 By now you've no doubt read all the details about IndyCar's made-in-America Dallara Indy car for 2012. IndyCar hopes to convince its teams and other car builders or engine manufacturers to create partnerships to build their own aero kits--front wings, sidepods, engine cover and rear wing. These aero kits can be sold to any team for no more than $70,000. Meanwhile, Dallara will begin building a manufacturing facility in downtown Speedway, Indiana close to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway aided by a $5 million state subsidy and tax breaks from the state and local governments.
Many fans are disappointed that competing car builders are permitted to build only aero kits for 2012 and that Dallara will continue to form the core of Indy car racing for at least the next five years if not many more to come. And too, many fans are disappointed to see the exciting Delta Wing concept rejected by IndyCar.
"A simple solution wasn't going to cut it," commented IndyCar team owner Gil de Ferran a member of the seven-man 'Iconic' committee. "The cheapest solution wasn't the right solution and a solution that was right from the perspective of technology and innovation wasn't right from any other perspective."
De Ferran said IndyCar hopes to embrace multiple car builders in the future.
"There was certainly a lot of discussion on that front," Gil said. "We were looking at this decision not only for the short term from 2012-15, but essentially laying the groundwork for the longterm future of the series.
"I think one of the beauties of this concept is the framework is there to continue to free it up if the environment allows us to do so. We had many discussions along those lines and I think the important thing is at the end of the day we were not choosing any specific car but creating a new concept and a new approach to solve what on the face of it are very conflicting requirements."
Delta Wing designer Ben Bowlby could not hide his unhappiness about IndyCar's decision to go with Dallara for 2012-15.
"We're deeply and bitterly disappointed in the decision," Bowlby remarked immediately after the announcement. "An enormous amount of work has gone into the Delta Wing with a lot of people working their hearts out to put together a really credible option for the future and I believe the Delta Wing was still the option that was environmentally correct.
Read more (gordonkirby.com)
If you enjoy Gordon's articles, please check out his work in his following list of books, most recently 'Thanks' with Rick Mears. Also be sure to read his articles as the US Editor in Motorsport magazine, and blogs at http://www.motorsportmagazine.co.uk/
- The Art of Motor Racing with Emerson Fittipaldi, Nutmeg Productions, 1987
- Unser--An American Family Portrait, Anlon Press, 1988
- Bobby Rahal--The Graceful Champion, David Bull Publishing, 1999
- Greg Moore--A Legacy of Spirit (with Dan Proudfoot and Jim Taylor), Whitecap Books, 2000
- Mario Andretti: A Driving Passion, David Bull Publishing, 2001, winner of the 2002 Motor Press Guild Dean Batchelor award, and the 2002 Independent Publishers Book Award in the sports/recreation division
- A Winning Adventure, Honda's Ten Years in CART, co-authored with John Oreovicz, David Bull Publishing, 2003
- Rick Mears-Thanks' the story of Rick Mears and the Mears Gang published by Crash Media Group/Autocourse in May, 2008
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