Filed under: Motorsports, Honda, Racing
A little over a year since officials picked the Dallara proposal over those of its rivals, testing has begun in earnest on the next-generation IndyCar chassis.
The new car underwent the first of a dozen scheduled shake-down runs at the hands of Dan Wheldon, the reigning Indy 500 champion, at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course where the series competed this past weekend.
Dallara's clean-sheet design - which will be built at a new Stateside facility instead of the factory in Italy - was envisioned right from inception for use on both high-speed ovals and road courses, unlike the car it replaces which was designed for the speedways and later adapted for twistier circuits. Each team will be able to switch the bodywork depending on the type of track, but that's hardly where the differences between the new car and the old one end.
Instead of the 3.5-liter Honda V8s that powered the existing crop, the new car Wheldon was running packed a 2.2-liter turbocharged V6, also from Honda, that will be one of three engines - alongside Chevrolet and Lotus - that will proliferate across the field next year.
Engine suppliers will get their first taste of the new chassis in October, with deliveries to individual teams slated for December, but you can scope out the images from the test right now.
Dallara's next-generation IndyCar undergoes maiden track run at Mid-Ohio originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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