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INDYCAR: Herta, Newey, Mygale Submit Indy Lights Bid
Interest in the new 2014 Indy Lights car continues to build as IndyCar & Indy Lights team owners Bryan Herta and Steve Newey enter the fray.
Marshall Pruett  |  Posted August 24, 2012  
Like every bid submitted so far, Mygale's proposed 2014 Firestone Indy Lights chassis is a general rendering of what the car could look like, but the series is expected to have final say. (Photo: BHA/Mygale)
Interest in the new 2014 Firestone Indy Lights Series car continues to build as IndyCar/Indy Lights team owners Bryan Herta and Steve Newey have entered the fray.

Through their Bryan Hera Autosport outfit, the partners have served as the American importer for the popular French Mygale chassis (pronounced ‘Mee-Gal’), and hope to turn the Formula F, F2000 and Formula 3 constructor into chassis of choice for the Lights series.

“The Indy Lights proposal from us is really an extension of our recent formation of Mygale America; we’re the North American importer and distributor for all of Mygale racing cars,” Newey told SPEED.com. “We kick that off with the F1600 Mygale Honda that we’re racing this year. We've also established a great partnership with Bertrand Decoster, the CEO of Mygale France.

Compared to names like Dallara, Lola and Swift, Mygale isn’t exactly a household name for open-wheel fans in the United States, but as Newey points out, the constructor is highly respected among those who make cars for the junior categories.

“Mygale is not well-known on a global basis as some of the other contenders,” he explained, “but probably the unknown was they were the provider of all the Formula BMW cars when Formula BMW USA was one of the primary junior series before it was disbanded in the U.S. two or three years ago. They designed and built over 200 of those cars, which is a full carbon fiber monocoque.
Veteran IndyCar man Steve Newey, right, with his 2010 Indy Lights and Indy 500 driver Sebastian Saavedra. (Photo: LAT)

“They’ve obviously been at the leading edge of the Formula 1600 and Formula 2000 global competition, especially in Europe and Australia as well. And they also have a Formula 3 car, which they built over 18 of those cars that are competing in the Italian Formula 3 Championship. So it's a very competitive car. And that's one of the few series that I'm aware of that actually have open chassis competition, most of the other open-wheel series in the world today have spec chassis requirements.”

As current Indy Lights team owners, Herta and Newey bring a deep understanding of budgets and costs that few—if any—of the other potential chassis suppliers can rival. With the current Dallara Indy Lights chassis coming in right at $200,000, Bryan Herta Autosport and Mygale have secured government support to keep its new-car cost to almost the same price owners are paying today.

“We're obviously very sensitive to the needs of the owners that are currently in the Indy Lights series,” Newey continued. “We do have kind of an insider’s perspective on the financial issues that each team faces in the series. I think that's one thing that we’re very, very proactive and want to maintain that price point so we can get as many cars on the grid as we possibly can.

“And I think that is our primary goal, to put together a very cost-effective package. We are fortunate to be able to provide a cost-effective, turnkey solution and based on the fact that the French government does support the project.”
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