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JOLIET, Ill. -- Educating and engaging manufacturers regarding the next generation of IZOD IndyCar Series car and engine formula are the objectives of Indy Racing League CEO Randy Bernard, de Ferran Dragon Racing managing partner/president Gil de Ferran and Pi Research founder Tony Purnell during a trip to Europe that begins Aug. 31.

Parma, Italy, is the first stop for a meeting with Dallara Automobili principals. The group also will meet with officials of McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, Cosworth, Audi, Renault and Lotus among others.

De Ferran and Purnell were members of the ICONIC Advisory Committee that researched and recommended the 2012 chassis and engine platform to the sanctioning Indy Racing League. The engine formula was announced June 2, and the new car – a rolling chassis supplied by Dallara with aero kits (the car’s clothing) open to development, manufacturing and supply by any group – was unveiled July 14.

“We have come up with such an innovative and different concept on how to tackle some of the challenges IndyCar faces that we need to ensure the concept is well-understood and not misinterpreted,” de Ferran said. “Therefore, the importance of not only this trip but other initiatives that are going on are of significance in order to achieve this objective.”

Such was the line of questioning of Bernard and Tony Cotman, who recently was named project manager for the development of the 2012 technical program, during a meeting at Chicagoland Speedway.

“The league and team owners are 100 percent behind one another in building this brand and building IndyCar,” Bernard said following the meeting. “We need to be one and come together to build IndyCar, and that’s what happened today. We’re not going to agree on everything, but what we can do is come together and create the best solution to make everybody working together and taking the league in the correct direction.”

That message was echoed by Dreyer & Reinbold Racing co-owner Dennis Reinbold, who noted that Cotman will provide updates to owners at another meeting during the Kentucky Indy 300 race weekend Sept. 3-4. Cost-effectiveness, replacement parts and the technical rules were among the answers owners were seeking.

“We wanted to dispel any rumors or talk out there that we are not working in lockstep because that’s not factual,” he said. “We’re going to work very closely with Tony Cotman on the development of the new chassis for 2012. We have a lot of positive momentum for the series and 2012 will be a very important year for us with the new car, and the methodology to get that done is going to take a lot of work.

“(The owners) wanted to convey that to Randy and Tony and offer to help in any way we can. Randy and Tony have agreed to work with us and we’ll work with Dallara, which is an excellent provider to make it the best that we can. The timeline is tight, so that’s why we all need to work together to make this happen.”

Cotman, who oversaw development and implementation of Champ Car’s chassis in 2007, will be responsible for writing technical regulations for both engine and chassis, coordinating with suppliers and manufacturers and communicating with teams. He will work with the IZOD IndyCar Series’ technical and safety staff as well as outside engine and aerodynamic experts during the process.

A week earlier at Infineon Raceway, Cotman said he expected engine rules to be sorted out by Oct. 2 and the chassis rules decided by mid-November.

“Tony represents not only the league, but the team owners,” said Bernard, who added that Cotman has the authority to engage consultants in the both areas of development. “This has to be a win-win for everybody. If it is, it will be a win-win for the fans.”