Tag: 2012

IndyCar – 2012 Chassis Revealed!

Doug Patterson

This afternoon, the Indy Racing League announced their plans for the 2012 season of the IZOD IndyCar Series. There’s been a lot of buzz about what the new chassis spec would be for a number of years now. The speculations have run from a completely wide-open, run-whatcha-brung, regulation to a completely spec, single-manufacturer car. For the past year, most of the money was on the spec type of formula, but in recent weeks, comments by the league officials and especially by Randy Bernard have led many to think that perhaps…

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IndyCar – New Chassis Prognostication

Doug Patterson

Well, the day has finally arrived. Today at 1100 CDT, we will finally discover the new chassis and strategy for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series. You can watch the event live via IndyCar.com if you were not lucky enough to get an invite and have the ability to act on it. In another gesture that shows that the leadership is beginning to understand the importance of fans, early invitations were given to the Crew Level members of the official fan club Indy Downforce. Good on them for that! Sadly, I…

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F1 – How Can Austin Succeed Where Indy Failed

mike

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh recently made his feelings known about the return of the USGP to Austin, Texas in a phone interview with Autosport. His most poignant statement was “I think Formula 1 is used to being poured into markets that want us badly there…. North America frankly doesn’t need Formula 1, so I think it’s for us to go and prove to North America that this is an interesting sport and spectacle and something that it’s worthwhile them taking an interest in.” The US is a stick and…

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IndyCar – DeltaWing Announces Partnership With Milliken & Company

Doug Patterson

Many of you know that I’m not a big supporter of the DeltaWing effort, but understand that its not for any of the technological goals and philosophies of the group. I just can’t get past the tricycle appearance of the thing and the mundane performance specs for the engine. Of all the designs and proposals made public thus far, I must say that Swift Engineering is by far my favorite. The renderings of their proposed models look great, but that’s not their primary strength; it’s their technological expertise and partnerships…

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IndyCar – The BAT Project

Doug Patterson

Bruce Ashmore, Alan Mertens and Tim Wardrop, all with serious design and engineering credentials in IndyCar racing, have put together a concept for the 2012 IndyCar Chassis. Calling themselves BAT Engineering, BAT for Bruce, Alan, and Tim, the trio have created a concept that started not with a discussion amongst aerodynamicists, but with Dr. Trammell and and other Indy Racing League safety officials. The first goal of the chassis was to be safe, which leads the concept to have very wide sidepods and closely protected wheels. The second objective was…

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