IndyCar makes ICONIC partnership with Dallara
CEO of the IZOD IndyCar Series Randy Bernard announced Wednesday at the Indianapolis Museum of Art that the company would partner with Dallara Automobilia as the series goes forward with a new line of chassis. The decision was made by the ICONIC committee whose purpose was re-evaluating the current IZOD chassis to find a new package that is innovative, green, cost effective, and faster than previous models.
Bernard joined the series as CEO in 2005 after 15 successful years of marketing the professional Bull Riders series. Bernard quickly learned the inner workings of racing and established the ICONIC committee to assist in making decisions for the future chassis and engine designs of 2011 and 2012.
What the deal allows is for other manufacturers to come into the series and design the car. Dallara was the only manufacturer named in the announcement, and will be making a rolling safety tub to be called the IndyCar Safety Cell. Dallara was the best equipped to make the car within the cost constrictions.
The committee expects to see several manufacturers, designers and teams stepping forward with ideas to develop aero packages for the tub to change the look of the car. Lola, DeltaWing, Swift and BAT – the other chassis choices – are also encouraged to participate in contributing aero packages.
“We have dramatically lowered the barrier to entry for a manufacturer or a technical company who would like to get involved in this series. We have given them a route to concentrating on the main performance differentiator, which is the aerodynamics body work," said ICONIC committee member Tony Prunell, a previous employee of F1’s and Ford’s Premier Performance Division.
The aero package options can include engine covers, side pods and rear wings, and the official name of the design will be the aero package designer's name plus IndyCar, for example: DeltaWing IndyCar.
Fans have been eager to see the series open up to different looking cars to avoid a spec series. New innovation will bring renewed loyalty from old fans and hopefully some new fans as the company expands their horizons to meet the demands of environmental, economical, performance, and aesthetic concerns.
The announcement Wednesday also stipulated the guideline for the new engine: it must be a 2.4L engine with no more than six cylinders. Questions about materials, costs, and power output were not answered, but spokespeople did say that the aero packages will have a road and oval version, cannot exceed $70,000 and must be available to every team participating.
That means if, for example, Roger Penske makes a superior aero package, all teams must be offered it. Since teams are only allowed two kits many are wondering how they will be allocate them, seeing as the IZOD IndyCar schedule has many courses requiring their own kits exclusively, such as Indianapolis. Indianapolis has the heaviest purse and is the most attended and viewed event on the schedule. If one-off teams only use the package at Indianapolis, as opposed to teams who have been using it all season, do they have greater advantage?
Dallara is opening up a new facility which will create 80 jobs. The company will set up shop on Main Street in Speedway, IN, and will be granted some tax incentive to foster Indian business courtesy of the state governor Mitch Daniels. The first 28 Indiana based teams to purchase one of Dallara’s tubs will receive a $150,000 discount, essentially buying the chassis for $200,000.
IZOD IndyCar’s partnership with Dallara is a step in the right direction to ensure the Series can live up to the main goals of the ICONIC car: to be fast, innovative, and cost effective. However there is a lot of work ahead before these results are seen. Aside from creating multiple aero and engine packages the Series still needs to see a growth in support, events and sponsorship in the future. But the blueprint for the future is looking good.
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