IndyCar's Future
 

Seeing how it is the off-season, and IndyCar is an open wheel series, albeit rarely mentioned here, there are some interesting rumblings about the 2024 season and beyond.

Two articles from www.racer.com. Both good reads:

The first is a "suggestion" from American Honda Motorsports Manager Chuck Schifsky in which a good way to contain costs is to go to a spec engine that Ilmor Engineering could develop. Note that this would allow Honda to slip away from the series.

An excerpt:

“I think there are several areas where you could save money,” Schifsky told RACER. “The biggest way that you could do that is to take a page out of the development of the hybrid system. So the hybrid system, once it’s up and developed and in the cars, and you’ve worked out all the bugs, and it debuts, the bulk of that development cost is finished. Everybody’s using the same part.

“You can’t mess with it. Teams can’t take it to their super-specialized dynos to trick out their supercapacitor packs or any of that. And so one could look at that and say that we should probably do the same thing with the ICE, where it’s a spec engine; everybody runs the same engine. Ilmor could build it.”

Honda’s suggestion for Ilmor Engineering to become the series’ sole ICE supplier, which is co-owned by IndyCar Series owner Roger Penske, which also builds Chevy’s IndyCar engines, is nothing less than remarkable.

https://racer.com/2023/12/13/hondas-...-supply-costs/

Note that the aforementioned hybrid system mentioned will be spec for both Honda and Chevrolet and at this time will be implemented AFTER the 2024 Indianapolis 500.

The second is a response from General Motors’ VP of Performance and Motorsports Jim Campbell. He essentially skirted the question of whether GM would be willing to be involved in a one make spec engine series and stated that they prefer to compete against another manufacturer.

https://racer.com/2023/12/15/chevy-t...indycar-costs/

Enjoy the articles.

Re: IndyCar's Future
 

Anything they can do to not be EV powered, would be GREAT (I know these articles are talking about Hybrids, not EVs; but thats on all the OEMs minds...mainly that they aren't selling off of their dealer lots...lol).

I hope they keep the package they have (the racing is great; for a rear engine series that runs a few ovals; anyway), with or without Honda; for sometime. If that isn't an option, then I think the Ilmor deal is a great idea! (One I had before the latest Honda story came out).

Its too bad Chevy & Honda can't supply a couple more engines in May; however these teams are doing it ($ wise) there appears to be more interested teams than engines available.

Otherwise, I'd really wished it was like the first couple years of the IRL when shops like Ed Pink and others were able to build them, but I don't see that happening again.

Re: IndyCar's Future
 

What a bunch of crap, Honda wants to leave, Leave. Someone will step in. Hell let Penske's diesel company make the motors. Allow Jake Braking. :)

Re: IndyCar's Future
 

No one has stepped in to be the 3rd OEM; and they have been trying for years...it is said that Honda would stay IF the 3rd OEM came in (to help divide the costs).

I'm really fine with Ilmor, Cosworth, or the such; but they don't come with marketing support ...ideally they could hopefully keep the cost the same for the teams tho; OR even cheaper???

Re: IndyCar's Future
 

Honda will not leave, they are only interested in developing electronics.Look at what is going on in IMSA, the future is not internal combustion!

Re: IndyCar's Future
 

Then there is no future. Because without the sound of it. the rumble of it. Half the experience is lost.

Re: IndyCar's Future
 

[QUOTE=Charles Nungester;570894]Then there is no future. Because without the sound of it. the rumble of it. Half the experience is lost.

Spot on, Charles.

I gave up on the Thunder Boats when the turbines replaced those thundering Merlins!

I remember standing on the bank 50 feet above the water and the ground literally shook. The turbines were faster and I realize the Merlin engines were getting hard to come by, but they lost me and my friends. In fact, that is around the time I really started paying attention to sprint cars.

Indy was wise in outlawing the turbine.

Unfortunately, Indy Car has become a spec series little different from IROC.

After forty one Indy 500's, I gave up my tickets this year. I just can't get interested in them.

My sentiments almost spot on, before my tour in DC,I hardly missed the Regatta in Madison, and really enjoyed the Presidents cup in DC, my office and apartment were only a few blocks from the action, and of course we attended the 2 yrs we were there, the sound was what made it for me, the roost may be bigger, but the sound is not there, I had a friend who helped crew on Miss Madison, and he helped me get up close and personal with those real motors

Re: IndyCar's Future
 

At some point relatively soon, a series will go all electric. Win on Sunday sale on Monday still applies. GM stated vision is to have an all electric fleet by 2035.

Re: IndyCar's Future
 

Let us not get hybrids confused with EVs, gents.