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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Chevy To Return In 2012?
"This is pure speculation," IZOD IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard tells SPEED.com.
GM's last bout of success in the IndyCar Series came in 2001 and 2002 as Sam Hornish Jr. and Panther Racing won back-to-back IRL championships. Could the Bowtie be slated for a return in 2012? (LAT)
Reports of General Motors' full-time return to open-wheel racing with an all-new twin-turbo V6 engine for 2012 broke this week in a story written by Peter De Lorenzo on his AutoExtremist.com blog.
While many of the additional elements within the story have been known for some time—the increased presence by GM in the GRAND-AM series for 2011 and a return of Cadillac to the SCCA World Challenge series—the finalization of GM's IZOD IndyCar program were called into question by the series on Sunday.
"This is pure speculation," IZOD IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard told SPEED.com. "We continue to be in talks with various manufacturers regarding involvement in our future engine and chassis program but we do not have any signed contracts other than Honda for 2012."
Bernard and IZOD IndyCar Series entrant Gil de Ferran are known to have met with GM in Detroit this summer after the formal launch of the 2012 engine and chassis regulations in July. The meeting, organized by veteran team owner Roger Penske, reportedly piqued GM's interest most heavily in the aero kit department.
Conjecture at that time centered on GM embracing the Aero Kit naming concept, which would allow the automotive giant to produce its own IndyCar bodywork for 2012, and per the new rules, assume the rights to brand the chassis as a Chevrolet, Buick or any other of its other flagship marques.
Rumors of GM's interest in building an engine for 2012 emerged late last month, and while De Lorenzo's report calls for a formal announcement next week by GM on their 2012 engine plans, SPEED.com has learned that a number of GM's senior racing brass will be traveling on business at the same time that De Lorenzo claims the presentation of their 2012 IndyCar plans are supposed to take place, making such an announcement difficult to conduct.
While it is possible for GM to announce its intent to build an engine prior to signing a deal with the IndyCar Series, Bernard's statement seems to refute this.
The article also asserts that Target Chip Ganassi Racing, the 2008-2010 IndyCar Series champions, have been signed by GM to use their rumored IndyCar engine for 2012, yet based on what SPEED.com has learned as of late Sunday night, those claims are very wide of the mark.
GM was involved in the CART Indy car series with Chevrolet and Buick, and later joined the new-look IRL for 1997 with a 4.0L Oldsmobile Aurora-based V8, which was eventually re-branded as a Chevrolet. After struggling to match the financial commitments the rival Honda and Toyota brands brought over to the IndyCar Series from CART, GM withdrew its final power plant—a Cosworth-designed Chevy engine - at the conclusion of the 2005 season. With Toyota following GM's exit, Honda has served as the sole supplier to the IndyCar Series since 2006.
Honda, through their Honda Performance Development competition division, were the first engine manufacturer to announce their participation in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series with a 2.4L twin-turbo V6 engine.
GM's plans to expand their factory presence in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series have been building for some time, with a number of Daytona Prototype teams switching to Chevrolet power for 2011. GM had only one factory DP program for 2010, but looks to have 3-4 cars using subsidized V8 engines for the new season.
GM's continued support in the Rolex GT category also looks to expand for 2011, with their two current Camaro teams in place and, possibly, a few new factory drivers being signed for the 12-race calendar.
The return of Cadillac to the World Challenge series—a place where it won both drivers' and manufacturers' titles with the last generation of CTS-V—has been one of the worst-kept secrets in road racing, and also serves as one of the more odd choices by GM.
Their desire to promote the Cadillac brand through motorsport resurfaced earlier in the year, but with Corvette leading the charge in the ALMS and the Camaro serving as the primary brand in Rolex GT and the Continental Tire Series, a return to the SCCA World Challenge series was one of the few places for GM to compete with the all-new CTS-V. Despite the lack of other factory programs to compete against, the WC GT-spec Cadillacs will surely prove to be popular just as they were during their last stint in the series.
While many of the additional elements within the story have been known for some time—the increased presence by GM in the GRAND-AM series for 2011 and a return of Cadillac to the SCCA World Challenge series—the finalization of GM's IZOD IndyCar program were called into question by the series on Sunday.
"This is pure speculation," IZOD IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard told SPEED.com. "We continue to be in talks with various manufacturers regarding involvement in our future engine and chassis program but we do not have any signed contracts other than Honda for 2012."
Bernard and IZOD IndyCar Series entrant Gil de Ferran are known to have met with GM in Detroit this summer after the formal launch of the 2012 engine and chassis regulations in July. The meeting, organized by veteran team owner Roger Penske, reportedly piqued GM's interest most heavily in the aero kit department.
Conjecture at that time centered on GM embracing the Aero Kit naming concept, which would allow the automotive giant to produce its own IndyCar bodywork for 2012, and per the new rules, assume the rights to brand the chassis as a Chevrolet, Buick or any other of its other flagship marques.
Rumors of GM's interest in building an engine for 2012 emerged late last month, and while De Lorenzo's report calls for a formal announcement next week by GM on their 2012 engine plans, SPEED.com has learned that a number of GM's senior racing brass will be traveling on business at the same time that De Lorenzo claims the presentation of their 2012 IndyCar plans are supposed to take place, making such an announcement difficult to conduct.
While it is possible for GM to announce its intent to build an engine prior to signing a deal with the IndyCar Series, Bernard's statement seems to refute this.
The article also asserts that Target Chip Ganassi Racing, the 2008-2010 IndyCar Series champions, have been signed by GM to use their rumored IndyCar engine for 2012, yet based on what SPEED.com has learned as of late Sunday night, those claims are very wide of the mark.
GM was involved in the CART Indy car series with Chevrolet and Buick, and later joined the new-look IRL for 1997 with a 4.0L Oldsmobile Aurora-based V8, which was eventually re-branded as a Chevrolet. After struggling to match the financial commitments the rival Honda and Toyota brands brought over to the IndyCar Series from CART, GM withdrew its final power plant—a Cosworth-designed Chevy engine - at the conclusion of the 2005 season. With Toyota following GM's exit, Honda has served as the sole supplier to the IndyCar Series since 2006.
Honda, through their Honda Performance Development competition division, were the first engine manufacturer to announce their participation in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series with a 2.4L twin-turbo V6 engine.
GM's plans to expand their factory presence in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series have been building for some time, with a number of Daytona Prototype teams switching to Chevrolet power for 2011. GM had only one factory DP program for 2010, but looks to have 3-4 cars using subsidized V8 engines for the new season.
GM's continued support in the Rolex GT category also looks to expand for 2011, with their two current Camaro teams in place and, possibly, a few new factory drivers being signed for the 12-race calendar.
The return of Cadillac to the World Challenge series—a place where it won both drivers' and manufacturers' titles with the last generation of CTS-V—has been one of the worst-kept secrets in road racing, and also serves as one of the more odd choices by GM.
Their desire to promote the Cadillac brand through motorsport resurfaced earlier in the year, but with Corvette leading the charge in the ALMS and the Camaro serving as the primary brand in Rolex GT and the Continental Tire Series, a return to the SCCA World Challenge series was one of the few places for GM to compete with the all-new CTS-V. Despite the lack of other factory programs to compete against, the WC GT-spec Cadillacs will surely prove to be popular just as they were during their last stint in the series.
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