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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Inside Dallara’s 2014 Indy Lights Concept
Dallara CEO Stefano dePonti takes SPEED.com inside the firm's 2014 Indy Lights proposal which calls for a downsized version of its DW12.
Dallara's 2014 Indy Lights concept can be easily mistaken for its 2012 DW12 Indy car, and features soft styling changes to a few areas--most noticeably, the sidepods. (Photo: Dallara)
With almost a half-dozen racecar constructors hoping to replace Dallara’s ageing Infiniti Pro Series/Firestone Indy Lights car starting in 2014, the Italian constructor has also submitted a bid in an effort to retain the chassis supply contract. If accepted, Dallara would maintain its status as IndyCar’s sole chassis supplier in its two highest categories.
And with the final chassis selection to come possibly before Christmas, Dallara CEO and general manager Stefano dePonti took SPEED.com inside the thought process behind the firm's 2014 Indy Lights proposal.
At its heart, Dallara would build a 7/8th scale version of its DW12 to serve as the final stepping stone on Mazda’s Road To Indy ladder program.
“We heard [the selection] was coming for September, then October and now we hear it’s going to be soon,” dePonti said while speaking from Dallara’s new production facility in Speedway, IN. “There’s been some changes at IndyCar recently, so we know they postpone it, but we feel very good about what we proposed.
“This [current Lights] car has been out there since 2002, and I think it has done a good job so far. At one point, we had to introduce a road course kit update when the IRL introduced road courses. The proposal we submitted for 2014 will represent a continuation of the Dallara DW12 that includes everything.”
As the renderings of Dallara’s 2014 Indy Lights car depict, the DW12 lookalike features soft styling changes front to back, and could easily be mistaken for its bigger counterpart.
“We have taken a step forward in terms of style, in engineering and technical features,” dePonti explained. “We’ve tried to introduce a step down from IndyCar, but the same features as the Indy car. Not just the style, but also the safety and function so there’s continuity between the Lights car and the Indy car itself. The entire package, you don’t have a road course kit and a different oval kit; it comes in one big box like the Indy car.”
Like the DW12 and many of Dallara’s other open-wheel products, dePonti says provided it’s chosen, the final version of its 2014 Lights car will carry the styling cues desired by the series.
“We are present in many series worldwide: GP2, World Series, Formula Nippon,” he remarked. “Every single-seater series we design isn’t dictated by Dallara; we work very closely with the sanctioning body to make what they want and this is the case with the new Indy Lights car itself. There are some [areas of] expertise Dallara has in this sense, and I think the worldwide motorsports demands these kinds of spec series.”
The popularity of Indy Lights—and its car counts—have waned in recent years, which dePonti hopes can be improved with a more interesting and dynamic 2014 car.
“There’s no longer a lot of money in motorsports to support open development like we had, and consequently, we understand that in what we propose,” he said.
“Indy Lights has to represent the vital support for IndyCar. Teaching drivers to drive Indy cars, engineers and mechanics to work on Indy cars, and everything you learn on road courses and ovals. So that is the focus for this car. I think we need to get back to giving the value Indy Lights deserves.”
With the unique challenges faced by a chassis that must race on road and street courses along with ovals, Dallara would build a bespoke chassis for 2014, rather than modify one of its existing single-seater designs to suit the application.
“It will be an exclusive chassis for Indy Lights,” dePonti confirmed. “Even the current chassis is an exclusive. It has some similarities to the original World Series car, but it was exclusive for Indy Lights and the 2014 car would also be this way.”
And with the final chassis selection to come possibly before Christmas, Dallara CEO and general manager Stefano dePonti took SPEED.com inside the thought process behind the firm's 2014 Indy Lights proposal.
At its heart, Dallara would build a 7/8th scale version of its DW12 to serve as the final stepping stone on Mazda’s Road To Indy ladder program.
“We heard [the selection] was coming for September, then October and now we hear it’s going to be soon,” dePonti said while speaking from Dallara’s new production facility in Speedway, IN. “There’s been some changes at IndyCar recently, so we know they postpone it, but we feel very good about what we proposed.
“This [current Lights] car has been out there since 2002, and I think it has done a good job so far. At one point, we had to introduce a road course kit update when the IRL introduced road courses. The proposal we submitted for 2014 will represent a continuation of the Dallara DW12 that includes everything.”
As the renderings of Dallara’s 2014 Indy Lights car depict, the DW12 lookalike features soft styling changes front to back, and could easily be mistaken for its bigger counterpart.
“We have taken a step forward in terms of style, in engineering and technical features,” dePonti explained. “We’ve tried to introduce a step down from IndyCar, but the same features as the Indy car. Not just the style, but also the safety and function so there’s continuity between the Lights car and the Indy car itself. The entire package, you don’t have a road course kit and a different oval kit; it comes in one big box like the Indy car.”
Like the DW12 and many of Dallara’s other open-wheel products, dePonti says provided it’s chosen, the final version of its 2014 Lights car will carry the styling cues desired by the series.
“We are present in many series worldwide: GP2, World Series, Formula Nippon,” he remarked. “Every single-seater series we design isn’t dictated by Dallara; we work very closely with the sanctioning body to make what they want and this is the case with the new Indy Lights car itself. There are some [areas of] expertise Dallara has in this sense, and I think the worldwide motorsports demands these kinds of spec series.”
The popularity of Indy Lights—and its car counts—have waned in recent years, which dePonti hopes can be improved with a more interesting and dynamic 2014 car.
“There’s no longer a lot of money in motorsports to support open development like we had, and consequently, we understand that in what we propose,” he said.
“Indy Lights has to represent the vital support for IndyCar. Teaching drivers to drive Indy cars, engineers and mechanics to work on Indy cars, and everything you learn on road courses and ovals. So that is the focus for this car. I think we need to get back to giving the value Indy Lights deserves.”
With the unique challenges faced by a chassis that must race on road and street courses along with ovals, Dallara would build a bespoke chassis for 2014, rather than modify one of its existing single-seater designs to suit the application.
“It will be an exclusive chassis for Indy Lights,” dePonti confirmed. “Even the current chassis is an exclusive. It has some similarities to the original World Series car, but it was exclusive for Indy Lights and the 2014 car would also be this way.”
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