Indycar Concept

The look of this car is growing on me. I would rather watch good racing in ugly cars than what the current Indycar product is.

http://deltawingracing.com/

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-inside-the-delta-wing-project/

That's just wrong ! Looks like the SpeedRacer cartoon car.

resembles part of the male anatomy

I thought that I might get that type of reaction, lol.

I really like these three concepts by swift much better than the proposal by Delta Wing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc3EbAAxLGE

Check out the Dallara concepts:

http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/dallara-2012-indycar-concept-chassis/

All are rather more attractive than that Bonneville/cartoon concoction. For example, the most radical proposal:

Who is driving, Ace or Gary?

Bryce

I liked all three of the concepts.

I don't understand how the car stays stable with the narrow front track.

Yeah that Delta wing seems a bit to much vaporware. I think stability would be an issue, as well how to mount the front suspension. Cool idea, but more flash than substance.

Woohoo sounds like some new life is finally being breathed into American open wheel racing!

Bah. IMO, if the IRL wants folks to start watching (and buying tix) again, all they have to do is reinstate the 1995 chassis/engine rules. I'll bet those antiques would still be faster than the little toy cars the IRL uses today.

I still think that without Tony George's being such a Bob Costas about running the series himself, there would be 10yrs development on both the cars and the SAFER barrier system. Between the two (again IMO), they'd be averaging 240-250mph laps at Indy by now. Has anyone cut a 236 since Arie did the deed in a CART-spec Reynard in 96?

BTW: That's about 15mph faster than the little toy cars do now. And it was more than ten years ago.

Re the Deltawing concept: Think that car might push just a tad? That narrow front end will have no bite at all.

As far as speed goes, the limiting factor at 250+ mph is not the car, it's the driver. IIRC, CART was to race at Texas Motor Speedway on the oval. The high banking and speed potential of those cars almost caused Michael Andretti to black out from the g-force at over 240 mph. The drivers got together and refused to race, forcing cancellation.

CART fell from grace as arguably the second most important open-wheel series in the world from that point on. The organizers were out of their minds to schedule such a race. That year's version of Indycar produced a lap of 215 mph at the same facility. That fiasco was second only to the Formula 1 / IMS / Michelin debacle a few years back. Unless someone comes up with a g-suit like fighter pilots wear, there will be no racing through turns at 240.

I don't believe that car would make the light of day in its present form. Way too long and too narrow of a track in front. It might work on paper on an oval, but a road course would be a different story.

I'm usually not one to say this but I would not watch a series that raced something that ugly. It's way beyond normal ugly and not in a good way!

I'm sure however that there may be concepts that will be incorporated into a more usable platform.

Dave,

The sport would move in that direction if the concept proved to be faster but it won't. If ugly shaved a second off a lap time, than ugly it is. However, unless it's Bonneville, I don't think the Deltawing concept is viable.

That deltawing concept looks like something made more for a bonneville/maxton straight line speed run.........turning right or left seems like it might be a problem -- and what about draft for cars following behind..............

Is it so wrong that I want my chocolate and peanut better separated? Let CART/IRL/F1 whatever have a seemingly open set of rules for car/chassis design and if the drivers need pressure suits let 'em? And let NASCRAP revert to NASCAR and use production tubs and go back to the win on Sunday/Sell on Monday ethos that they had and left in the 70's? I haven't had any interest in that series since the 70's when I was a little kid and made models of Richard Petty's cars.....

Jerry From LA wrote: Unless someone comes up with a g-suit like fighter pilots wear, there will be no racing through turns at 240.

I don't see a problem with this. Racing so fast the drivers wear g-suits? THAT would bums in the seats.

After looking at it on innumerable forums I kinda like the looks of the new car. Oh I see some probs, but conceptually it's not all bad.

Their simulation shows the car on a road course so they must think it will run a road course, but unless there's something magical about the narrow front, wide rear I don't know how they'd go around tight corners.

Nashco wrote: Who is driving, Ace or Gary? Bryce

This was my first thought as well.

The basic concept isn't bad, and was used to small degree in F1 with the Lotus 80 if I remember correctly, but the length of it is huge drawback, as is the front track.

Could you just image the carnage at the first turn of it's first race!

The grip from the rear would probably overpower the front grip in mechanical situations too. From our Nascar days, a tiny change in front track would make big differences in performance.

Supposedly, it has torque vectoring on the rear wheels, so that ought to offset its narrow front track somewhat.

I think this is the inspiration:

Id say: it would be ok to race theses if Joe Tanto and Jimmy Bly were racing them

scardeal wrote: Supposedly, it has torque vectoring on the rear wheels, so that ought to offset its narrow front track somewhat. I think this is the inspiration:

I've driven one of those. The rear stays planted pretty well, but the FWD causes problems under hard acceleration.

BTW: Jerry, I agree with you about the CART 2001 event at TX Speedway, but consider that the place was only a mile and a half around. As you say, the banking was probably the killer, since there'd been no such problems at the (flat) Milwaulkee Mile. By modern standards, Indianapolis is "flat" as well. What's the banking there? 16deg or so?

Jerry From LA wrote: Dave, The sport would move in that direction if the concept proved to be faster but it won't. If ugly shaved a second off a lap time, than ugly it is.

As evidence, look at the 2010 Formula One cars (I've been clicking on the photos of the "introduction ceremonies" over at motorsport.com). Jeez, if I were a promoter, I'd be pressing to let the teams have ground effect tunnels back, since the (alleged) flat bottoms cause such weird twists & tucks on the sidepods. I'll bet ten Euros they'll be faster, though..

Jerry From LA wrote: However, unless it's Bonneville, I don't think the Deltawing concept is viable.

Yup.

Personally, I think the current Indy-cars are quite ugly. They have been ugly since the first iteration of the "Earl" cars, IMO. I really don't see where the wierdness adds a whole lot to either the performance, or the safety, of the cars.

Current F1 cars, while slightly strange to look at from certain angles, at least look like some thought went into the strangeness.

To me, the best thing that Indycar could do would be to use the Panoz DP01 as a start for the next-gen car.

Yes to racing with G-suits.

I know pilots that can handle SUSTAINED 8 G, and come back to eat a huge meal.

maroon92 wrote: Yes to racing with G-suits. I know pilots that can handle SUSTAINED 8 G, and come back to eat a huge meal.

My dad did it for 20 years. For what it's worth, he has the back of someone 30 years his senior now.