IndyCar Going to Turbos?
For the last several months the IRL IndyCar series has been meeting with auto manufacturers, and trying to set a direction for a new engine package for the future.
Although not officially announced, it appears that IndyCar officials are at least talking publicly about part of that future… and it is said it will use turbos.
The Indy Star reports that Erik Berkman, Honda Performance Development boss the final issue is whether the new engine will be “four (cylinders) or six.”
IndyCar boss Brian Barnhart added that “both (engine packages) include turbos. One of them includes twin turbos.”
So… I guess Tony G and the rest of the IndyCar brain trust is going back to the future, the Champ Car future that is, CCWS was all about turbo power, now IndyCar will be.
But wait, there’s more: (from the rumor file)
One topic that had quietly gone away was the topic of mufflers on the current IRL IndyCar normally-aspirated engine.
Word is IndyCar continues to test mufflers on their naturally aspirated engine and is scheduled to continue to do so. They also have indicated that “the adoption of the silencer package in 2009 will be a commercial as well as a technical decision as the teams will have to replace all exhaust components and carry out a small body modification for the installation.”
(Shhhh… you’ll wake the neighbors!)
What’s next? The possibility apparently exists the current engine will be muffled until the turbos come online and it already runs on “ecco-friendly” Ethanol (not so much economic friendly, seen the price of corn-based products lately?)
Will a call be going out to Max “The Littlest Perv” Mosley asking for KERS blueprints?
Will the future IndyCar resemble the image above, a wind powered car. It doesn’t get any more ecco-friendly than that.
Mufflers on race cars???? WTF!. Just kill the sport and be done with it fer God’s sake. Close all the race tracks tear up the asphalt and plant corn. Then we’ll get to see racing where it all began, on city streets and highways, dodging John Law and losing a few friends here and there to bridge abutments and lack of experience.
“dodging John Law and losing a few friends here and there to bridge abutments and lack of experience.”>
I think that loser son of The Hulk tried that and it didn’t work so well.
Anyway, a large majority of the short tracks run with mufflers in a trend that started about 20 years ago.
God help us! While I have no problem with a 6 or 4 cylinder turbo unit; mufflers?.
BTW, this wont come in until 2011, that is two & a half seasons away! Does this mean that the IRL will not address its biggest problem, the crap “road course” conversion chassis, for the same period.