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As an avid motorsport fan, I’ve been following the saga of the new IndyCar chassis with great interest from the prospective of a fan, mechanical engineering student and hopeful pilot.
The proposals presented by Delta Wing, Swift, BAT and current chassis supplier Dallara represent a shift in the mentality of the series from a spec racer model to a transitional model where the series can restructure and prepare for future growth under the stewardship of CEO Randy Bernard.
One issue I take with the series is its goal to remain relevant to current automotive technology, with the Delta Wing concept as the panacea for a cheap engine (small capacity inline 4) with low power that can still drive the car to 230mph+ at Indy as an example.
This is not a good direction for the series to take, as one of the reasons that fans and drivers complain is due to the lack of the sense of speed and power that current IndyCars have over the former Champ Cars. IndyCars were never about efficiency as much as they were exercises in ingenuity, technology and speed.
The American Le Mans Series is doing a much better job of being relevant to automotive technology development than IndyCar ever did during the USAC or CART/IRL days, with the Michelin Green Challenge for total mileage per gallon over distance traveled, so let’s leave that in the realm of sports cars, since fuel efficiency is actually relevant in endurance racing.
