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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Aero Kit Answers
Robin Miller delves into the aero kit controversy with help from Roger Penske, Keith Wiggins and 2012 car project manager Tony Cotman.
Roger Penske weighs in on the topic of aero kits and budgets. (LAT)
This was going to be a diatribe about selfish, clueless car owners who continue to display an amazing lack of awareness with the few fans they still have in tow.
I was also going to suggest a bounty on them might be a good way to raise money to pay for aero kits.
And, while I reserve the right to loathe some of them on general principle after five decades of watching their destructive ways, it’s not going to change the bottom line concerning the 2012 car wars.
Owners bitch and moan constantly but they’re a necessary evil. Yet without them, we have no INDYCAR series. And there’s no one standing in line to take their place.
If they all say they can’t afford multiple types of aero kits until 2013 then maybe Randy Bernard should abide by their wishes.
The Indy car fans voiced their opinion--long and loud--over the past few days about being unhappy if all the new cars look like the same old cookie-cutter Dallaras.
But all the mud slinging, badmouthing and voodoo dolls in the world can’t change the fact that most owners are going to be financially challenged to pay for new equipment along with their inflated tire bills.
“At the end of the day, nobody is wrong,’’ said Tony Cotman, who is trying against all odds to finish off the rule book and parameters for the new car. “Our fans want to see different-looking cars and we promised that several months ago.
“At the same time, it’s expensive because not one thing carries over from our current car to the new one. The fans do not know the details that make this thing tick because a lot of facts are not public knowledge.
“But it shouldn’t have come down to the 13th hour. Everybody knew the price of the aero kit from Day 1.”
Buying two new cars with spares will roughly run $1 million with the engine lease dropping from $935,000 to $690,000 but Firestone’s tire bill is doubling to $550,000 so its $2 million up front before one employee has been paid although the Leader’s Circle provides half of that number.
Yet it’s the aero kit/bodywork option in the eye of the storm. When you pay $385,000 for your new Dallara ($150,000 discount on your first one if you’re based in Indy) it comes with an aero kit/bodywork.
Honda, General Motors, Lotus and anybody else with the wherewithal were also encouraged to build personal kits that could sell for a fixed price of $75,000 and, hopefully, look different than a Dallara. GM had even commented it was as excited about having its own look as it was building a V-6 turbocharged engine.
INDYCAR: Live Chat With Miller, Pruett & Hull, 2pm ET Friday
Join Robin Miller, Marshall Pruett and Chip Ganassi Racing Managing Director Mike Hull as they answer your questions about the aero kit revolt, Trump, Scott Speed and more...
Evidently, the plan was to have everyone run the Dallara until May of 2012, when the optional kits would be introduced. But it’s much more than one $75,000 payment.
“There’s a reason why the owners were unanimous when we voted last weekend and we’re all agreeing because it’s a money problem,” said Keith Wiggins, a racer to the core who spent his own money to keep Simona de Silvestro on the track in 2010.
“We’re going to start the season with Dallara but of course you’ll need a spare aero kit and wings for your second car. So you run four races and then switch kits and suddenly you’re spending another $500,000.
“I don’t have the budget to buy my new cars yet and then have to come up with another $500,000? That’s the problem.”
Chip Ganassi didn’t vote yea (his capo Mike Hull did) and he’s adamant he doesn’t want spec cars. Most of us figured Roger Penske would feel the same way since he’s all about being different and trying for the unfair advantage.
But The Captain has been a big proponent of staying spec in 2012.
I was also going to suggest a bounty on them might be a good way to raise money to pay for aero kits.
And, while I reserve the right to loathe some of them on general principle after five decades of watching their destructive ways, it’s not going to change the bottom line concerning the 2012 car wars.
Owners bitch and moan constantly but they’re a necessary evil. Yet without them, we have no INDYCAR series. And there’s no one standing in line to take their place.
If they all say they can’t afford multiple types of aero kits until 2013 then maybe Randy Bernard should abide by their wishes.
The Indy car fans voiced their opinion--long and loud--over the past few days about being unhappy if all the new cars look like the same old cookie-cutter Dallaras.
But all the mud slinging, badmouthing and voodoo dolls in the world can’t change the fact that most owners are going to be financially challenged to pay for new equipment along with their inflated tire bills.
“At the end of the day, nobody is wrong,’’ said Tony Cotman, who is trying against all odds to finish off the rule book and parameters for the new car. “Our fans want to see different-looking cars and we promised that several months ago.
“At the same time, it’s expensive because not one thing carries over from our current car to the new one. The fans do not know the details that make this thing tick because a lot of facts are not public knowledge.
“But it shouldn’t have come down to the 13th hour. Everybody knew the price of the aero kit from Day 1.”
Buying two new cars with spares will roughly run $1 million with the engine lease dropping from $935,000 to $690,000 but Firestone’s tire bill is doubling to $550,000 so its $2 million up front before one employee has been paid although the Leader’s Circle provides half of that number.
Yet it’s the aero kit/bodywork option in the eye of the storm. When you pay $385,000 for your new Dallara ($150,000 discount on your first one if you’re based in Indy) it comes with an aero kit/bodywork.
Honda, General Motors, Lotus and anybody else with the wherewithal were also encouraged to build personal kits that could sell for a fixed price of $75,000 and, hopefully, look different than a Dallara. GM had even commented it was as excited about having its own look as it was building a V-6 turbocharged engine.
INDYCAR: Live Chat With Miller, Pruett & Hull, 2pm ET Friday
Join Robin Miller, Marshall Pruett and Chip Ganassi Racing Managing Director Mike Hull as they answer your questions about the aero kit revolt, Trump, Scott Speed and more...
Evidently, the plan was to have everyone run the Dallara until May of 2012, when the optional kits would be introduced. But it’s much more than one $75,000 payment.
“There’s a reason why the owners were unanimous when we voted last weekend and we’re all agreeing because it’s a money problem,” said Keith Wiggins, a racer to the core who spent his own money to keep Simona de Silvestro on the track in 2010.
“We’re going to start the season with Dallara but of course you’ll need a spare aero kit and wings for your second car. So you run four races and then switch kits and suddenly you’re spending another $500,000.
“I don’t have the budget to buy my new cars yet and then have to come up with another $500,000? That’s the problem.”
Chip Ganassi didn’t vote yea (his capo Mike Hull did) and he’s adamant he doesn’t want spec cars. Most of us figured Roger Penske would feel the same way since he’s all about being different and trying for the unfair advantage.
But The Captain has been a big proponent of staying spec in 2012.
INDYCAR BRAZIL
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