A interchangeable road/street course-oval race car that would cost about half of the current model, be lighter and more fuel efficient are among the objectives the Indy Racing League has relayed to potential manufacturers for the next IZOD IndyCar Series chassis.
Officials of the Indy Racing League, sanctioning body of the IZOD IndyCar Series, have been in ongoing discussions with Dallara Automobili, DeltaWing, Lola and Swift about manufacturing and supplying the new chassis scheduled to debut for the 2012 season.
Dallara, which has supplied the third generation of IZOD IndyCar Series chassis since 2003, and longtime Indy car chassis manufacturers Lola and Swift have provided design concepts based on the league's objectives. The DeltaWing project will be unveiled Feb. 10 at the Chicago Auto Show.
'All have done an outstanding job meeting what we asked,' Indy Racing League president of competition and racing operations Brian Barnhart said.
Attributes for the new chassis:
Safe: The new chassis must adhere to the league's already high safety standards while exploring new technology to improve safety in all aspects of the car.
Raceable: The new chassis must continue to produce the exciting racing that has become signature of the IZOD IndyCar Series while not affecting other cars on track (i.e. less sensitive to the turbulence).
Cost-effective: The league continues to work to reduce the cost of participation for teams in the IZOD IndyCar Series, which remains an important priority in this economic climate. The new chassis must have a price point that adheres to that goal.
American-made: The new chassis must be built in the U.S., preferably at an Indiana-based facility.
Less mass/more efficient: A lighter chassis with less mass that produces the same aerodynamic effect in an efficient way.
Relevant technology: The league would like the new chassis to be relevant to the future of the consumer auto industry; innovative technology that is born on the racetrack and can translate to consumer cars.
Modern look: More space for sponsor logos, cars easily identifiable.
Green: The Indy Racing League prides itself on its role in the greening of racing and wants to maintain its position as a leader in environmentally-friendly initiatives with this chassis.
'Our chassis is the most complex challenge in world motorsports because of the variety of race courses where we compete,' Barnhart said. 'It must be designed to run at 235 mph at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and protect drivers and spectators in high-speed crashes. It must be able to run on superspeedways, speedways and short ovals as well as natural-terrain road courses and temporary circuits.'
Barnhart said safety is the foremost requirement in design of the new chassis and the league has identified areas to improve through its own research and testing. A reduction of between 40 percent and 50 percent of the current chassis cost is sought - principally through the reduction in inventory necessary to transition between oval kits and road/street course kits (brakes, uprights, etc.).
Additionally, a lighter car reduces the power requirement and enhances fuel efficiency. For the fourth year in a row, the IZOD IndyCar Series will be the only motorsports property to utilize a renewable and environmentally friendly fuel (100 percent fuel-grade ethanol).
'Our drivers take the greatest risks in the world of sports driving IndyCars and it is paramount we have the best safety features designed into this next generation of cars,' Barnhart said. 'It is also important that we continue to develop more relevance between the new generation of IndyCars and the cars that world manufacturers will be producing in the future. Finally, we have stipulated that the new chassis must be made in the United States, preferably Indiana, to take advantage of more competitive pricing and the existing American supplier network for parts and protect our team from issues with currency fluctuations.'
Barnhart said 18-20 months notice would be needed to build, test and begin production of the chassis for the start of the 2012 season.
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