2012 IndyCar Race Car DEsign Proposals by Swift Engineering – 11.02.2010
California-based race car designers Swift Engineering have released their proposals for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series vehicle. The Dallara IndyCar chassis is now scheduled to be retired at the end of the 2011 series after nine years of service.
Officials with IRL need a car capable of hitting 235 mph (378 km/h), at a much lower cost than the Dallara’s $400k pricetag. The reduced cost will be an effort by IRL to allow teams to focus more on their drivers and marketing, while a new car could help restore interest in the beleaguered series.
Aside from the new car, IRL will also be examining proposals for a new engine. Currently, the series requires use of a naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter 32-valve DOHC V8 made from aluminum alloy. Honda produces the engine, often criticised as sounding harsh and abrasive, with McLaren providing the engine management system.
Swift is in serious competition for the IndyCar bid. Other designs are being proposed by Dallara, Lola, and newcomers DeltaWing. For this car, Swift’s partners include Cray, Mark One Composites, and Cruden America.
“Individually, each one of these partnerships is critical to Swift’s continuing commitment to motorsport,” said Swift chief Jan Wesley Refsdal. “However, collectively and in conjunction with one another they will help us set new industry standards in innovative design, manufacturing and support.”
Source: paddocktalk.com via jalopnik.com
Press Release (Click to expand)
San Clemente, California – USA February 2010
American race car company, Swift Engineering, Inc. is proud to announce key motorsport partnerships with industry leading companies to further its bid to design and build the next generation race car chassis for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series ®.
“Given Swift is the leading US race car design and manufacturing company and our 27-year history was founded in motorsport, it is only natural that we aspire to partner with the nations’ premier open-wheel formula, the IZOD IndyCar Series,” Jan Wesley Refsdal, Swift’s president said.
Key business alliances have been cemented between Swift and Cray Inc. (The Supercomputer Company), Indianapolis-based Mark One Composites, Inc. and Cruden America, world leaders in motion racing simulators
“Individually, each one of these partnerships is critical to Swift’s continuing commitment to motorsport; however, collectively and in conjunction with one another they will help us set new industry standards in innovative design, manufacturing and support,” Refsdal stated.
Swift’s strategic industry partnerships were carefully selected and cultivated through a focused effort to realize the challenge the IZOD IndyCar Series has set for its next generation car.
Cray supercomputers will be used at Swift’s facility to further enhance its capabilities in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), an important tool in the design and development of aerodynamic concepts. In conjunction with Swift’s existing on-site wind tunnel designs will be tested in accurate virtual models allowing for valuable driver feedback and performance data collection on Cruden’s state-of-the-art 3Ctr 6-DOF motion racing simulator which is soon to be operational at Swift.
“Speed-to-market is critical in any business, but probably more so in racing as the green flag doesn’t wait for anyone,” Refsdal said. “Rapid development is just as much about the speed and quality of the design process as it is manufacturing. We are evolving our four-year exclusive certified composite repair relationship with Mark One Composites, Inc. to provide further manufacturing and inventory support directly to teams from its Indianapolis-based facility.”
