Honda Unveils Wild Aero Kit For 2015 IndyCar Season

Cameron Aubernon
by Cameron Aubernon
After years of spec racing, IndyCar has decided to allow the manufacturers to shape the game for 2015. Honda, for its part, isn’t holding back. Road & Track reports Honda’s new aero kit for the DW12 chassis pulls its influence from Formula One, with former F1 chassis designer/entrant Nick Wirth and his team at Wirth Research, as well as the engineers and designers of Honda Performance Development, coming up with the aggressive design for the road course/short oval kit.HPD vice president Steven Eriksen says kits like the one by his company can help lead the way out of spec racing, inspiring competitors and fans alike in so doing:We’ve had a car that is essentially the same since 2012—all cars the same across the whole grid. Now you’re going to have the visual differences across the cars. I think it will be engaging for the fans, particularly the folks that are really interested in the details. My sense is that it is really about getting back to the roots of IndyCar, where you have development going on as opposed to being spec.He added that the initial cost of the 200-piece kit [press release says 200 pieces – CA] is $75,000, and that teams can add or subtract as many pieces as needed for a given situation, with three possible combinations for qualifying, practice and competition as a result.The kit will debut next week at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala. for two days of testing alongside Chevrolet’s own aero kit, with both set to compete March 29 in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Cameron Aubernon
Cameron Aubernon

Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

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  • 7402 7402 on Mar 11, 2015

    It's actually sort of pretty in an ugly sort of way. I haven't followed formula racing since watching midget racers at the airport as a kid, but I think a basic formula that would encourage technology transferable to consumer vehicles would be awesome. Here's a shot at a simple formula: 1. No mechanical components may replaced or rebuilt for the entire season (obviously consumables like tires, brake pads, oil don't count here). -- this would influence design toward durability and reliability. 2. Fuel quantity is limited such that it is possible, even likely, that some cars will run out of fuel and not finish. -- this would influence design toward fuel economy while allowing free reign regarding weight, materials, aerodynamics, etc. More detailed rules could be added for each formula or series, but these two rules would apply throughout.

    • See 2 previous
    • Rpn453 Rpn453 on Mar 12, 2015

      @Flipper35 It's 100 kg now, so about 130 liters. In recent history up to 2013 they started with around 200 liters, and it was up to the engineers to decide how much fuel to take. No refueling allowed then or now. Amazing that they could cram 200 liters into those cars. You need a lot of fuel to push cars with so much aerodynamic drag that simply letting off the throttle at high speed slows them quicker than most street cars can brake. The cars were more elegant back when they simply tried to make them as light and aerodynamically slippery as possible.

  • JimC2 JimC2 on Mar 11, 2015

    Can't wait until one of these crashes* ... wings flying EVERYWHERE!! It'll surely make it on to YouTube. * with no on injured, of course

  • Oberkanone My grid hurts!Good luck with installing charger locations at leased locations with aging infrastructure. Perhaps USPS would have better start modernizing it's Post offices to meet future needs. Of course, USPS has no money for anything.
  • Dukeisduke If it's going to be a turbo 4-cylinder like the new Tacoma, I'll pass.BTW, I see lots of Tacomas on the road (mine is a 2013), but I haven't seen any 4th-gen trucks yet.
  • Oberkanone Expect 4Runner to combine best aspects of new Land Cruiser and new Tacoma and this is what I expect from 2025 4Runner.Toyota is REALLY on it's best game recently. Tacoma and Land Cruiser are examples of this.
  • ArialATOMV8 All I hope is that the 4Runner stays rugged and reliable.
  • Arthur Dailey Good. Whatever upsets the Chinese government is fine with me. And yes they are probably monitoring this thread/site.
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