IndyCar is sometimes referred to as America’s Formula 1. It is fast, open-wheel, open-cockpit and high-downforce racing, driven by underbody aero and front and rear wings. It races with a familiar format, but is a very different championship, with an equally exciting journey.
In the late 1990s, the series raced under CART using Champ Cars. This was a relatively prosperous period for open-wheel racing in North America, with lots of sponsorship available and high viewing numbers.
Technological development in that period was fast, using cutting edge wind tunnels, shaker rigs and all the other R&D techniques you might expect from top-level racing.
Towards the end of the ’90s, however, the Indy Racing League (IRL) broke off from CART and two separate racing championships were formed. Viewing numbers plummeted, presumably confused by what was going on, and with them went the sponsorship money.
At this point, the championship also moved from a multi-manufacturer series with many different chassis and engine builders, and relatively open regulations, to effectively a single-make series. This meant there was less reason to spend money on development, and innovation subsequently stagnated. In a short period of time, the series went from a position rivalling F1 to falling noticeably behind, with its reputation following.
In a short period of time, the series went from a position rivalling F1 to falling noticeably behind, with its reputation following
In recent times, though, IndyCar has re-surfaced and is once again being held up as one of America’s premier racing series, with a very healthy fan base, lots of commercial investment opportunity and strong manufacturer involvement.
With a major regulation change coming in next year through the introduction of a hybrid powertrain, the sport is about to undergo perhaps its greatest technological revolution yet. This presents a perfect opportunity to explore its journey over the last decades and see how IndyCar finds its place within top tier international motorsport.
Simulation revolution
Let’s begin by understanding the influence regulations have in directing technology in motorsport. In today’s championships, any discussions on the subject are largely focused on simulation, and how it benefits the engineering process from a cost, timing and quality standpoint.
Simulation technology has been used widely in global championships as an addition to physical testing for many years and, when the IRL was established in the late 1990s, teams
