Forget about the current IndyCars. What about the future?
This month, four possible paths emerged for the Indy Racing
League to take as it decides what will be the next generation of
IndyCars starting in 2012. The concepts from Dallara, Lola, Swift
and Delta Wing have ranged from traditional to radical,
evolutionary to revolutionary, familiar to different.
All of them have had to meet eight major criteria put forth
by the IRL earlier this month: Safety, raceability, American
manufacturing, cost-effectiveness, less mass/more efficiency,
relevant technology, a modern look, and being “green.”
And ever since they’ve been released to the public, the
open-wheel fan base has been debating and dissecting their
respective merits with gusto.
They will be doing that all the way through to this summer,
when a final decision is expected from the league. President of
competition Brian Barnhart has said he wants an 18-20 month window
for proper execution, so based on that, the call could be made as
early as the month of May during preparations for the Indianapolis
500.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons for each of the
four concepts.
Dallara as Ol’ reliable
The league’s sole chassis supplier since 2006,
Dallara’s current car has been in action since 2003. Since
that time, the IRL has morphed from a series with multiple chassis
and engine manufacturers to a one-make entity and it’s going
to stay that way on the chassis front. So why not go with the tried
and tested Dallara, who has helped the league get to its current
adolescence and whose familiarity and longevity is an important
element in its favor?
Dallara says that their car will have less drag and more
downforce than their current model, and the final cost of the
complete package (i.e. all the parts needed to race on the
different sets of tracks the series visits) would be 55 percent of
what the current car costs now. If Dallara gets the contract to
make the 2012 chassis, they’ll manufacture the car in a
planned new facility in central Indiana, so there’s also the
chance of more jobs for the local racing industry in the region.
It’s a decent rundown for sure. But there’s a
definite argument to be made about being stale. We’ve seen
the current needle-nosed Dallara for seven seasons and it feels
like the hate for the car has only kept growing. For fans that want
to see the series take a fresh, new approach to things, having
Dallara along for the ride does not seem to work. Never mind that
that its three evolutionary concepts are all quite different from
their current offering: It’s Dallara. Get it?
But here’s another thing to keep in mind — the
concepts from Dallara were leaked via e-mail on Feb. 4 (one day
before the manufacturer’s official release of the designs) by
the Indy Racing League. Take that into consideration and the
question of whether this chassis process is or isn’t just a
bunch of smoke and mirrors becomes a valid one.
Lola makes a two-in-one solution
Another constructor with a strong link to major-league
open-wheel racing is Lola, who is looking to impress league
officials with a package that may not be a stunner in the looks
department but features two aspects that should warrant serious
attention.
The first major feature of Lola’s concepts is the dual
body styles that are achieved through visual variations on the
machine. There are seven parts of the common chassis that can be
switched up to create different looks: the front wing endplates,
roll hoop, wing mirrors, rear wheel protection, the top surface of
the nose and a dorsal fin. Lola says these parts will be
aerodynamically matched so one style doesn’t out-perform the
other.
The other major feature is the chassis’ commonality
between the IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights, the
IRL’s development series — an attempt to incite more
teams into fielding programs at both levels and help Lights squads
move up to IndyCar in a cheaper fashion. With the Lola, the
chassis, nosebox and fuel system will be the same across both
series.
Combine that with smart safety moves (longer front wings and
small “protector” pieces behind the rear tires to stop
wheel-to-wheel contact) and a move to utilize the rear underbody in
cutting the turbulence in a car’s wake, and the 2012 Lola
appears to be another solid package. But like Dallara, the cars
simply do not pop in terms of design. There are some evolutionary
tweaks for sure, but if Lola does not win the contract, they may
wind up wondering if they should’ve gone more
“forward” in this regard.
Swift goes for a Fusion act
If online fan reaction is an indication, the group at Swift
Engineering has put together a winner with their concept package.
Seemingly aimed to strike a balance between the present and the
future, the Swift concepts also feature multiple aspects that
should be a must for all of the next-generation IndyCars regardless
of who builds it.
Like the Lola chassis, the Swift concepts focus on breaking
turbulence that oncoming cars must contend with, although they
actually decided to name their device that does the job, which is
called the “Mushroom Buster.” The Buster sweeps the
wake upward and with its current use on Swift’s Formula
Nippon machines, the capabilities of this device would likely be
expanded upon in the IndyCars.
Swift has also attempted to help fans at the track get more
real-time information on specific cars with their
“SwiftLights” — moldable, one-millimeter-thick
sheets of clear plastic that can be used to show throttle/brake
position, fuel levels, and race position. If fans can find them
readable at 200+ miles per hour, then this could go down as a
stroke of genius.
The design cues are also solid as well. While it follows the
same guidelines of a modern IndyCar, Swift deserves points for
taking out some of the rear bodywork to reveal part of the engine
and other mechanical parts. It’s a fresh, interesting look.
The side pods on the No. 32 and No. 33 concepts are extended for
more signage space, and they also help stop that pesky interlocking
wheel problem as well.
By combining both old and new elements in design, as well as
some fantastic examples of forward thinking, the Swift concepts are
geared to move IndyCars forward but have them retain what makes
them…well, IndyCars.
Delta Wing goes radical, dude
It’s not a stretch to say that the Delta Wing has sent
shockwaves throughout the racing world and beyond since it was
unveiled at this month’s Chicago Auto Show. Love it or hate
it, the buzz surrounding this machine is growing and that’s
exactly what Chip Ganassi, designer Ben Bowlby and the rest of the
principals on the project are looking for. But is their machine
what the fans are looking for?
According to Delta Wing, their car can rattle off 235 m.p.h.
laps with half the horsepower of a current IndyCar. It also has
several notable tech aspects, such as using its wide rear underbody
to produce downforce, fuel flow control to contain speed, and a
sub-chassis that carries the front suspension, brakes and wheels.
But perhaps the most unique part of Delta Wing’s concept is
its open-source aspect; the company plans to put all of their
designs online and allow anybody from manufacturers to students to
create new parts that may be approved for use on the car.
While Dallara, Lola and Swift may not be keen on making
anything but their own cars, this could definitely be an avenue for
some smart, young minds to make their way into the sport.
But all of these cool ideas are getting completely
overshadowed by the fighter-jet-on-wheels design, which has been
ripped to shreds by many in the fan base — every name has
been used to mock the Delta Wing, ranging from Batmobile to much
naughtier things that can’t be said here. As more time passes
after the unveiling, Delta Wing has to hope that their car’s
attributes will be able to stick with fans and help to create their
own group of followers. Unfortunately for them, they may always be
outnumbered by people who simply cannot get past the look.
It’s clear that the Delta Wing is the most
revolutionary of the four. But it has also triggered a divide in
the process between traditionalists that are dwindling in number
but still have plenty of passion and newer fans that are convinced
that IndyCar needs major change in order to reclaim its former
prominence.
Regardless of which chassis is chosen, both sides must keep
the heat on the IRL by letting them know that enhancing the
on-track product is priority one. A hot car is only one part of the
solution. It must create great action on the track and get more
people to follow the sport, so we can be assured that it will have
many more design cycles like this in the future.
As well as the debates that come with them.
