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INDYCAR: Honda Wins Turbo Protest
After almost eight hours of lawyers presenting their case and a 3-man panel rendering a decision, Honda is going to be allowed to make a change to its turbocharger...
Robin Miller  |  Posted April 26, 2012   Indianapolis, IN
After almost eight hours of lawyers presenting their case and a 3-man panel rendering a decision, Honda is going to be allowed to make a change to its turbocharger. (Photo: LAT)
It wasn't on the track, but Honda finally won its first battle of the 2012 season against Chevrolet.

After almost eight hours of lawyers presenting their case and a 3-man panel rendering a decision, Honda is going to be allowed to make a change to its turbocharger.

INDYCAR tech chief Will Phillips had ruled prior to practice at Long Beach that Honda could change compressor's on its single turbo but General Motors' teams immediately protested so Phillips said Honda had to keep its original turbo at Long Beach until he had sufficient time to examine all the facts of the manufacturers' agreement.

Following a review of what was discussed with new car project manager Tony Cotman and the engine manufacturers in 2010, Phillips ruled last week that Honda could change.

Chevrolet countered by filing an official protest, which was heard by a 3-man panel of judges. GM chose Hans Peter Kolieir, Honda picked attorney Jim Voyles and longtime Indianapolis Motor Speedway counsel and board member Jack Snyder was selected by INDYCAR after Honda and GM could not mutually agree on the third choice.

Here's a statement released by Honda:

"We are gratified that an independent panel has upheld INDYCAR’s ruling of April 18, 2012, which approved use of the 0.74 A/R compressor cover for single-turbocharged engines competing in this year’s IZOD IndyCar Series.

"INDYCAR committed well in advance of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season to structure engine regulations that would ensure parity in turbocharger performance for both single and twin turbo configurations, and this commitment played a significant role in our decision to adopt a single turbocharger configuration for the new HI12RT Honda Indy V-6.

"The new compressor cover helps to offset the performance disadvantage of the current IndyCar single turbo hardware as measured by INDYCAR's turbo supplier. This correction was designed and provided by the turbo supplier under the direction of IndyCar and was approved prior to the 2012 season.

"We look forward to deploying the new compressor cover to optimize performance of the Honda Indy V-6, as we continue to do battle with our worthy adversaries from Lotus and General Motors."

Roger Penske's Chevy-powered team has won all three races (and poles) so far in 2012 but he was livid a week ago after Phillips gave Honda the OK.

Experts figure the new compressor may mean 10-15 HP for Honda, which runs a single turbo compared to the twin turbos of Chevy and Lotus.

Robin Miller brings 40 years of experience to his role as SPEED.com's senior open-wheel reporter, and serves as a frequent contributor to SPEED Center and Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.
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