New Indy engine could be delayed, three manufacturers in the mix
Competition is a good thing, right? If so, IndyCar racing is slated to improve within the next few years as the series branches out to include multiple engine suppliers. As it currently stands, Honda, which has been the sole engine supplier for IndyCar since 2006, will continue with its current contract through the 2010 season at least. IndyCar organizers would like to have a few new contracts in place by 2011, but the slow economy and fewer dollars earmarked for motorsports may push that date off until 2012.
In addition to Honda, which would like to stay in the series, Audi, Fiat, Porsche and Volkswagen are all currently negotiating with the racing league to offer alternative powertrain options. The current engines all displace 3.5 liters and are limited to 10,300 rpm, making about 650 horsepower running on ethanol fuel. The next contract will likely call for engines displacing 2.0 liters and feature turbocharging and direct injection. Both four cylinder and six cylinder options are being considered.
[Source: USA Today]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tom Winch 4:53PM (2/05/2009)
If they go the 4 cylinder turbo route, Audi and Volkswagen are already ahead of the game. Audi already provides 4 cylinder turbo engines to the Formula Palmer series in Europe.
http://www.formula-palmer-audi.com/
The sad part is, that of all the engine manufacturers listed, not a single one is a US brand. Before everyone jumps all over me about the Detroit bailout, etc., and that they have no business spending money on racing, this is a money making opportunity because the teams buy these motors and it's also a great marketing opportunity also, showing US marques can compete.
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jrhmobile 5:14PM (2/05/2009)
More likely than not, if a US automaker gets in on this game, it'll be doing it for promotional purposes only -- e.g. Illmor-Chevrolet, Cosworth-Ford, etc. Before it's over, you may discover that's what the import manufacturers do too ...
Ryan 5:22PM (2/05/2009)
With US automakers taking our tax money, I'd be more concerned with them being able to compete in the marketplace than on the racetrack.
Yes, racing is a marketing tool, but US automakers are the deep hole they are in not because of lack of advertisement. They've got fundamental problems to sort out first.
Israel Llamas 5:35PM (2/05/2009)
That would assume that they could make a competent engine to compete with the other folks, I would love to see Audi supply engines for Indy it would be super.
AndrewGTO 8:56PM (2/05/2009)
Israel,
The domestics did compete in INDY. They did very well against foreign competitors. Ever hear of Sam Hornish Jr., Pennzoil? They were GM powered. GM pulled out somewhere in or '03 or '04 due to tanking TV ratings and felt it no longer made business sense as opposed to NASCAR or IHRA. Toyota followed GM because they wanted a spending cap (how ironic) on manufacturers because Honda spent the most. Eventually they all pulled out, leaving Honda to compete against itself. Your comment in regard to domestic engines is very typical of Autoblog despite what they have proven around the world in races.
A-style 6:26AM (2/06/2009)
@Tom
Seems like for the street cars VW/Audi uses turbos as a crutch to reach the same power as Honda makes N/A.
slicecom 5:04PM (2/05/2009)
Ever since the demise of Champ Car, I've missed turbo engines dearly. I can't wait till IndyCar goes back to turbos!
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Franz 5:34PM (2/05/2009)
I'd love to see F1 go back to turbos, but that's not gonna happen for a while... if ever.
slicecom 10:27PM (2/07/2009)
I'm happy with F1's loud and high revving engines (though the V10's sounded better), the IRL's NASCAR sounding engines just don't do it for me though.
David Ederer 7:21PM (2/05/2009)
More manufactures for the motors and cars would be great for the series. i'm looking forward to watching indy cars again.
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Rev Junkie 8:02PM (2/05/2009)
God, I wish that they'd get a production version of the 2.0L V8 and put it in...say a TL SH-AWD Type-R. Or at least a small oversquare DOHC i-VTEC V8 that can rev to M3 levels. Whatever happens, I just hope they don't try to tune it for too much low-end torque. It would confuse Honda owners like myself who are used to spinning the engine to past 3,000rpm just to get up a hill. Honda engines have generally been the smallest in class, with the highest horsepower, at the highest rpm, and with the least torque, at the highest rpm, and generally have the highest redline. A sweet idea would be two F20C engines to drive a common crank. That would mean a 4.0L V8 with 474 horses and a 9000rpm redline.
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Stumpy 9:07AM (2/06/2009)
Could you imagine that type of engine in the S2000? It would be sick!
Fleming in Tennessee 9:24PM (2/05/2009)
Unless and until Indy is USA powered, I'll have no use for it. US Offy and US Ford dominated Indy for years, until the Japs out spent them. Indy will continue to fade, as it is no longer the great AMERICAN race. USA Ford has won LeMans; Formula 1; Off road; Indy; Nascar, NHRA, IRHA, SCCA, USAC, ARCA, TransAm and just about every form of racing world wide, when they wanted to, or until they were "out-ruled", as in LeMans. Indy could allow American V8's in one form or another, and they'd run just as fast as those over priced "Indy Only" engines do.
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Jonathan 4:26AM (2/06/2009)
Is it me or is the IRL slowly going back to the old CART/Champ Car formula? I'd love for that to happen, because the old specs produced much more entertaining racing. Also, every driver who has driven both the old CART cars and the new IRL cars like the CART cars better.
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