INDYCAR News and Notes – Aug. 10, 2015
- IMS Testing to Include Firestone Tire Test: Six Verizon IndyCar Series drivers will participate in on-track testing Aug. 12 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET session will incorporate a Firestone tire test to be conducted with Marco Andretti in the No. 27 Andretti Autosport Honda and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves in the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet, along with four drivers participating in team testing on the 2.5-mile oval.
Five of the drivers who will turn laps are Verizon IndyCar Series championship contenders with two races left in the 2015 season.
According to Rule 6.5.8 of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook, in-season tire testing will be under INDYCAR-approved special circumstances only. If approved, participation is restricted to two days per team by invitation from Firestone. All teams are permitted to have one car participate in team testing that runs concurrently with the tire test.
The Chevrolet-powered cars of Tony Kanaan (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing), Ed Carpenter (No. 20 CFH Racing) and Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Team Penske), along with the Honda-powered car of Ryan Hunter-Reay (No. 28 Andretti Autosport), are scheduled to participate in team testing.
Firestone annually tests at IMS “as we’re continuously seeking to innovate and make the tire better and make sure we’re prepared for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500,” according to Dale Harrigle, chief engineer for Bridgestone Americas Motorsports and manager of race tire development.
“We have a right- and left-side compound to evaluate. We have 24 different specs of tires to evaluate and that will make up 10 sets of tires,” Harrigle said, adding that introduction of aerodynamic bodywork components to the race cars this year makes testing to determine the 2016 IMS oval tire compounds more essential.
“It’s about how to improve the tire to give the drivers a better feel with the aero kits,” he said. “It’s also to make sure we’re comfortable with the speeds that we’ll be running next year. I expect to see an increase in speed with just the continuation of development of the aero kits and the engines.”
The tire specification selected for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on May 29, 2016, will be unique to the racetrack. The left-side tire specification used at this year’s Indy 500 also will be used in the penultimate race of the Verizon IndyCar Series season Aug. 23 on the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway tri-oval.
Cars participating in the team test will run with the rear wheel guard infills that were added for Indianapolis 500 qualifications and the 200-lap race in May as a safety element.
Fans may watch the test from the South Vista grandstand and the Turn 2 viewing mounds. There is no admission charge.
- USF2000, Pro Mazda to Share New Common Chassis: The first two levels of the Mazda Road to Indy (MRTI) – the driver development program providing a path for drivers to the Verizon IndyCar Series – will introduce a new chassis in coming years, according to Andersen Promotions, which operates MRTI under INDYCAR sanction.
A request for proposals has been circulated to constructors for a new car in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda in 2017 and the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires in 2018. Andersen Promotions debuted the Dallara IL-15 chassis in Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires competition, the third step on the ladder system, this season.
The new carbon composite chassis will be a common chassis between USF2000 and Pro Mazda with specific elements defining both visual and performance differences in the two series, including variations in horsepower and aerodynamics. It will be designed to the latest FIA specifications with added safety enhancements to accommodate U.S. road, street and oval circuits and a more modern appearance.
The new chassis will be powered by a 2.0-liter Mazda MZR engine producing approximately 170 horsepower in USF2000 and 270 horsepower in Pro Mazda. All chassis will run on Cooper tires.
- Tagliani Added to Canadian Motorsport Hall: Alex Tagliani, the 2009 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year and the first Canadian to start on the Indy 500 pole in 2011, will join four others Oct. 17 as inductees into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame.
“Tag,” of Lachenaie, Quebec, near Montreal, was selected to be part of the Player’s Canadian driver development program and joined its Formula Atlantic team in 1997. He moved up to Champ Car in 2000 and has made 203 career Indy car starts, most recently in the 99th Indianapolis 500 in May for AJ Foyt Racing. His lone Indy car win came at Road America in 2004. He has also driven sports cars, V8 Supercars, and multiple NASCAR events.
“Definitely an honor,” Tagliani said of the pending induction. “Need to get my wedding suit out of the closet for that one.”
Other inductees are Riverside Speedway (Nova Scotia) founder John Chisholm, car builder Ralph Luciw and seven-time Canadian stock car champion Don Thomson Jr. Sir Jackie Stewart will be inducted in the International Category.
- Of Note: Colton Herta, son of Verizon IndyCar Series team owner Bryan Herta, won his first two races of the MSA Formula season at Snetterton, England, over the weekend. Herta, 15, is driving for the same Carlin team that fields two cars in Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires. “We’ve shown all season we have the speed, but it has all come together now,” said Herta. … Canadian rock band The Guess Who will perform a live concert Aug. 22 at Pocono Raceway’s Infield Block Party as part of the Verizon IndyCar Series ABC Supply 500 race weekend. … Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing co-owner Bobby Rahal will co-drive a 1974 Porsche 911 in the Classic 24 Hour at Daytona in November at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. … Twelve up-and-coming American racers have been selected candidates for the 25th Team USA Scholarships. Six finalists will progress to a shootout in September at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Two winners will be invited to represent the United States in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch and the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone in England.
Sources: Mike Kitchel, Director/Verizon IndyCar Series PR