Lotus Consolidates INDYCAR Team Line-up to Improve 2012 Results

Photo Credit: Group Lotus

“It was clear from the start that the 2012 season was going to be a huge challenge as Lotus debuted its INDYCAR engine, but it was a challenge that Lotus was determined to meet.” Group Lotus made this admission in a statement as they dropped news Tuesday changing their first-year commitment to the IZOD INDYCAR Series.

Citing lack of resources and minimal track testing, Group Lotus was forced into making a decision under a strategic review. Realizing their regular supply of engines to five IZOD INDYCAR Series teams was spreading the engine brand's efforts too thinly on the tour, the decision was made to withdraw support from two single-car teams. Ahead of the Indianapolis 500, Lotus is cutting ties to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing as well as 2011 Indy 500 winning-team Bryan Herta Autosport.

In the official statement from Group Lotus, the engine supplier conveyed the announcement as positive move to build a stronger race weekend presence through the upcoming events in the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series schedule. Claudio Berro, Director of Motorsport Group Lotus, referenced the freshman effort in the North American open wheel racing series as “David versus Goliath” fight. By reducing the availability of their twin-turbocharged V-6 engine, Lotus intends to better focus their development towards an equal playing field with Chevrolet and Honda. Through the rest of the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series tour, Lotus will center their open wheel racing program around HVM Racing and the Lotus Dragon Racing organization. Lotus is also going to add more resources and monetary assistance to the remaining efforts in the series.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will run Lotus engines for the final time for the upcoming Sao Paulo Indy 300 race this Sunday. Last week, Bryan Herta Autosport announced they were going to sit out the IZOD INDYCAR Series round in Brazil so the team can focus on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway activities from mid-to-late May. While two teams are now forced to seek out new engines, Randy Bernard, CEO of the INDYCAR sanctioning body, insures the #98 Bryan Herta Autosport car as well as the #22 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will have engine power for the Indy 500. “We support Lotus' decision and will assist Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Bryan Herta Autosport in securing engine support for the remainder of the season” As of Wednesday, neither Bryan Herta Autosport or Dreyer & Reinbold Racing have issued an official statement in direct reaction to Lotus' decision.

2012 INDYCAR Engine Shuffle in Full Swing

Photo Credit: Christopher Nagy/XSL Speed Reporter

Big technical changes announced little over a year ago for the IZOD INDYCAR Series is quickly coming to reality. An all-new race car will be christened with the season opening race connecting the series to the advanced technologies utilized in the modern automobile industry. Among many changes upcoming to the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR season is completely revised engine specifications. Regulated to twin-turbocharged 2.2 liter V-6 powerplant, the series entrants will be presented with a choice of manufacturers for the for time since the sanctioning body's 2005 open wheel racing season. As the current 2011 season has just past its halfway point, several major INDYCAR Series teams have already decided on the powerplant choices for 2012. After powering the IZOD INDYCAR Series through the past 6 years as the sole engine supplier, Honda will remain one of three manufacturers which now sees direct competition from Chevrolet and Lotus.
The first race team to announce their 2012 powerplant choice was Penske Racing. Prior to the new year, Ilmor Engineering confirmed involvement with the Chevrolet brand's return to open wheel. A long-time partner with Ilmor, team owner Roger Penske was present at the introduction ceremony. Absent from open wheel racing since the end of 1993, Chevrolet's history with Penske Racing included three Indianapolis 500 victories and a 1988 championship on the CART World Series.

Penske Racing intention to run Chrevrolet engines in 2012 was followed almost six months later by powerplant confirmation from rival Chip Ganassi Racing. For the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR season, the Target/Chip Ganassi Racing and rookie Chip Ganassi Racing team has elected to remain faithful to Honda power. Winning the past three IZOD INDYCAR driver titles titles with Honda engines, Target/Chip Ganassi Racing became a powerhouse combination on the CART World Championship during the late 1990s.

On July 19th, long-time series team AJ Foyt Racing confirmed their #14 car will remain powered by Honda Racing Development through the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series season. In response to the race team making an agreement with the Japanese-born auto company, president of Honda Performance Development and vice president, corporate planning and logistics, for American Honda Erik Berkman responded, "A.J. shares many traits with Soichiro Honda, the founder of our company. Passionate, dedicated men, their names became synonymous with racing in their native lands, and each has served as a symbol of his country’s passion for motorsport around the world. Today, we consider A.J. to be a venerable member of the Honda ‘family,’ and we look forward to our continued association with both the man and his team." On the side of AJ Foyt Racing, the four-time Indy 500 driver turned team owner AJ Foyt stated "I am really looking forward to working with Honda next year,".
There has yet to be a confirmation for teams opting for the Lotus engine. Expect KV Racing Technology, a current technical partner with Lotus Motorsports, to officially declare the usage of the British sports car company's engine. Perhaps one of the last remaining superteams still in play for their 2012 engine decision is Andretti Autosport and Newman/Haas Racing.

Photo Credit: Christopher Nagy/XSL Speed Reporter

Yet to confirm their choice, Andretti Autosport is equally as likely remain with Honda as it is with taking a chance with Lotus or Chevrolet. Building a close-knit reputation with Honda, the Andretti family also has a history connected to each of the other auto manufacturers competing on the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR circuit. Michael Andretti won the 1991 INDYCAR/CART World Championship with Chevrolet power while Mario Andretti became the 1978 Formula 1 World Championship driving for Colin Chapman's Team Lotus. A wild card decision for 2012, expect Andretti Autosport to choose what is best for both sponsors and for the team's competitiveness in the future IZOD INDYCAR Series.

In the case of Newman/Haas Racing, staying with Honda could be a likely decision but other engine suppliers are not completely out of the equation. With Honda power in the IZOD INDYCAR season, Newman/Haas Racing has two team victories in 2008 but has not won a race for almost 3 years. Newman/Haas could select Chevy power for the 2012 season marking a return to a powerplant the team used from 1987 to 1991.

With a chance to completely shake up the front-runners to the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series, engine manufacturers choices could affect the balance of competition for the anticipated new car season.

Ready or Not; Here Comes the 2012 INDYCAR Dallara Chassis

Photo Credit: Ron McQueeney

Almost two years in the making, discussions between INDYCAR and manufacturers, the consultations within the ICONIC advisory panel and the designs of several potential constructors have narrowed into a 2012 INDYCAR. Since receiving the contract to supply their rolling chassis to the 2012 IZOD INDYCAR Series in early July, Dallara has worked on making a computer-generated race car model into the new competition. Based on a monocoque rolling chassis supplied by Italian-based manufacturer Dallara Automobili, the 2012 race cars have broken into the fabric of reality ahead of festivities for the 2011 Indianapolis 500. As the last Indy 500 is set to commence at the end of the month with a chassis based on a 9-year old design, the two new look Indycars gives an impression for the many faces for the future of American open wheel racing.

Sampling the Dallara-sourced aerodynamic aerodynamic pieces over the brand's own rolling chassis, prototypes of the oval and road course suited open wheel setup reveals a healthy merger of race vehicle themes. Maintaining the key parts of the traditional open wheel car DNA, the two mock-ups of the 2012 Indycars also display less conventional characteristics this auto racing genre.



Photo Credit: Ron McQueeney



Unlike the previous Dallara chassis which was developed as the INDYCAR Series tour was performed entirely on ovals, the upcoming 2012 design is receiving more than just a mild compatibility with road course racing. Project manager in charge of implementing the new car Tony Cotman focused on the present and future possibility of the 2012 INDYCAR saying "There is a lot of room for aerodynamic kit development and that's what this platform is about - allowing people the freedom to design as they wish, dream as they wish and come up with a superior product than others. That's what drives competition."

The road racing body kit of the 2012 Dallara Indycar charmingly borrows the tried and true traits of the previous race car. The side tunnels and aerodynamic elements are largely unchanged in deployment on the new vehicle. Pieces continue to optimize downforce on the twistier permanent road and street courses of the IZOD INDYCAR Series. 

 

On the oval bodywork, a most notable adjustment is made to suit the more close quarters action. The most profound changes are made to the rearward portion of the side panels. Resembling a sports car prototype or even a stock car, the side pods all but encompasses the rear wheels. This design is favourable to making open wheel oval racing more forgiving as a 'give-and-take' affair. A new design feature added to the oval as well as the road course version of the Dallara body kits is tunnels behind the rear wheels.




Photo Credit: Ron McQueeney



Though the sanctioning body is heavily invested in the furnishing of the new Dallara, current teams of the IZOD INDYCAR Series voiced some mutual displeasure as they will be picking up the costs of an all-new race machine. Car owners are least enthusiastic about the cost of body kits which is said to cost up to $70,000 a piece. With Dallara's body kit introduced at Indy, sports car builder Lotus had already commented they will make available their own body kit options. Confirmed INDYCAR engine supplier for 2012 Chevrolet has also been mentioned as creating a body kit package.

Proposing that INDYCAR at least delays the introduction of multiple body kit producers on the new car, this maneuver by the owners could easily be a play just to get their costs reduced. It will be seen if INDYCAR Chief Executive Officer Randy Bernard and other principals of the sport can persuade INDYCAR team owners to welcome the different looks for 2012 open wheel racing machines.

Photo Credit: Ron McQueeney

Announced up to the end of 2010, three engines will be available to power the new look Indycars. Conforming to rules specifying 2.4 liter V-6, twin-turbocharged engines running on ethanol-based fuel, Honda re-upped their commitment to American open wheel racing which spans back to 1994. Renewing support to INDYCAR, Chevrolet is teamed back with Illmor engines in creating their 2012 powerplant. British sports car maker Lotus will be a third powerplant option in 2012.

Producing between 550 to 750 horsepower, the engine power will also be backed by an overtake assist or 'push-to-pass' system capable of time-limited boosts of up to 100 horsepower. As current overtake boosts temporarily reconfigure the engine electronics to emit more horsepower INDYCAR has not confirmed where the source of boost power will originate in 2012. As the ICONIC committee were considering options for the 2012 car last year, some speculation surrounded the application of regenerative technologies similar to Formula 1. Senior technical director of the INDYCAR Series Les MacTaggart mentioned in 2010 that the variety of race tracks in the tour would make such a system's use in INDYCAR racing a challenge. "It could be a consideration for our road/street events but it’s hard to say how effective it would be on ovals, which make up close to 50 percent of our current schedule." MacTaggart said also suggesting the use of process called Thermal Energy Recovery (where heat of the exhaust is changed into boost power) was being considered. 



Photo Credit: Ron McQueeney



The cost for the new Dallara rolling chassis is positioned at $345,000. According to last year's press conference declaring the 2012 Indycar, the first 28 cars to be delivered to teams is said to be subsidized to $100,000 in order to help the transition from the 2011 race machines. With one aspect being the American-based production of the 2012 Indycar and most of its components, money will also be saved through switching the car between oval and road courses. Unlike the current car which requires different suspension pieces and configurations when racing the variety of tracks, the 2012 Dallara-based Indycar will feature a common suspension system needing few changes for converting from road course to speedway.

Photo Credit: Ron McQueeney

INDYCAR also plans to best control costs of the 2012 car through insisting that the race vehicle production be based largely in the United States. A major component is having Dallara set up a facility just a short distance from the famed Brickyard itself in Speedway, Indiana. "We have a plan and it's all coming together. About 95 percent of the parts of the car are in production, and we'll be assembling the prototype car shortly. By August, we'll already have to be into the production run for the first 30 or 40 cars of parts." said Dallara representative Sam Garrett.

In less than one year's time, the work and planning of the new Dallara Indycar will be reflected by the on-track product of American open wheel racing.

 



Lotus Blooms as 2012 IndyCar Engine Supplier

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

For the second time in two weeks, the esteemed press and observers of the IZOD IndyCar Series were enlightened to yet another encouraging sign for the future of the open wheel organization. Surprising many with an announcement, Lotus Cars has officially become the 3rd engine supplier slated to be powering the upcoming 2012 IndyCar Series vehicles.

Revealed Friday at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show in the presence of IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard, Lotus Cars CEO Dany Bahar and IndyCar racing legend Parnelli Jones, the announcement involved not only the admittance to supplying engines but also confirming a previously-stated intent to offer a body kit to the Dallara chassis in 2012.

Since the formulation of the new car rules, it was more than likely Lotus was clamouring for a greater role in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Throughout this year, Lotus had a technical cooperation with the KV Racing team. In part of that agreement, the green and yellow colours of Lotus had been worn through the 2010 campaign by KV Racing's #5 car of Takuma Sato. Of course most notably, Lotus Racing has also reactivated as a Formula 1 competitor as one of three new teams joining the grand prix grid this past season. 

Through the 1960s, Team Lotus founder Colin Chapman launched an all-out charge to take the world's greatest oval racing event. Making a first stand at the 1963 Indy 500, the rear-engined Lotus race cars piloted by Formula 1 legends Jim Clark and Graham Hill would both have their pictures mounted on the Borg-Warner Trophy. Clark brought Lotus to the first ever victory at the Brickyard for a rear-engined open wheel car in 1965 with Graham Hill repeating for Chapman's team in 1966.

While Lotus' victory at the Indy 500 quickly led to complete adoption of rear-engine configuration on Indy cars, a two-year stint of 1967 and 1968 saw technology which would never again visit the Brickyard. Running a gasoline-powered turbine Indy car, Parnelli Jones almost won the 1967 race if it had not been for a late race mechanical failure. In 1969, Mario Andretti charged to the Indy 500 in a four-wheel drive Lotus but the car was lost in a crash prior to the 500-mile race. Andretti won the 1969 Indy 500 in a modified Brawner-Hawk chassis.

A part of such a rich racing past, Dany Bahar provided details on why Lotus has decided for a return to North American open wheel racing. "We believe in the series. We believe the series is developing very, very well. I think it fits perfectly very well our activities and strategies in the U.S., which is our biggest market."


With KV Racing being a likely client of the Lotus engines and aero kits, it is too early to identify which teams will opt for the components of the British-based organization but it will certainly not be an exclusive deal. Rules set out by the IndyCar ICONIC committee behind the 2012 race machine was to require any aero kits to be available to other teams.

While supplying chassis parts is not new for Lotus, it remains interesting to ponder how Lotus will develop an engine in just one year. As a sports car builder, many of Lotus' powerplants for production cars were harvested and modified from other company designs (The Lotus Elise and the upcoming 2013 Esprit borrow engines from Toyota Motor Company). Lotus does have experience as well as resources in building their own production powerplants (the Lotus 900 and the twin-turbo used on the Esprit V-8 are two examples).

Looking forward to about 15 months time, Lotus' Bahar states "We want to compete. We would like to design our own cars and hopefully maybe other teams can profit from our design capabilities. That's why we start already from today investing money and also capacities in developing the right aero kit and engine for 2012".