IndyCar
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INDYCAR: Owners Reject Aero Kits Again
For the second time in a 13-month span, IndyCar team owners have united to reject aero kits for at least the following season.
Robin Miller  |  Posted June 05, 2012  
If you like the spec look of the Dallara DW12, you'll be able to enjoy it for years to come if INDYCAR heeds the plea of its team owners. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)
The car owners of the IZOD IndyCar Series met with CEO Randy Bernard over the weekend to address their concerns over costs and their unified plea was clear: They don’t want new aero kits in 2013, just as they didn't want them for 2012, but they do seek some immediate relief from Dallara and other vendors over the prices of parts.

“We’re all in agreement that nobody wants new aero kits next year because it’s not really necessary right now,’’ said Dennis Reinbold, who co-owns Oriol Servia’s car along with Robbie Buhl.

“We’ve got a really good race car right now and the competition level is good so it’s just an extra expense we don’t need.’’

It was expected that General Motors and Honda, and probably Lotus would offer the $75,000 aero kits next year in an effort to give the cars a different look.

Added A.J. Foyt: “We all voted no new aero kits and I’d like to see the engine manufacturers take the money they were going to spend on those kits and take a little more off the engine lease.’’

Dallara’s new chassis has proven to be quite racy on ovals, road courses and street circuits, but it wound up costing somewhere between $500,000 and $600,000 rather than the projected $385,000, according to several owners and team managers.

“We were told by the series that all we needed was a seat and a steering wheel and $385,000,’’ said one car owner who requested anonymity. “But it wasn’t close to that, these cars are closer to the prices of the old CART days.

“And we all made our budgets based on that original number we were quoted so it’s a real problem.’’

Added a team manager: “The costs are not what they were projected and we asked Randy to go to Dallara, Cosworth [Electronics] and Xtrac to try and get us some immediate discounts because we need help now.’’
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