IndyCar News: Series hopes to replace its 15-year-old relic in 2027
Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles told reporters Thursday a new IndyCar car could be ready by 2027 at the earliest, ending the DW12’s 15-year life span.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
To put that in perspective, F1 teams design and build a new car every year. Other ‘spec’ series like Formula 2 replace their cars every 5 years.
Back in the CART days of IndyCar, Reynard, Lola and Penske designed a new chassis every year, but under current management they have stretched that to 15 years because teams in IndyCar can no longer afford to buy new cars every year.
Along with the rollout of this new car, Miles said, would come IndyCar’s next version of its powertrain – an internal combustion engine and newly-developed hybrid system. That was supposed to have happened years ago but was pushed out several times for various reason, mostly cost.
“We’re not to the point of fully establishing (2027) as a deadline or goal, but I think that is the focus, and we’re hopeful we’ll be able to roll out the next powertrain, along with major developments (to it), and a new chassis by 2027,” Miles said. “We’re hard at work with Honda, Chevy, Ilmor, Dallara and other major international suppliers to think about what’s possible.
“We want to improve our ability to attract additional OEMs by lowering the cost barriers to entry, but we also want to make sure we do it in a way that’s even more relevant to the auto industry. I think it’ll be exciting for our fan base, coming with relevant technology and styling enhancements we think can score a lot of points with fans.”
When asked what he saw as the sport’s most important issues to tackle in the near-future, Miles noted teams are presently hyper-focused on containing costs. Not retaining Honda, but containing costs.
With rumors of Honda eyeing a move to NASCAR, it will be interesting to see whether IndyCar can convince Honda to renew. If Honda bails, IndyCar would become a single engine formula like all other ‘spec’ series.