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GRAND-AM: Revised Rolex Series Set For 2012
If IndyCar is taking the Heidi Montag ’10 plastic surgeries in a day' approach for 2012, the Rolex Series is looking to augment rather than overhaul.
Marshall Pruett  |  Posted October 04, 2010  
Giving manufacturers the freedom to style their respective GRAND-AM Rolex Series entries in a manner that carries easily identifiable road car elements is high on the series' priority list for 2012. (AndyBlackmoreDesign.com)
Looking across North America’s three premier road racing series, two of those series are headed for new destinations in 2012.

While open-wheel racing is hoping to re-ignite interest with an all-new car and engine formula, the GRAND-AM Rolex Series has set their sights on a less radical approach to refreshing their series.

If IndyCar is taking the Heidi Montag ’10 plastic surgeries in a day’ approach, the Rolex Series is looking to augment rather than overhaul – a few nips and tucks and possibly a facelift -- but no radically invasive procedures.

The future of America’s premier open-wheel series is well known, yet the direction planned for the Rolex Series is less defined, if not shrouded in a bit of mystery. How will they update their existing cars without losing their identity? Are they really aligning their rules to fit a global spec? Will Daytona Prototype be replaced by DTM cars? Where exactly is GRAND-AM headed? After a summer of research, here’s what we know:

Daytona Prototypes

Bodywork

As previewed on The SPEED Report, GRAND-AM is in the midst of evaluating a new look for the 2012 season, and it conforms to two distinct philosophies.
Narrower cockpits, lower sidepods and a open areas for experimentation are expected in 2012, while still carrying a number of distinct DP styling cues as seen on the 2010 model. (AndyBlackmoreDesign.com)

The first, and one that is definitely needed, is a change the dimensions of the cockpit. Call it the ‘greenhouse,’ the ‘cabin’ or simply ‘the giant cavern where Daytona Prototype drivers sit,’ but since the DP category came into existence back in 2003, the sheer volume of the cockpit has been problematic for those who are accustomed to a smaller work space.

A key change has taken place within GRAND-AM’s hierarchy over the past few years, and that’s the desire to listen to their critics – within the paddock and the greater sportscar community – and to respond accordingly. If you’re looking for proof that GRAND-AM has evolved as an organization, the willingness to reduce the size of the cabin to more familiar dimensions is a fantastic example.

Exactly how the cabin will be reduced is still being debated. Calls to alter the size of the cabin’s bodywork have been made for quite some time, but this isn’t simply a case of making narrower body panels.

PHOTOS: View versions of the 2012 DP in Ford, Chevrolet, Porsche, BMW and Mazda trim and details on their design inspiration by Andy Blackmore.

Structurally, the roll cage sits at the outmost edge of the cockpit, and to move the sides of the cockpit it would take a lot more than just bending the roll cage in towards the middle of the car. With DP drivers sitting far to either side of the cockpit, simply bending the tubes inwards would have the roll cage sitting too close to the driver’s helmet. Suggestions on how to best achieve the narrower cockpit have been solicited from the DP manufacturers.

It is a great idea and one that needs to happen, but the exact details on how to achieve narrower cockpits while suitably modifying the safety structure beneath the bodywork will take some time to formulate.
Solutions on how to bring the A- and B-Pillars on the DP roll structures inwards to accommodate a narrower cockpit are still being explored. (Michael Shank Racing)

The high waists on the Daytona Prototypes – sidepods that stand too tall – have also thrown off the visual harmony of the cars. That too is believed to be changing for 2012, with lower sidepods – by just under one foot – that should help to add some curves where they are needed.

The slope of the windshield, when compared to other closed-top prototypes, doesn’t need to be altered, in my opinion. The Riley stands a bit tall, while the Lola is heavily canted backwards. As a whole, I don’t see much that needs to be addressed here.

With narrower cockpits, the series does itself a huge favor and ups the attractiveness of its signature cars by a factor of 10.

Body Kits

When it comes to bodywork for 2012, GRAND-AM and IndyCar are headed in the same direction. I’ve been a rather vocal opponent of IndyCar’s “aero kit” concept as I don’t believe the cars will look different enough to warrant the multi-million dollar expenditures to produce the kits.

On an open-wheel racer, no matter how wild an auto manufacturer might get with their aero kit, the car will never look anything like what they sell on the showroom floor.

With what I’m hearing about GRAND-AM’s approach to the concept, the series might have come up with the first real option for auto manufacturers to shape Daytona Prototypes in a way that carries a distinct brand identity.
Using actual bumper, grille and lighting components from road cars to give the 2012 DP body kit an authentic look would provide new branding opportunities, and extending those looks to beyond the nose is also under review. (AndyBlackmoreDesign.com)

With exception to very small differences, the nose of the current Riley chassis is the same from team to team, despite engines from BMW, Ford, Chevrolet, and two different types of Porsche motors being used. Radiator inlets look the same, as do the brake ducts. Headlights are also identical, with brand-specific stickers used to alter their appearance.

What they are discussing for 2012 includes a wholesale re-thinking of how manufacturers are allowed to incorporate their road car styling cues into a Daytona Prototype shell.

The thought for 2012 would be to allow manufacturers to do more than badge engineering, and to let them carry out much more individual approaches to key areas of the car. Using actual road-based radiator inlets, shaping the brake ducts to mimic what is found on their road cars and the use of actual production car headlights is being evaluated.

While those three items might sound like subtle allowances, as shown on Andy Blackmore’s renderings, the front of the 2012 DPs can carry significant branding without losing the look and feel of the class.

Of the current range of prototypes raced throughout the world, Aston Martin has done a masterful job of incorporating the unique profile of their road car grill into their Lola-Based prototype, and I would expect to see the theme explored even further by the Rolex Series on the 2012 DP cars.

Allowing an element of freedom to shape of the rest of the body is also being considered. While all Rileys (or Dallaras, or Lolas, etc) look alike today, just modifying portions of the nose in 2012 might not be enough to get manufacturers interested.

Simply put, if Mazda wanted to buy a Lola and incorporate it’s Zoom-Zoom approach with sleek, flowing lines from the MX-5 while Chevrolet has its own body commissioned for the Lola using some of its more aggressive, muscle car language from the Camaro, the two companies could show up to the Rolex 24 with distinctly different looks while offering their fans something new to root for.

Offering manufacturers the option to shape a Daytona Prototype to suit their marketing needs – within reason – would be a bold new step for GRAND-AM. Rather than take the approach so many other series are doing for the future – telling manufacturers exactly how they must comply in order to participate – this seems to be the most inclusive concept under consideration.
To date, stickers declaring which engine is being used in the back of a DP car has been the norm. Moving beyond 'badge engineering' could be a big area of growth for GRAND-AM. (AndyBlackmoreDesign.com)

If the relative lack of interest manufacturers have had with the 2012 IndyCar concept is to be taken at face value, it speaks to the fact that in our current economy, painting manufacturers into a small corner when it comes to rules and regulations isn’t the way to get them to sign on the dotted line.

GRAND-AM’s ‘brand identity’ bodywork concept doesn’t guarantee that Detroit, Japan, Korea, Germany and the rest of Europe will come running to create 2012 bodywork, but it has the best chance of gaining traction.

Issues of how to balance the different aerodynamic traits of the cars would come into play, which GRAND-AM would have to police via CFD or the wind tunnel, but that is hardly a new area to manage.

Another item that would need to be worked out is the projected costs of the bodywork and its availability. Keeping costs down and making bodywork available to the teams using the engine associated to the bodywork would be vital. Allowing factories to spend a fortune on their own kits and to use them exclusively would be the wrong direction to go.

Aerodynamics

The initial design concept for the DP was to use a wide cockpit to create a large aerodynamic hole behind the cars to make passing easier. The first DP cars certainly achieved this goal while the class was in its infancy, but as the category matured this dynamic all but disappeared.

With the need for the wide cockpits no longer necessary, the move to narrower cabins for 2012 will significantly increase the aerodynamic efficiency of the Daytona Prototypes, including a leap in top speeds.
A new dual-element rear wing and bigger, vertical end plates are also on the cards for 2012. (AndyBlackmoreDesign.com)

Using a single-element rear wing since 2003, the current DP has those wings canted far forward – looking as if they are almost running in stall – to make up for the lack of clean air they receive due to the wide cockpits.

To keep top speeds in check, the series is looking at using a dual-element rear wing for 2012 that add a lot more downforce. Bigger rear wing end plates are also being discussed to help keep top speeds close to what they are today.

A challenge will be faced when it comes to maintaining a friendly aero balance with a powerful new rear wing, but with some of the global bodywork changes that are expected up front, solutions can be addressed in CFD or the wind tunnel.

Splitters are an item DP constructors have spent heavily on over the past few years, forcing the series to mandate a freeze on splitter profiles for the 2010 season. To keep costs under control, a spec splitter is being considered for 2012.

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