Racing
John Oreovicz, Autos, Open-Wheel 8y

INDYCAR to have standardized set of body parts starting in 2018

IndyCar

INDYCAR kicked off the week in which its 2016 champion will be crowned by revealing important changes to its future car specifications.

The series announced Wednesday that development on body parts produced by Chevrolet and Honda for the central Dallara chassis (front and rear wings, sidepods, engine cover) will be frozen for 2017. In 2018, INDYCAR will roll out a single standardized set of body parts for Chevrolet- and Honda-powered cars, and it hopes to attract a third engine manufacturer to the series.

"Today's announcement follows an extended dialogue with Chevrolet, Honda, our teams and stakeholders," said INDYCAR president of competition and operations Jay Frye. "This decision focused on what is best for the future of the Verizon IndyCar Series and is an integral component to INDYCAR's long-term plan to continue to produce the highest quality of on-track competition while also positioning ourselves to add additional engine manufacturers."

Aero kits have been a hot-button topic in the IndyCar Series since their introduction at the start of the 2015 season. Despite attempts to create parity between Chevrolet and Honda, Chevrolet has dominated the past two years, winning 23 of 31 races. However, Honda's package has been more competitive on superspeedways, with Alexander Rossi winning this year's Indianapolis 500 and Honda teams faring strongly on other ovals.

The kits were implemented at the request of the engine manufacturers to create visual differences between the Honda and Chevy cars. In that regard, the project was somewhat successful. But teams balked at the high cost of equipping their fleet of chassis with the array of different components required for the IndyCar Series' mix of short ovals, speedways, and road and street courses.

INDYCAR attempted to adjust the performance difference between the two manufacturers by allowing Honda to make additional changes to its 2016 kit outside of what was mandated by the rulebook. But Chevrolet still dominated, with its drivers holding the top six places in the championship standings heading into this weekend's season finale at Sonoma Raceway.

With aerodynamic development halted for 2017, Honda is expected to use its budget surplus to try to lure at least one Chevrolet team into its camp, with perennial championship contender Chip Ganassi Racing top on its list. The Ganassi team won 10 CART and IndyCar-sanctioned championships as a Honda partner between 1996 and 2013, but it switched to Chevrolet in 2014.

Honda still may be struggling in 2016, but some of its issues the past two years can be pinned on having a generally weaker lineup of drivers and teams than Chevrolet. A move by Ganassi from Chevrolet to Honda could go a long way toward improving the competitive balance between manufacturers.

Insiders say the changes to the appearance of the 2018 car will be radical and could include relocating the turbo air intake from behind the roll hoop and shedding the controversial bumpers that shroud the rear wheels.

The 2018 car also is expected to have a redesigned floor in an effort to shift downforce production away from the front and rear wings. Some form of increased cockpit protection also likely will be part of the 2018 package.

"The 2018 car is a tremendous opportunity for INDYCAR, and the design collaboration is already underway," Frye said. "The goal of the universal car is to be great looking, less aero dependent, have more potential for mechanical grip/downforce and to incorporate all the latest safety enhancements."

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