INDYCAR: Sonoma Notebook

IndyCar

INDYCAR: Sonoma Notebook

Turbo engines are set to return in 2011, and the drivers react

Jeff Olson | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted August 24, 2008 Sonoma, Calif.

Turbocharged engines will again be a part of the Indy car platform. (LAT photo)

As far as Tony Kanaan is concerned, if it’s good enough for his personal cars, it’s good enough for his race cars.

Kanaan’s favorite cars are equipped with turbochargers. That’s why he welcomed news that the IndyCar Series would introduce turbos in 2011.

“If it’s turbo, I get a bigger kick out of it,” Kanaan said. “That’s why most of my cars have turbos. They’re just that much more fun to drive.”

News that the series would scrap its naturally aspirated formula and go to turbos – a staple of American open-wheel racing for decades – was met with enthusiasm from most drivers, who have been lobbying Indy Racing League leaders for turbochargers since the league unified with former Champ Car teams earlier this year.

“That’s what this type of racing was all about back in the day,” Helio Castroneves said. “It’s going to be awesome. Hopefully we’ll be in good shape. It will be fun.”

IndyCar officials confirmed the intended change Saturday, telling the Indianapolis Star that the formula will be used with either four- or six-cylinder engines. League officials said they have the interest of two or three manufacturers aside from Honda, the current engine supplier, if turbos are implemented.

“They’re going to change the cars, too, so it will be a big challenge,” Kanaan said. “I don’t know what else will change, but I’m sure that won’t be all. And for those of us who have gotten used to naturally aspirated engines, it will be a major difference. We’re going to have to get used to it again.”

When told that league officials were considering an increase from 650 horsepower to as much as 750, Castroneves smiled.

“Now we’re talking,” he exclaimed.

The transition to turbos stands out because it was one of the periphery reasons behind the split and one of the first things to change after the Indy Racing League began racing separately from CART in 1996. The IRL used existing CART equipment in 1996, but switched to naturally aspirated engines in 1997.

At issue was the tricky pop-off valves used to regulate boost on the turbochargers, and accusations that teams and manufacturers were manipulating the valves.

“You’re going to have to police it,” Kanaan said. “There are ways to get away with it, to get more boost than others have. But they opened it up to turbos because they want more manufacturers, so hopefully there will be more engine manufacturers this time around. It’s a good problem to have.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Olson

SPEEDtv.com

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