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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Aero Kit Discussions, Decisions Continue To Evolve
In addition to cost containment, a second motive for delaying aero kits has also been gaining momentum.
The shape of the Dallara DW12 will likely remain the same for at least 2013, but can something be done to improve its visual appeal without requiring all-new bodywork? (Photo: Marshall Pruett)
With the fate of aero kits in the IZOD IndyCar Series up for debate once again, a final decision on whether custom bodywork will be allowed for next season appears to have been made.
“We’re pushing hard to put out an official release very soon as to what’s happening,” INDYCAR VP of Technology Will Phillips told SPEED.com.
“We’re not anticipating any aero kits in 2013, which we’ve told the suppliers and manufacturers, but we’re looking very hard at what our options are. It’s hard to say much more than that right now.”
IndyCar team owners came to a unanimous vote among themselves earlier this month, and despite carrying no decision-making power on the rules or policies implemented by the series, their message to IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard was clearly received.
With Chevrolet, Honda and Lotus--the three confirmed aero kit manufacturers--faced with building products the paddock has no intention of buying, INDYCAR was left with no choice but to delay the planned introduction of aero kits yet again.
With new-car expenses just around the corner, team owners reached the first anti-aero kit majority decision in 2011, calling for a one-year delay in the interest of cost savings. With paddock-wide budget overruns this season surrounding the Dallara DW12, costs have been cited as the primary reason for the most recent vote.
In addition to cost containment, a second motive for delaying aero kits has also been gaining momentum.
The series has produced possibly its finest season of racing to date through nine rounds, creating incredible battles throughout the field on road and street courses, and an even higher level of excitement at the four ovals IndyCar has visited.
Tight, hard-fought competition among teams has been at the core of the product IndyCar has offered its fans, and with the back-and-forth battles between Chevy and Honda, the series has a strong product to offer fans, tracks, sponsors and its TV partners.
But with the top aero kit R&D and manufacturing budgets reportedly reaching almost $10 million, all it takes is for Pratt & Miller Engineering (Chevy) or Wirth Research (Honda) to find a half-second advantage in the wind tunnel, and all of that great racing will become a distant memory.
Dallara confirmed to SPEED.com during the month of May that it designed the DW12’s aerodynamics with the full expectation that its bodywork would be immediately replaced by aero kits made by the engine manufacturers. That’s not to say the Italian constructor took shortcuts on the DW12’s aerodynamics, but Dallara was surprised to find its aero kit—the stock bodywork that came with the car—would be pressed into service for this season and beyond.
“We’re pushing hard to put out an official release very soon as to what’s happening,” INDYCAR VP of Technology Will Phillips told SPEED.com.
“We’re not anticipating any aero kits in 2013, which we’ve told the suppliers and manufacturers, but we’re looking very hard at what our options are. It’s hard to say much more than that right now.”
IndyCar team owners came to a unanimous vote among themselves earlier this month, and despite carrying no decision-making power on the rules or policies implemented by the series, their message to IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard was clearly received.
With Chevrolet, Honda and Lotus--the three confirmed aero kit manufacturers--faced with building products the paddock has no intention of buying, INDYCAR was left with no choice but to delay the planned introduction of aero kits yet again.
With new-car expenses just around the corner, team owners reached the first anti-aero kit majority decision in 2011, calling for a one-year delay in the interest of cost savings. With paddock-wide budget overruns this season surrounding the Dallara DW12, costs have been cited as the primary reason for the most recent vote.
In addition to cost containment, a second motive for delaying aero kits has also been gaining momentum.
The series has produced possibly its finest season of racing to date through nine rounds, creating incredible battles throughout the field on road and street courses, and an even higher level of excitement at the four ovals IndyCar has visited.
Tight, hard-fought competition among teams has been at the core of the product IndyCar has offered its fans, and with the back-and-forth battles between Chevy and Honda, the series has a strong product to offer fans, tracks, sponsors and its TV partners.
But with the top aero kit R&D and manufacturing budgets reportedly reaching almost $10 million, all it takes is for Pratt & Miller Engineering (Chevy) or Wirth Research (Honda) to find a half-second advantage in the wind tunnel, and all of that great racing will become a distant memory.
Dallara confirmed to SPEED.com during the month of May that it designed the DW12’s aerodynamics with the full expectation that its bodywork would be immediately replaced by aero kits made by the engine manufacturers. That’s not to say the Italian constructor took shortcuts on the DW12’s aerodynamics, but Dallara was surprised to find its aero kit—the stock bodywork that came with the car—would be pressed into service for this season and beyond.
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