INDYCAR will explore increased technical innovation in its cars and continue its longstanding effort to enhance safety in open-wheel racing, Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles and incoming INDYCAR President of Operations and Competition Derrick Walker announced May 23.
Walker, who joins the sanctioning body after conclusion of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on May 26, will be responsible for identifying specific technology improvements and guiding their implementation, with the goal of managed increases in speed.
"In the short term, we'll look for incremental changes to our cars through components such as aerodynamics, horsepower and tires," Walker said. "In a way, we're going back to the future. Indy cars have always been about innovation and speed, and our goal is to open the door for that again. We'll start with our current car platform and give our teams and suppliers more ability to affect how they race. We always have to be mindful of costs, but that doesn't mean we can't manage improvements to create more exciting racing and at the same time do it safely."
Walker said the technical staff at INDYCAR, teams and suppliers -- with support from members of the newly formed Competition Committee -- will be engaged. Walker said the first substantive announcement, likely about aero kits, will be made soon.
"We've achieved a great car platform, so now we can move forward to explore what's next," Miles said. "By managing improvements in certain components, speeds will gradually increase, and we could break the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track record (237.498 mph by Arie Luyendyk in qualifications in 1996) by our 100th running in 2016."
Potential safety innovations could include new types of track fencing to protect drivers and fans, more precautionary steps on pit lane and continued cockpit safety enhancements.
"We already race the fastest closed-circuit cars in the world, and we continue to strive for further innovation that ultimately results in increased speed and safety," said 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, who will start seventh in the Indy 500 in the No. 1 DHL car for Andretti Autosport. "This is an opportunity for us to go back to our roots.
"Indy car is all about the progression of speed and pushing the performance barrier, and I strongly feel that this needs to be a big part of the future of our sport."
In March, INDYCAR announced the formation of an advisory Competition Committee to formalize communications among industry stakeholders on competition and technical matters. The committee, which met earlier in the day, will advise INDYCAR on competition-related matters such as rules, technical specifications and safety initiatives.
Members include:
• Derrick Walker (chair), incoming INDYCAR President, Operations and Competition
• Roger Griffiths, Honda Performance Development Technical Division Director
• Chris Berube, Chevrolet Program Manager, IZOD IndyCar Series
• Andrea Toso, Dallara Head of R&D and U.S. Racing Business Leader
• Dale Harrigle, Firestone Senior Project Engineer, Race Tire Development
• Dario Franchitti, Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver (Honda)
• Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport driver (Chevrolet)
• Tim Cindric, Penske Racing President (Chevrolet team)
• Bryan Herta, Bryan Herta Autosport co-owner (Honda team)
• Brian Barnhart, INDYCAR Senior Vice President of Operations
• Will Phillips, INDYCAR Vice President of Technology