IndyCar – The objective seems to have been achieved for the new aero kit

2018 will mark the end of the era of differentiated aero kits between Chevrolet and Honda in IndyCar. The series will benefit from a single kit for all teams from the opening round in St Petersburg, Florida on March 11.

A new feature that the teams were able to test during the off-season and which for the moment seems to give complete satisfaction to the technical managers of the series. « In general, we achieved our goals in all aspects, explains Bill Pappas, vice president of race engineering for IndyCar.

From a performance perspective, we give back importance to the pilot in the cockpit. There was so much downforce over the last couple of years with aero kits from manufacturers. Le pilot talent was not used.

They are working again on technique to maintain maximum speed. When they get back on the gas, it's not just about pressing the pedal. There is slippage and the car slides. If the drivers can control this glide, they will really succeed.

They think it's going to be a lot more fun to ride, and they're very excited about it. From the start, the two pilots (Oriol Servia and Juan Pablo Montoya, who started the tests) felt the car had less turbulence, and they thought the vacuum would be better. They were very excited to race in Indianapolis. »

Adaptation work

Bill Pappas recognizes that the transition from a specific kit for each Chevrolet or Honda engine block to a single element (one for road/urban events and short ovals, the other for super-speedways) required the revision of several elements on the single-seaters, including the electronic wiring.

« The configuration difference between Honda and Chevrolet was a challenge, but both manufacturers found good solutions, explains Pappas. When we moved the radiator and created the safety structure on the side of the car, suddenly we had to move all the electronics. It was a huge challenge, to be honest. »