New Engine Platform Announced

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New Engine Platform Announced

Post by mlittle » Thu Jun 03, 2010 5:57 am

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Beginning in 2012, the IZOD IndyCar Series will utilize 2.4-liter, 4-6 cylinder turbo-charged engines w/a horsepower range of 550-700hp

-----Fans and industry representatives have asked for increased manufacturer participation in the sport, and the IZOD IndyCar Series is providing such a platform with its new engine strategy.

The series announced that its next generation of engines will be more powerful and efficient than the current formula -- along with being relevant to the public and automobile industry. The new engine strategy is based on a recommendation from the ICONIC (Innovative, Open-Wheel, New, Industry-Relevant, Cost-Effective) Advisory Committee.

The new platform, which debuts in 2012, will allow manufacturers to produce engines with a maximum of six cylinders as well as maximum displacement of 2.4 cubic liters. The ethanol-fueled engines will produce between 550 and 700 horsepower to suit the diverse set of tracks on which the IZOD IndyCar Series competes and will be turbocharged to allow for flexibility in power.

“The ICONIC Advisory Committee has researched future engine platforms with manufacturers, teams, drivers and fans, and they felt this strategy best highlights key attributes of the sport – speed, competition and diversity,” said Randy Bernard, chief executive officer. “We feel this open and all-inclusive platform will make our sport an attractive option to engine manufacturers, while allowing development of a relevant and innovative platform to the current and future automotive industry by highlighting efficiency, performance, durability, quality, environmental responsibility and safety.”

The IZOD IndyCar Series will explore new and relevant technologies to incorporate into the engine such as energy recovery, hybrids, fuel conservation and other developing green initiatives. “Everyone wants to see competition and high performance on the track,” said Bernard. “We are the fastest and most versatile racing in the world and this new engine strategy will continue to enhance that. Now that we have a platform in place, it is our job to put this package in front of the automotive industry to attract the type of participation that will elevate the sport. We truly want to challenge manufacturers to once again make our sport a proving ground and a platform to showcase technology that will benefit the future of their industry.”

The new engine strategy will require that the IZOD IndyCar Series to adopt rules that can accommodate various engine architectures. “We will continue to evaluate rules that will keep a level playing field across the board with the various engines that could enter our sport,” said Brian Barnhart, president of competition and racing operations. “For example, we could see a V-6 competing against an Inline 4 at all IZOD IndyCar Series events in the future. We will require reference engines as a benchmark in performance while looking at sonic air restrictors, fuel flow restrictions and more as key criteria for competition.”

The IZOD IndyCar Series formed the ICONIC Advisory Committee is tasked with reviewing, researching and making a recommendation to the league on the next generation IZOD IndyCar Series engine and chassis. The league plans to have a decision on its chassis by June 30.

“Speaking on behalf of the ICONIC Advisory Committee members, it has been an honor to contribute to the development of the new generation of Indy car,” said Gil de Ferran, team owner representative to the ICONIC Advisory Committee. “We feel this new engine strategy is open, inclusive, powerful and high performance, in keeping with the historical values associated with Indy car racing. Additionally it poses relevant challenges to which the automotive industry faces today”.

Committee members include Brian Barnhart, Tony Cotman, Gil de Ferran, Eddie Gossage, Rick Long, Tony Purnell and Neil Ressler. It is mediated by retired Air Force Gen. William R. Looney III.
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New Platform Has Manufacturers' Interested

Post by mlittle » Fri Jun 04, 2010 5:15 pm

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As the 2012 engine rules become more clear, expect more manufacturers to join in, as HPD's Erik Berkman expects to happen.


-----IndyCar has taken the first steps towards restoring variety, creativity and some much-needed punch to the IZOD series and Indianapolis 500 with the announcement of a return to turbocharged engines of multiple sizes. Randy Bernard’s ICONIC committee decided the next engine formula will be open to anything up to six cylinders with a maximum displacement of 2.4 liters.

Although there are still quite a few major questions to be answered regarding the parameters of how the power will be regulated, it’s a big move for a group that’s only had the normally-aspirated Honda V-8 engine since 2005. And the goal is to try and entice as many manufacturers as possible – like the glory days of CART in the late ‘90s when Ford, Mercedes, Honda and Toyota were in competition and spending money.

“I think our guys are impressed with Randy’s leadership and where he wants to take things and Ford still sees value in the Indianapolis 500,” said Ford spokesman Kevin Kennedy. "What was announced today was pretty broad and it’s too early to say, ‘yea or nay’ but our position is that it’s worth listening to more of what they have to say.”

Bernard met with Jamie Allison, the director of Ford North American motorsports in April and also had a conversation with Edsel Ford last month. IndyCar CEO Bernard said there will be a press conference Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway where more specifics might be discussed. Like maybe how an inline-4 can compete with a V-6. In an afternoon of calls and exchanging emails, it seems that those within the IndyCar community have been left with more questions than answer.

If there’s a lesson to be learned, it’s that the next ICONIC announcement –whatever it is – might be better received if it offers greater detail. With open-wheel racing so filled with speculation and doubt, vague announcements are usually met with yards of skepticism.

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One of the skeptics is former Cosworth CART/ChampCar boss Ian Bisco, who says he would like to see more specifics before committing to anything.......

“It’s exciting news but it’s so wide open and there are still some major questions to be answered,” said Ian Bisco, the former racing manager at Cosworth. “Will there be a RPM restriction? Will it be an air flow restriction or a fuel restriction? Will the engines be stressed or a non-stressed member?"

For several years at Indy, the Buick V-6 operated with a higher boost pressure than the V-8 Cosworth, while IMSA currently uses air restrictors and ballast to try and equalize the dozen or more engines used in the ALMS sports cars. Honda, which reigned in the turbo days of CART and won six consecutive championships before moving to the Indy Racing League in 2002, had been pushing for a V-6 turbo, publicly stating their lack of interest with an inline-4.

“We’ve been in an open and engaged dialogue with the league now for two years,” said Erik Berkman, President of Honda Performance Development. “And the whole idea of trying to come up with something that wouldn’t exclude anybody – but you have to exclude something. Are we going to allow rotary? Are we going to be able to bring a Honda jet turbine-powered car back to the Brickyard? The idea was, I think, to embrace a range of solutions and I think the league is still going through that process, as you know, with the chassis manufacturers still holding court.

“As far as the League’s direct communication with other manufacturers, that being encouraged, we'd like to see some competition come back on the engine front in the series. So we don't want to paint it too narrow. Of course, you heard our advocacy for a six-cylinder engine. Others have indicated that they have less interest in that format and would rather go with a four cylinders. So whether we’re restricting air or restricting fuel or restricting some way more, we, hopefully, can say, look, however you want to make that power, build it and bring it for 2012.”

Part of the appeal for Berkman, despite Honda’s preference for a V-6, is the freedom the new engine rules allow. With options for anything from one to six cylinders presented in a V or inline, the worlds of motorcycle, marine and aviation engine technology could theoretically end up in the back of an IndyCar.

“If there's a three cylinder idea out there or if there's – if somebody says, ‘Well, I don't really want to use 2.4L – can I use something different, less?’ Again, you think they might be leaving something on the table but one thing that the IndyCar Series does have to specify, however, is the fuel or they have to decide the fuel is open or whatever they're going to do.”

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One possible newcomer to Indycar racing is Mazda; with a few minor tweaks and rules packages, Mazda's MZR-R sports-car engine could easily find itself behind an Indycar driver as a possible engine choice............

Part of what we expect to be revealed on Saturday will specify the formula used to make a wide variety of engine solutions competitive and compatible with different chassis. Will production-based engine be allowed, and if so, will they receive weight or air restrictor breaks? Will the series only allow dedicated racing engines for 2012? We’ll know in a few days, and while Berkman wouldn’t be drawn to answer on what their V-6 will be based upon, it doesn’t sound like it will start its life in a Civic or Accord.

“Well, not to say that we couldn't do it but it's been tried before and those who tried the stock block route didn't have such great success. Back in the day, in the formation of the IRL and the stock block format, there were a lot of engine failures. Of course, in the competitive era that we participated in pre-2006, we had some failures as well. But the stock block era that preceded that, there were way too many cautions or cleaning of the track. Engines having to wear diapers and all that sort of stuff. That's not to say that an evolution or change couldn't be made to maybe make that happen; that's why hopefully when the full rules package comes out it wouldn't exclude somebody from bringing their production derived racing engine. As far as what we do, I'm just going to hold off saying more about it until we have a good opportunity to talk about it. And we’re not going to talk about it until we have all the rules out on the table.”

Mazda, the power source for Formula Atlantic before that longtime feeder series closed its doors this year, has made it clear it wants to be involved in open-wheel racing, but they are said to be waiting on more feedback from Bernard’s group.

Compared to a Ford or Honda, Mazda is known to work from a much smaller budget, and based on what ICONIC envisions for 2012, Mazda will likely wait until all aspects of the engine regulations are spelled out until reconnecting with the series, whom they met with last week in Indy. If large financial commitments and big engine production requirements are put in place, look for Mazda to pass on 2012.

If the Series is smart, they will address a sliding scale of commitment – one where smaller manufacturers and even independent engine builders can compete without being drowned by the cubic dollars an engine giant from Detroit or Germany can bring to bear.

Provided they are interested in participating, Mazda is one of few marques who could answer the call for 2012 with an existing product. Their 2.0L MZR-R sportscar engine, now in its fourth year of service, already uses alternative fuels with BP’s Biofuel Isobutanol, and generates 550hp with a large air restrictor. Without the restrictor, reaching the stated ceiling of 700 hp would not be an issue. The MZR-R hasn’t been without its problems; built in 2007, it came in tiny and overly light. With the massive downforce figures seen in the ALMS LMP2 category, it suffered from flexing issues which led to a string of failures.

With a new, more robust block and cam cover mounting system, it has solved its reliability issues so far in 2010. While the 2010 version of an MZR-R lease agreement is still being debated, it could be similar to what MAZDASPEED offered in 2008 and 2009: A three-year lease for one engine, including all electronics and ancillaries, for $60,000 the first year, $50,000 the second and $40,000 the third. With two to three engine rebuilds added in at $35K a piece, you still walk out the door around the $150K range each year. Compare that to the $1.5M/year teams spend now, and annual budgets are relieved of a rather large burden. Based on potential interest for 2012, rumor has it a similar lease program is open for discussion.
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HPD Q&A 2012

Post by mlittle » Sun Aug 08, 2010 11:54 am

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In June, Honda unveiled a new 2.8L twin-turbo V6 sportscar engine for 2011, and has now confirmed a new and very similar 2.4L twin-turbo V6 IndyCar engine for 2012.


----With Honda finally confirming the worst-kept secret in IndyCar racing, the Japanese manufacturer will officially supply 2400cc twin-turbo V6 engines for the new-look 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series. Tasked with heavily reducing the cost for an annual engine lease – a $935,000 expense in 2010 – Honda, through their southern California competition arm, Honda Performance Development, has committed to reducing the V6’s annual lease by “up to 40 percent.”

Knowing how skeptical some of the current IndyCar team owners are about the true costs they will face to field a car in 2012, the “up to” verbiage used by Honda hasn’t settled the fears held by some in the paddock. “That could mean anything from one percent to 40 percent,” said the owner of one of the healthier teams who preferred to speak off the record. “Until they come out and say exactly what that percentage figure is, it sure leaves a lot of wiggle room and I don’t like wiggle room on big ticket items like engines. Come out and say what it is.”

For those who are less skeptical, and at the full 40 percent reduction, teams would have a significant savings with an engine lease of $561,000, or $374,000 less than they are paying now. Provided Honda leans closer to the 40 percent price reduction figure, that $374,000 savings could be used to purchase the $349,000 rolling 2012 Dallara chassis.

HPD president Erik Berkman, speaking with SPEED.com on the costs involved to produce a new engine, says that a shift from the current design specification – one derived while they faced stiff financial and engineering competition from Toyota and Chevrolet – will change to better suit America’s softer economical climate.

“We wanted to be in the IRL back when CART went away for us, but we hooked up with Ilmor Engineering and created a program that was like the good old days, meaning sparing no expense, building a ‘Swiss watch’ type engine, and we’ve done that for a long time now. The components have changed, with cost control being at the heart of that change, we’ve been thinking about how we might do it differently. And how to do it differently would include how to take costs out of the fundamental design. The bill of materials would have to be targeted at a lower cost. And then the notion of longer life to reduce the number of rebuilds would allow for a lower total season cost.”

The initial costs for the 2012 engine will still be high, but with the costs spread over a few years, and with engine development kept to a reasonable pace, Berkman believes they have the right formula to deliver a less expensive product.

“It's true. Now, that's not to say that every development cost is going to get amortized. In fact, I've been quoted correctly having said that the manufacturer's job is to develop [a new engine], and once you start running it, then you have to decide if you are going to amortize the ongoing development into the lease pricing. But the initial cost, just to get the first new design engine onto the track, that's a big chunk of money. That's the big chunk. And then we've talked at those [2012] roundtables with other manufacturers saying that most of [the engine development costs] should be the manufacturer’s gift, basically. We’re not trying to lose more money in this whole deal, we're trying to strengthen the show through a lower cost to the teams. But we’re not going to subsidize more to do that.”

Reducing costs is paramount to Honda’s 2012 IndyCar engine plans, and that philosophy has also made its way to their new sportscar motor. HPD announced at Le Mans in June that they would offer a 2800cc twin-turbo V6, based on their Honda Accord road car engine that will comply with the ACO’s low-cost, production-based 2011 LMP2 engine plans.

While HPD appears committed to keeping costs down with their engine offerings, the fact that they will be producing two new, yet completely different twin-turbo V6 motors seems to contradict their stated goals.

Using a de-stroked version of their Accord-based V6 for the 2012 IndyCar engine would appear to be the most efficient use of funding and resources, but Berkman says that after careful evaluation, building a production-based LMP2 engine and a purpose-built IndyCar engine will be necessary.

“The cheapest way to provide an engine for the [IndyCar] teams and also for the manufacturer would be to take a production engine, like our mass production V6 engine, but honestly, that would be a better proposal for an Indy Lights kind of a deal. So we’re trying to find the best of both worlds. It also depends on how much power you have to produce. Running wide open throttle at Indy, for example, and being able to run at that high specific power output for long runs and doing it with a production-based engine is a real challenge.

“Now, to do it with a [production-based] V6, okay, it’s possible if you're only looking for the kind of power like what [DeltaWing designer] Ben Bowlby was asking for in the 300’s. If you're looking to do the 500 to 700 kind of range, like we’ve been asked for by the League, it’s another proposition. Indy Lights, down there at about 425 horsepower or so, and the LMP2 class at that 450 power range for next year, it’s appropriate for our production engines. And that’s why we did it for P2 next year. But moving up as far as we've done with the current design, my answer with IndyCar car engine is that we need to take a different approach.”

For the sake of comparison, the ACO has set a cost cap on a rolling 2011 LMP2 chassis of €325,000 ($431,500), and engines at €75,000, which at the current Euro exchange rate, would cost $99,500. The IndyCar Series has done a good job to set their 2012 chassis costs below the ACO’s second-tier prototype chassis next year, but the disparity in engine costs weighs heavily in the ACO’s favor.

It’s now a moot point to argue, but had IndyCar chosen to go with a lighter and more aerodynamically friendly design for 2012, and as Berkman mentioned above, engine manufacturers would have needed far less power to produce the speeds and performance desired by the series, opening up the option to use production-based engines.

In a perfect world, blending IndyCar’s 2012 chassis rules/costs with the ACO’s 2011 LMP2 engine rules/costs would have delivered unprecedented cost savings for cash-strapped open-wheel entrants. It also would have made it much easier and far less expensive for potential engine suppliers to join the IndyCar Series, but we will have to wait until 2016 to see if engine rules/costs are revised.

In the meantime, and to meet the sub-$100,000 P2 engine price limit, using the Accord-based V6 was the only option Berkman and HPD had to comply with the new sportscar rules. To make hundreds of more horsepower and to offer the kind of reliability and durability required for the 2012 IndyCar, Honda has been forced to build a purebred racing engine, and the annual lease price of more than $500,000 clearly reflects that decision.

That Honda’s 2012 IndyCar engine will cost five times more than their 2011 prototype engine is still alarming, but until a second 2012 engine manufacturer steps up to offer a cheaper or more competitive open-wheel alternative, Berkman and HPD will likely maintain their monopoly on the IZOD IndyCar Series.
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2012 Cosworth Q&A

Post by mlittle » Fri Aug 20, 2010 3:43 pm

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The future of the IZOD IndyCar Series is filled with ambitious plans for 2012, and none are more important than securing multiple engine manufacturers. Few of the world’s biggest auto companies possess a competition department capable of producing their own IndyCar engine, creating a scenario where specialist racing engine builders will likely get the call to manufacture 2012 engines.

Waiting in the wings to help bring those new engines to life are companies like Ilmor, Menard Competition Technology, Engine Developments, Advanced Engine Research, and the Cosworth, the most tenured IndyCar engine firm of the lot. From vee angles to cylinder block deck heights, the specifics of the 2012 engine rules have yet to be written, and little is known about the exact limits of engine architecture. As long as those boundaries remain a mystery, designers will have to wait before penning their first components, but that hasn’t prevented some of them from getting ahead of the curve.

Speaking with Martin Tolliday, Director of Motorsports at Cosworth Electronics, the championship-winning engine constructors have come up with their own plan for the best 2012 engine. All they need now is a call and commitment from an interested auto manufacturer. “We think where we are with the IZOD IndyCar Series at the moment, it's a good opportunity for Cosworth to work with a manufacturer to produce a competitive, economical engine that would be able to compete with Honda, as an example, and have a good chance of winning the Championship, the Indy 500, etc. I think we've got the history and the credentials to be able to do that and the infrastructure to be able to support it.”

As an independent engine builder, Tolliday says they will produce whatever style of 2012 engine a customer requests, but they haven’t waited for a signed contract to begin investigating the best engine options. Their plan, as he shares, is to be ready to act if and when they are hired to produce a powerplant.

“Cosworth have already done the homework and some modeling to understand what would be required. Key things such as piston speeds, loadings, etc. Because, obviously, you need to make sure that not only is the engine competitive, it needs to be reliable and also robust enough that it will last the difference between engine rebuilds without significant degradation. Our experience of that, particularly with the rules in Formula One dictating long engine life, means we've looked at this and drawn from our most recent experience and we’re comfortable where we think that would be, with either a four-cylinder, or the six-cylinder IndyCar engine.”

One of the big attractions to building an engine meant for 2012 is the level playing field it offers every manufacturer, according to Tolliday. “I think the exciting thing for us is actually there's a window of opportunity with the new car, irrespective the chassis, it's an opportunity right now where a manufacturer could come in, not be disadvantaged by years of development with the current car and engines. So you've got the potential to come in on an equal footing, which is quite an exciting opportunity. And I have to say, some people have said the IRL have been a bit vague on the rules but actually I think that's a good thing. I think it’s more likely for them to be able to attract a manufacturer because actually I think they’re more open to be accommodating to a manufacturer rather than turning a manufacturer away because it doesn't quite fit the detailed rules that they could easily put into place.

“So I think being as open as possible right up until the last moment to try and attract manufacturers and ideas into the series is smart. Also, I think the challenge is, like with any form of motorsport around the world, to find a manufacturer who’s as excited as us, and it's also the right time in their development cycle or budgetary cycles to come on board, really. A few things must come together all at once.”

Torsional rigidity has been a concern for those considering an inline-4 engine, due to its nearly vertical design. Looking at how the I4 and V6 are constructed, the V6 would appear to be a natural choice to use as a stressed member. With a V6, an engine whose silhouette forms the letter ‘Y’ (compared to the 4-cylinder’s letter ‘I’), its design better withstands the bending and twisting forces it endures in competition.

Despite this fact, the inline-4, which requires extra material and engineering efforts to match the V6’s stiffness, can be made into a viable IndyCar engine, as Tolliday explains. “I think that's an easy thing to say about the V6, yes, that's true; but actually it’s true to a point. The 4-cylinder would need more careful consideration for the torsion, etc. But that's all just about planning and understanding how to design an engine, really. People such as Cosworth or Honda would have the skill sets to be able to do the analysis and modeling to be able to cope with that with the minimum amount of material added. You’d use material in the right ways to be able to do it. It's obviously an easier task to design the engine from scratch; if you're starting from a standard block that's readily available off the shelf then you’ve got a bigger challenge, for sure.”

To put a finger on the exact costs to produce a 2012 engine, manufacturers first need to know what types of materials will be allowed. The more exotic the metals they are given access to, the more expensive the motors become to build and lease. Most of the engine experts I’ve spoken with have all expressed a desire for the Series to mandate the use of common, lower cost metals, and provided they do, Tolliday expects to offer a somewhat reasonable price tag for any manufacturer wishing to enter the game.

“Material allowances make that hard to answer that one definitively. The only thing I know is that when we did some analysis, we were comfortable where we could meet the targets the IRL were suggesting for an annual engine lease. And once the motor is constructed, I don't believe the R&D costs are going to be extraordinary. I heard people talk about upwards of $15 million being required to produce a fully developed engine for the car. It's nowhere near those figures. It's nowhere near double figures.”

While Tolliday wouldn’t be drawn on an exact dollar figure, he politely suggested that my estimates of between four and six million dollars to design, build and develop an engine for 2012 was in the ballpark of what a manufacturer should expect to spend to get on the grid. “I would prefer not to officially answer that one, but it sounds like you're a sensible person,” he said with a laugh.

Cosworth let the majority of its tractor-trailers go when ChampCar folded, and adding their costs back in -- and to provide technical support for a season -- could easily add another million dollars to those figures. Spending something on the order of five to seven million dollars is a lot to ask these days, but amortized over a few years, Tolliday expects the bean counters in Detroit, Japan and Europe to take a hard look at joining the IZOD IndyCar Series.

“I expect a lot of people to be interested. Technology has moved a long, long way from 10 years ago when you had the GM's and everybody else in CART spending a fortune, and actually there’s much more efficient ways of developing and designing and manufacturing engines these days, so it is a lot more efficient and cheaper to do, for sure. Compared to the past, it’s definitely not the massive numbers that I have heard bandied around.”

The timeline to go from the first drawings for a 2012 engine to testing multiple units on the dyno is somewhere between seven to eight months, according to Tolliday, and using their full complement of resources – those currently tasked with producing F1 engines – would play a major role in achieving such a short production schedule.

“I think we've got some various things in Cosworth’s arsenal that we could certainly help shorten the development cycle. We’ve certainly looked at all of the design and manufacturing capabilities we possess to reduce the cost of the developing of a new engine for a manufacturer, and also to speed up the production because 2012 isn’t far away.

“We're probably looking at needing to have rules in place by the latest point, November, for sure, to be able to get on the grid for 2012. With all these developments, with what we’re doing, you wouldn't just develop one engine; you’d develop a batch, a number of engines which would be on the dyno. You'd have multiple developments going on at the same time. So you’d have your engine running for the reliability testing and validation and then you’d have others doing other things as well. There are economical ways to overcome the time deficit.” Cosworth has been mentioned as a possible resource – a consultant -- for the Series to use in the formation of the 2012 engine rules, which could only help the firm’s chances of being paired with an auto manufacturer. Co-owned by IndyCar entrant Kevin Kalkhoven, the KV Racing Technology principal has been very active in promoting Cosworth’s interests in regards to the 2012 car.

Whether or not they are hired to help with the 2012 engine rules remains to be seen, but Tolliday says the Series has been very helpful in their quest to find a manufacturer to partner with. “The IRL have been very supportive and very excited about trying to get us involved and get us working with a manufacturer, for sure. I think they feel we had a good relationship when we have been involved with them in the past, particularly on the electronics side and on the engine side. We did some work with GM years ago and, obviously, we’ve also done work with Ford. And I think that they're comfortable with us and they know our reputation, so I think they see us as someone they'd like to help connect with a manufacturer. I think they recognize that we've also been very proactive in trying to make that happen.”

Provided someone with approximately six million dollars is willing to ring Cosworth, having a second engine option for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series doesn’t appear to be completely impossible. The question is: who will make that call? If it happens, would it be from one of the major auto manufacturers, or from within the Kalkhoven/KV Racing fold?

The most logical set of circumstances would come in the form of Lotus, KV Racing’s sponsor for Takuma Sato, hiring the Kalkhoven-owned Cosworth to produce an IndyCar engine. With Lotus currently competing in the 2010 F1 championship using Cosworth power, having already expressed an interest in building a 2012 IndyCar aero kit and looking to expand into the global sportscar market in 2011, it almost makes too much sense to happen.

With multiple engine manufacturers comes a greater collective war chest to promote the IZOD IndyCar Series, but despite Honda confirming their participation, until a second company buys in to the concept, the rest will stand back and observe.

Whether it’s a Lotus-Cosworth, AER-Mazda, BMW or Audi, the key to unlocking a more prosperous future for IndyCar racing starts with finding a second engine manufacturer.
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Post by johnmustang » Wed Oct 13, 2010 1:14 pm

Using the 2.4-liter, 4-6 cylinder turbo-charged engines w/a horsepower range of 550-700hp could be another iconic event to the world of F1 racing. I know this will be a challenge to all the engineers and producers of F1 cars. I'm excited to those cars in year 2012.

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Post by mlittle » Wed Oct 13, 2010 1:47 pm

johnmustang wrote:Using the 2.4-liter, 4-6 cylinder turbo-charged engines w/a horsepower range of 550-700hp could be another iconic event to the world of F1 racing. I know this will be a challenge to all the engineers and producers of F1 cars. I'm excited to those cars in year 2012.
First off........... :welcome:
Welcome to the forum, John! :)

Anyway, if I had to hazard a guess as to who the engine suppliers will be and what they'll bring, it would be as follows............
(1)Honda w/a 2L 6cyl. turbo;
(2)Cosworth w/a 2012 version of its' venerable XFE-series engine;
(3)Mazda w/its' MZR-R engine, or
(4)any number of other suppliers(Ford, GM Racing, Judd, AER, Audi, etc.,etc.,)

The trick is going to be balancing out the differences between the 4 and 6cyl. engines, balancing out differences btwn. the turbo and NA engines, equalizing competition w/out restricting what can be done, etc., etc.

Could we see manufacturers' enter the series w/some form or version of the FIA's proposed "GRE"(Global Racing Engine, a 1.5L, 4-banger turbo)?

Will the series finally drop its badge engineering requirement and allow "pure-built" racing engines from AER, Judd, Cosworth, etc. to compete OR will they require them to "badge" their engines(visions of the 2003-spec ChevWorth Indycar engine come to mind there..... :shock: ....)?

Right now, it's anyone's guess. I'll say this, though..........the worst thing that can happen is to wake up the weekend of the 2012 season opener and see only one engine make on the grid...........
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