Dramatic 2018 IndyCar Revealed

[larre90]

Yup... Imho, this rearwing looks a little bit poor. They should took the design of the Trackmania Nations' rearwing.

 

[Brandon Wright]

Yup... Imho, this rearwing looks a little bit poor. They should took the design of the Trackmania Nations' rearwing.

For the super speedway kits they run a very small wing because they don't want a bunch of drag. On short ovals, road/street courses there will be a bigger wing.

For anyone who hasn't seen much oval racing and think they won't like it, here is the full replay of this year's Indy 500. It was a very entertaining race, there was a period in the middle that got a bit boring with a bunch of cautions in a row but after that things got dicey and a very exciting ending!

 

[Dave_6]

Ok iRacing, get to scanning this thing!

 

[Denis Betty]

This new model looks absolutely stunning!! Finally a series that takes racing seriously. Formula 1 could learn a lot from this. F1 is going in the completely wrong direction in my opinion. Yes, it is fascinating to push the boundaries of technology but in my opinion racing always comes first. Get the damn drivers in equal awesome looking kit. This is surely the way of the future.

I wholeheartedly agree.

coupled with a new aerodynamic package built to allow cars to run in close proximity

Does this mean that a faster driver will be able to catch and pass a slower driver... ON TRACK!.... without the use of a gimmicky button? WOW! What a novel idea. I might even be drawn into watching something like that. It could even turn out to be interesting, or even (dare I say it) exciting.
Well, let's not get carried away. I'll believe that when I see it.

 

[Brandon Wright]

I wholeheartedly agree.

Does this mean that a faster driver will be able to catch and pass a slower driver... ON TRACK!.... without the use of a gimmicky button? WOW! What a novel idea. I might even be drawn into watching something like that. It could even turn out to be interesting, or even (dare I say it) exciting.
Well, let's not get carried away. I'll believe that when I see it.

They actually did tests to see which configurations made for the best overtaking, so "dirty air" shouldn't be as much of a problem nest year. But....they will still have the push-to-pass button on road courses.

(And yes, I detected your sarcasm. )

 

[Denis Betty]

They actually did tests to see which configurations made for the best overtaking, so "dirty air" shouldn't be as much of a problem nest year. But....they will still have the push-to-pass button on road courses.

(And yes, I detected your sarcasm. )

I was refering to F1's stupid DRS. At least push to pass is available to both cars in equal amounts I guess? I used to love F1.... in the 1980s.

 

[gamer19]

It's on the track! Already!

https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/news/new-indycar-indy-montoya-test-934452/

 

[Rob]

IndyCar has been going in the right direction for years, so this is no surprise to me. But I'm very delighted that you all like it! That tells me that they nailed it, since F1 fans are *the* most skeptical and hard to please...and numerous. Some will never watch because it's perceived as an "oval" series (more on that later), but it's really not. It's the only series that test drivers' on ovals, road courses, and tough street circuits. Detroit looks as brutal as any race all year, but hardly anyone watches! lol.

Let me plead (to the oval skeptics) my case regarding ovals. I have been to so many IndyCar oval races I can't count, and many road courses too. I have been a fan since 1992, watched Nigel Mansell come over (live at Nazareth) and win the whole damn thing! And then saw the heart-breaking split, Champ Car bankruptcy, re-unification, then early struggles. It has not been easy. I was the biggest critic of the IRL, as was Robin Miller and initially most of the owners, but then Indy, being the cash cow that it is, muted the competition and setup an inevitable quandary...how do we get road course fans (the vast majority of IndyCar fans, I believe) back?

They had no other choice, really, because the talent was watered down and there were too many races (but, in reality, the split was pretty good for fans because you had two decent open wheel series' going at the same time in the same country) to keep track of. And fans knew -- what makes IndyCar IndyCar is the variety of the tracks; a true test of any driver and the best one on the market.

About ovals -- think of it this way...ever feel like you just know everything about a sport and you can practically predict the outcome? Football is that way for me. Soccer too. lol. The key to watching ovals is to not just rely on the T.V. You have to try it. Go get your rigs out and join a 30 car race at any oval track. There is so much going on behind the wheel and in the drivers' head, that you can't ever "get it" unless you drive it IRL or virtually in a SIM, or go to many live. Watch the drivers when they get out of the car after an oval at the end...it's like they are on uppers. Even seasoned drivers are a bit giddy, and some angry. Fights happen more at ovals. For a good reason. The focus and intensity (it never lets up and is almost completely aero driven, unlike a road course) it takes is immense. They have hooked up vital sign monitors to drivers and found that heart rate, respiration, lack of blinking, etc., is far greater on an oval, which means that it's tougher...but sadly doesn't appear that way. So, I get the lack of love from T.V. alone, but once you learn about it and live it, nothing, and I mean nothing, beats a good oval race. Texas has been the best race in the entire world for 2-3 years now, IMO.

Otherwise, great article and wonderful car. They have some interesting safety features (IndyCar, believe it or not, has been ahead of F1 in this department because they can't afford not to be) now, and the whole "we can't do this because of passing" argument is a red herring...and always has been. Racing is racing...no gimmicks, no fear, and no quarter. The bumpers on the read were hideous, and now that they are gone, the true car can shine through. Even this year, the road course version is very handsome. I expect the 2018 road course version will be stunning.

But I agree with you all...if Mercedes is throwing $1B at their car, and Penske is throwing $1M at theirs, IndyCar is living proof that the FIA (and all giant bureaucracies) need to get out of the way. Liberty can't help but be influenced by IndyCar because of where they are incorporated and who they are led by, and you see this influence already, with the fan-a-pa-loozas at the F1 tracks. But have faith...the FIA will not prevail in this endeavor. There would be no FIA except for the monopolistic power they hold. But that's also a liability, since if world competition is what they crave, they are fixing to get a really big dose. IndyCar has plans to go to China, Europe, and Mexico, so the FIA and F1 need to get a move on. But I think they will because of Liberty and because of fans like you...who remember what greatness is/was.

Mark Miles, head of IndyCar now...is a genius.

My first thought when I saw this was "wow, Fernando must be *dying* to run in a car like this, and *dying* to come back to an oval (take it from him, not me, if you must re: ovals) because they are so intense for the driver (and either casual or advanced fan, but not in between, lol). So, a few more predictions:

1. Fernando leaves F1 next year and joins an IndyCar team.
2. At least one other current world champion joins IndyCar before their career is over.
3. In five years, IndyCar will be 1/2 as big as F1 and be racing on at least two other continents.

 

[Wedge]

I loved this new car.

I was looking for high res version of these pictures to use as wallpaper and found this:
https://racingnews.co/2015/10/31/artist-matus-prochaczka-creates-2035-dallara-dw30-indycar-chassis/

freaking awesome!

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

watch it move: http://sports.usatoday.com/2017/07/...ts-new-2018-cars-indianapolis-motor-speedway/

 

[Jan Larsen]

I loved this new car.

I was looking for high res version of these pictures to use as wallpaper and found this:
https://racingnews.co/2015/10/31/artist-matus-prochaczka-creates-2035-dallara-dw30-indycar-chassis/

freaking awesome!

Freaking terrible...sorry

 

[samcar304]

. You have to try it. Go get your rigs out and join a 30 car race at any oval track. There is so much going on behind the wheel and in the drivers' head, that you can't ever "get it" unless you drive it IRL or virtually in a SIM, or go to many live.

This x10... Whether it be Nascar or Indycar. Oval racing is not "easy" having to manage a constant change in aero over your car when the car in front moves you have to predict where to go. Not to mention going side by side you have to put complete trust in the driver next to you. Pack racing with 30 cars at Daytona or Dega with 3 seconds covering the entire field. A lap of that requires almost as much concentration as an entire road race (Okay maybe not but you get my point). Oval racing is one of the most mentally demanding challenges in real life and sim racing especially if you at a track like Texas in Indycar... You have to set up your overtaking moves laps before they happen. Choose whether or not to gamble on strategy when the yellow comes out. I have won races on iRacing before in total i have won 12. (9 Road, 3 Oval). When I won my first Indycar race on the software I was lost for words. I started 12th picked my way through the pack and won it. It remains as one of the greatest moments of playing a racing game for me and it will for some time. It felt truly earned and it felt great.

 

[Matt Orr]

Mark Miles, head of IndyCar now...is a genius.

My first thought when I saw this was "wow, Fernando must be *dying* to run in a car like this, and *dying* to come back to an oval (take it from him, not me, if you must re: ovals) because they are so intense for the driver (and either casual or advanced fan, but not in between, lol). So, a few more predictions:

1. Fernando leaves F1 next year and joins an IndyCar team.
2. At least one other current world champion joins IndyCar before their career is over.
3. In five years, IndyCar will be 1/2 as big as F1 and be racing on at least two other continents.

Really liked your post, except I have to disagree here -

Jay Frye gets the credit on this. Frye is the on track product guy, Miles is the boardroom product guy. Miles has been relatively paralyzed to do anything productive that will improve the series the last few years.

Frye set the direction once he picked up where Walker left off and started to fix things that should have been fixed - the aero kits, getting Phoenix and Watkins back, while Miles originally got the series a street race in Boston no one wanted. Road America was Walker's thing, he just never got to make it to see it pay off in his favor.

Miles is also why the schedule is so compressed - his leadership can largely be shown by his fear of football. The idea of not racing after labor day (WHYYYYY) was solely his thing and precisely why Fontana is gone from the calendar. But maybe he'll get a street race in China, precisely what we need!

So I disagree with Miles being a genius, but rather would say the series has a guy who is capable of leading and enacting things... finally.

But on the other points, I think they are longshots, but I won't be surprised if any of the 3 come true. I think there is something special getting ready to brew given the F1 political climate and some of the decisions the FIA have made that will position IndyCar as a more "alternative choice" for a good chunk of people who wouldn't have otherwise given the series 2 seconds. With Alonso sort of up in the air as a "slim-chance-maybe?" next year depending on his situation, you have to think the odds of him racing in IndyCar next year probably got better - not worse - over the last week alone. And if that happens....

Also, I really believe the 2018 aero - if it delivers on what it's designed for - could be borderline revolutionary to open wheel racing. Because let's face it - we've capped out on speed. At this point it's more about how we get to the same speed we've been doing more than anything.

If the racing is super close - and it should be even closer than the original DW12 if you buy into the theory that a higher percentage of underfloor downforce is the key to racing that IndyCar's testing points to - you really have to wonder if the rest of the world will sit up and take notice that well regulated ground effects are key to halfway solving the racability issue aero has presented for 20 plus years now that cars are so refined.

IMO, eventually F1 needs to wake up out of the idea that ground effects = 1982 where they were horribly designed and horribly mismanaged from a regulation standpoint. It's a ghost they are afraid of IMO.

(if you can't tell, I like ground effects )

 

[Brandon Wright]

Really liked your post, except I have to disagree here -

Jay Frye gets the credit on this. Frye is the on track product guy, Miles is the boardroom product guy. Miles has been relatively paralyzed to do anything productive that will improve the series the last few years.

Frye set the direction once he picked up where Walker left off and started to fix things that should have been fixed - the aero kits, getting Phoenix and Watkins back, while Miles originally got the series a street race in Boston no one wanted. Road America was Walker's thing, he just never got to make it to see it pay off in his favor.

Miles is also why the schedule is so compressed - his leadership can largely be shown by his fear of football. The idea of not racing after labor day (WHYYYYY) was solely his thing and precisely why Fontana is gone from the calendar. But maybe he'll get a street race in China, precisely what we need!

So I disagree with Miles being a genius, but rather would say the series has a guy who is capable of leading and enacting things... finally.

But on the other points, I think they are longshots, but I won't be surprised if any of the 3 come true. I think there is something special getting ready to brew given the F1 political climate and some of the decisions the FIA have made that will position IndyCar as a more "alternative choice" for a good chunk of people who wouldn't have otherwise given the series 2 seconds. With Alonso sort of up in the air as a "slim-chance-maybe?" next year depending on his situation, you have to think the odds of him racing in IndyCar next year probably got better - not worse - over the last week alone. And if that happens....

Also, I really believe the 2018 aero - if it delivers on what it's designed for - could be borderline revolutionary to open wheel racing. Because let's face it - we've capped out on speed. At this point it's more about how we get to the same speed we've been doing more than anything.

If the racing is super close - and it should be even closer than the original DW12 if you buy into the theory that a higher percentage of underfloor downforce is the key to racing that IndyCar's testing points to - you really have to wonder if the rest of the world will sit up and take notice that well regulated ground effects are key to halfway solving the racability issue aero has presented for 20 plus years now that cars are so refined.

IMO, eventually F1 needs to wake up out of the idea that ground effects = 1982 where they were horribly designed and horribly mismanaged from a regulation standpoint. It's a ghost they are afraid of IMO.

(if you can't tell, I like ground effects )

This. Spot on, all of it.

 

[Dave_6]

I need a hi-res version of this! Please!

 

[Brandon Wright]

From the back it really looks like a proper old-school open wheel car.

 

[Rob]

Really liked your post, except I have to disagree here -

Jay Frye gets the credit on this. Frye is the on track product guy, Miles is the boardroom product guy. Miles has been relatively paralyzed to do anything productive that will improve the series the last few years.

Frye set the direction once he picked up where Walker left off and started to fix things that should have been fixed - the aero kits, getting Phoenix and Watkins back, while Miles originally got the series a street race in Boston no one wanted. Road America was Walker's thing, he just never got to make it to see it pay off in his favor.

Miles is also why the schedule is so compressed - his leadership can largely be shown by his fear of football. The idea of not racing after labor day (WHYYYYY) was solely his thing and precisely why Fontana is gone from the calendar. But maybe he'll get a street race in China, precisely what we need!

So I disagree with Miles being a genius, but rather would say the series has a guy who is capable of leading and enacting things... finally.

But on the other points, I think they are longshots, but I won't be surprised if any of the 3 come true. I think there is something special getting ready to brew given the F1 political climate and some of the decisions the FIA have made that will position IndyCar as a more "alternative choice" for a good chunk of people who wouldn't have otherwise given the series 2 seconds. With Alonso sort of up in the air as a "slim-chance-maybe?" next year depending on his situation, you have to think the odds of him racing in IndyCar next year probably got better - not worse - over the last week alone. And if that happens....

Also, I really believe the 2018 aero - if it delivers on what it's designed for - could be borderline revolutionary to open wheel racing. Because let's face it - we've capped out on speed. At this point it's more about how we get to the same speed we've been doing more than anything.

If the racing is super close - and it should be even closer than the original DW12 if you buy into the theory that a higher percentage of underfloor downforce is the key to racing that IndyCar's testing points to - you really have to wonder if the rest of the world will sit up and take notice that well regulated ground effects are key to halfway solving the racability issue aero has presented for 20 plus years now that cars are so refined.

IMO, eventually F1 needs to wake up out of the idea that ground effects = 1982 where they were horribly designed and horribly mismanaged from a regulation standpoint. It's a ghost they are afraid of IMO.

(if you can't tell, I like ground effects )

I can tell you like Frye. lol. But so do I. Mark is the"vision" guy and Frye is the implementation guy. But it takes two to tango, and I don't favor one over the other. Boston PC police killed that race, but it would have been fantastic for IndyCar. Miles gets credit for the schedule imo. It is stable and as balanced as I've ever seen, but they need another Street course, and the international vision via China, Europe and Mexico plus year to year stability is all Miles. They are both geniuses, and there are many others. One does not exclude the other, because as George the Tony proved, one weak link can run it. See: Jean todt.

 

[James Hall]

It reminds me of this

 

[Dave_6]

First glimpse of the high downforce kit

 

[gamer19]

I was kinda hope they'll limit the size of the front wings so they don't actually go that dreadful F1 road but eh... let's see...