P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Since the first Indianapolis 500 was held in 1911, auto manufacturers have fought to earn bragging rights — marketing and promotional victories — through racing in IndyCar to help sell more cars an…
Since the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, auto manufacturers have used IndyCar racing to showcase their speed, innovation, and excellence. Throughout the years, IndyCar has been at the forefront of pioneering safety devices, suspension systems, and aerodynamics. However, with the global auto industry shifting towards hybridization and electrification, the focus may need to move away from internal combustion engines (ICE) as the central combat tool.
American Honda Motorsports Manager Chuck Schifsky raises the question of whether IndyCar’s ICE still matters to car companies. Honda suggests that a spec engine, where everyone runs the same engine built by Ilmor Engineering, could be the way forward. This could lead to cost savings, similar to the hybrid system development.
Honda’s suggestion for Ilmor Engineering, which is co-owned by IndyCar Series owner Roger Penske and also builds Chevy’s IndyCar engines, to become the sole ICE supplier is remarkable. This recommendation comes from a company that was created in 1993 to build and support CART IndyCar Series engines.
As IndyCar looks towards the future and the advancement of compact energy recovery systems, the focus may shift towards greater promotional and technological interests in hybrid and electric technology. The time may have come to reconsider the role of ICE in the IndyCar series.
