to competition
^right idea (see IMSA and the DPi - which is seeing some significant interest), but I think they could save the time and trouble and adopt the IL-15 as the "new car". The IL-15 LOOKS like a classic IndyCar (outside of the extended proboscis). If they need to make it a little bigger, so be it. Conceptually, it looks right to me.
First test for IndyCar's 2018-spec car (2min 59sec) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efbdxk1utSg Insider: IndyCar shakes down new aero kits (2min3sec) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pG7RDQNnDI
Okay, so we've seen what the low drag "500" cars will look like. Now, how about showing us what the cars will look like the rest of the year? We may suppose that the Indy Car teams, sponsors and anyone else involved are constantly asked why the current cars are so ugly and they're tired of answer the question. This development should put that to rest. BHW
Meh, what's with the pontoons ahead of the rear wheels? LAME LAME LAME LAME. This is what the cars SHOULD look like...no development needed: Image Unavailable, Please Login
I happen to rather like the pontoons ahead of the rear wheels. They also decrease the turbulences. If anything, I find the front wings far too wide, but I guess they are needed that way.
I like the low profile engine cover now...it looks slick. Not the best looking open wheel car ever, but certainly an improvement and way better looking than the junk in F1.
I worked for CART in the late 90's, they were an honest threat to F1. The drivers were essentially prohibited from racing anywhere but the US/Rio/Surfers. There was actually a threat that a driver couldn't get a FIA Superlicense. This new car is the first real excitement I've seen since the split in 95. F1 might have to worry once again that a good looking race car is a real threat. [cough] Halo [/cough] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Most of this was pre internet so it is hard to search. I will overlook that From that thing called Google The FIA has granted CART permission to run the Surfer's Paradise temporary street course race (grandfather-claused in because it was started before this agreement) and up to 5 other races outside of North America, provided that they are run only on FIA-approved ovals longer than 1 mile. The FIA controls all motor sports licensing of facilities, events, and drivers world-wide. It handles international championship series (e.g., Formula One World Driver's Championship, Formula 3000 World Championship) directly. Each FIA member country has an organizing body (called an "ASN" in FIA documents) that is that country's representative on the FIA's governing council, the World Motor Sports Council. The FIA delegates its authority to license events, tracks, and drivers for competition within the bounds of each country to that country's ASN. The ASN in turn may delegate pieces of its authority to other sanctioning bodies as it sees fit. [This is what the "International" business in race course names, such as New Hampshire International Speedway, is all about--it means the facility has a FIA license to hold international series sporting events] CART fits into this overall hierarchy as follows. The ASN for the USA is the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States (ACCUS). ACCUS in turn is made up of member sanctioning bodies including USAC, IMSA, SCCA, NHRA, and CART. Officially, then, ACCUS is authorized by the FIA to sanction all events within the USA, and ACCUS in turn has delegated the authority to run the PPG Indy Car series to CART. I'm not sure just what the story is with the races in Toronto and Vancouver--ASN Canada FIA must have delegated its authority to CART for the sanctioning of those two races, or at least it has made no attempt to prohibit CART from running the events. CART therefore derives its authority to sanction events and grant competition licenses from the FIA, indirectly through ACCUS. CART has no authority to sanction race events in Australia without the permission of CAMS, the Australian ASN. When CART organized the Surfer's Paradise race, CAMS objected, probably because Bernie Ecclestone threatened to have Australia's F1 race pulled if it didn't object. CAMS threatened to withdraw the licenses of anyone who raced in or marshalled for the CART race. CART took the matter to Australian court, arguing that this represented illegal restraint-of-trade in violation of Australian anti-monopoly laws. The Australian courts agreed with CART and enjoined CAMS from imposing any sanctions against anyone solely on the basis of their participation in the Surfer's Paradise Indy car race. US courts had already handed down similar rulings during the CART/USAC wars of the late 1970s. Practically speaking, there's not a lot that the FIA (or any other sports sanctnioning body) can do to prevent unsanctioned competitions in countries that have laws prohibiting monopolistic behavior. The FIA would rather not have court decisions pull its teeth. For its part, CART would rather not have the FIA fighting its overseas expansion plants every step of the way. Thus a compromise was reached: the FIA agreed to sanction up to 5 CART races outside North America, provided they were on FIA-approved oval tracks only (thus avoiding the marketing conflict with F1). CART agreed to submit to FIA authority in the matter, and to drop the phrase "world championship" from the title of its series. Surfer's Paradise was granfather-claused in and given FIA sanctioning. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Back in the day Autoweek was required if you cared about cars and racing. Also participation helped too. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Those that don't believe people come to see attractive, sexy and violent sounding cars being driven by people with amazing skills who risk their lives going faster than they should do not understand the meaning of spectacle. It's why we have the Olympics once ever 4 years. Take away the machine, keep the talent and skill, and try to see if 200,000 people come to see them race a 2 hour marathon 18 times a year.
Autoweek? Bah. By the time it was just Autoweek (give or take) there was On Track that I discovered in '85. Prior to that, AW was the "Autoweek and Competition Press" newspaperfor good racing coverage (discovered in '68) or else the wait for C&D or R&T's coverage 2 or 3 months later....
I think those types of aero aids have made the series crap. TheMayor sums it up above^ - high hp, awesome looking cars with drivers that need to drive. Significantly reduce aero, 800+ hp, steel brakes, with a shifter (not flappy paddles).
I think that's the bottom line. The FIA likes people to think it has a monopoly in motor racing worldwide. In fact, it's a de facto situation it acquired after years of manipulating national bodies and organisation, rather than a de jure position enshrined in law. The FIA is based in Europe, and subject to the Treaty of Rome that bans monopolies and allows competition in all economic activities. I am sure the FIA has the means to vigorously defend its position in international courts, and that make its opponents think twice, but on the face of it, it would probably loose the case if another organisation was to challenge a ban from the Place de la Concorde in Paris. A few years back, the Automobile Club of Monaco was just about to take the FIA to court when it took away the Monte-Carlo Rally from the calendar. Monaco threatened to sue (the Monaco GP was at stake too), and miraculously, a compromise was reached, with the Monte Rally reinstated, and the Monaco GP saved. All the FIA can do is to intimate a national body to make things difficult for an outsider, by refusing track permit, event license, threatening drivers, etc... The FIA, for example, was unable to stop FIA-licensed drivers and teams to compete in South Africa, then boycotted during apartheid. Like any large organisation, the FIA is corrupt.