2012 IndyCars Make First Public Appearance

[Matthew Little]

Speed Channel: Indycar--2012 Presentation Cars Unveiled

Tuesday, IMS and IndyCar officials released full-scale presentations of what the next-generation Indycars' will look like for the next couple of years, according to Speed's Marshall Pruett in the above article; here are some pictures from the presentation....................

2012 car in oval trim

Overhead appearance of the road-course(L) & oval(R) cars

Rear of the 2012 car

Overhear rear view of the 2012 Indycar road-course car

FWIW, the cars' still aren't as beautiful as what graced the sport(at least on the CART side of the ledger) in the past but considering the yeoman's work Tony Cotman & Co. have put into the next-generation car, it is a definite step up from the current-generation Dallaras' used in IndyCar.

 

[Galahad]

Not a patch on the old CART machinery, I'd agree with that Matthew, but anything is better than having to watch the current superannuated designs carry on in competition. I think Ben Hur did most of the development work with those...

I hadn't expected the enclosed rear wheels. Was that a mandatory request from Indycar or have Dallara decided themselves?

 

[Matthew Little]

Not a patch on the old CART machinery, I'd agree with that Matthew, but anything is better than having to watch the current superannuated designs carry on in competition. I think Ben Hur did most of the development work with those...

I hadn't expected the enclosed rear wheels. Was that a mandatory request from Indycar or have Dallara decided themselves?

I doubt Ben Hur woulda' had anything to do with the current-generation Dallara; that would be like complimenting the Idiot KingTony George and JackassBrian Barnhart for running IndyCar into the ground on their skill at running a major racing series.......

As for the enclosed rear wheel, Galahad.....those were, if I recall, at IndyCar's request so that when they race on the ovals, the tires on one car can't interlock with the tires on another car, sending it flying into the air............

 

[Brogan]

Well that's a bit different.

The oval version looks quite radical.

 

[Speshal]

It's the freakin' batmobile

 

[Brogan]

First thing I thought of when I saw the rear end was this...

 

[Matthew Little]

Well that's a bit different.

The oval version looks quite radical.

Considering that the current-generation Flying Lawn DartDallara has been around since 2003 or so, I suspect any new car will look quite radical. Then again, I'm still wondering why they didn't grandfather in both the venerable Lola B03/00-series of Indycars and the (then)new Panoz DP01 back in 2008...................

Lola B03/00

Panoz DP01

 

[Matthew Little]

It's the freakin' batmobile

Come to think of it, it does have a Batmobile-like appearance..........

 

[Brogan]

There are definitely elements of various prototypes and proposed designs as we discussed here: http://cliptheapex.com/threads/irl-delta-wing-plans-the-way-forward-for-f1.1149/#post-15642

 

[Grizzly]

..Yeah the concepts we saw last year hinted towards the enclosed rear wheels. I bet that makes the car massively more efficient and probably also allows the drivers to get closer without quite so much fear of ending your race by clipping wheels.

The pictures look like a cross between a open wheel formula car and a sports prototype/Le Mans car... I quite like the look of them

 

[KekeTheKing]

Any change should be great for the IRL. As many have pointed out, the cars they're racing with now seem antiquated.

 

[Fenderman]

Excellent! Ashhht load more carbon fibre to shred and bring out the safety car ... and we all know the addage "safety cars breed safety cars". So how many times did we see indycars fly? Brilliant.

 

[landogeorgelewis1]

Their look like Rockets from the back!

Gotta say their look nothing like the CART car's from the past. Miss the days of that championship when Bourdais was dominating it.