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2012 IndyCar Racing

35K views 113 replies 3 participants last post by  EnserioJose 
#1 ·
Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon took to the cockpit at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the first of his 12 scheduled days of evaluation testing of the prototype 2012 IndyCar Dallara, which is powered by the first of the 2.2-liter turbocharged Honda V6 engines. Additional testing will take place on three road course and three ovals, IndyCar announced.

"It's a great day," project manager Tony Cotman told IndyCar.com. "To see the work of many individuals in a very short amount of time out on the racetrack...it's the start of a new era for IndyCar."

The new design - a Dallara rolling chassis that will feature different body coverings for ovals and road/street courses - was recommended to the sanctioning body by the seven-member advisory committee in July 2010 after it reviewed multiple manufacturer concepts. It will replace the chassis that came on line in 2003 and was originally designed exclusively for oval racing.

No times were announced from the test, which was closed to the public. IndyCar said the next test of the prototype will be conducted next month at Texas Motor Speedway, again with Wheldon at the controls.

"It's a lighter car, it has more horsepower and it has a lot less drag than the current car, so naturally on the right day it will go quicker and that's something that the fans have to look forward to," Cotman added. "I think it also will provide a different type of racing with different engine manufacturers, too. It will be interesting, it will be exciting and it will be a bit of a change."

Engine manufacturers, each of whom have ordered a next-generation chassis, will commence testing in early October with their respective aligned teams. So far, Chip Ganassi Racing, A.J. Foyt Racing and Sam Schmidt Motorsports have signed on with Honda. Team Penske is the anchor team for Chevrolet.

The race teams are scheduled to receive their first chassis in mid-December.

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-2012-car-breaks-cover-at-mid-ohio/

http://www.racer.com/2012-indycar-mid-ohio-test-gallery/slideshow/370/

 
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#28 ·
With the previous car, and I think I speak for a lot of the drivers, you ended up with chronic understeer and that was something that was just kind of standard, it was just one of the things you ended up dealing with. As much as this whole weight distribution has been brought up as an issue for ovals, in some respect it might be a bit of a benefit for street and road courses because it does allow the car to turn, maybe even too well. So that, from a handling perspective, was definitely different.

The other thing is the turbo engines; it***8217;s just kind of a different feeling. I didn***8217;t find it particularly difficult to get used to. It***8217;s not like we***8217;re going out there all of a sudden with 1000 horsepower, but there is a different style in throttle application through and out of corners. I think it***8217;s going to take some time to figure out how to get the most out of the car.

In the old car there had bit more low-end torque and not as much high-end horsepower so it was kind of linear in how you applied the throttle. So you got used to waiting to get to the point when you actually need the car to go and getting on the throttle. With this it***8217;s different because you have that little bit of lag, so you have to think ahead of time, ***8220;up there I want the car to be going so now I need to give it a little more gas now.***8221;

http://www.indycar.com/news/show/55-izod-indycar-series/51098-post-test-qanda-with-hildebrand/

 
#31 ·
Sebring Test

"The car is fun as hell to drive," Ganassi's Graham Rahal told SPEED.com. "It's pretty wicked-it clearly has a lot of potential on road courses and has plenty of grip. For sure, the car will be quicker at Sebring. It's a tough, bumpy place. The car has a lot of room to improve, and the track conditions weren't ideal. Everyone is in the first stages of figuring the car out, so it's not like we all know the cars and what makes them tick. That's gonna take some time."

"The initial thing that stood out to me was how good the brakes are," he said of the system supplied by Brembo. "They have a serious amount of grip - by far the best braking system I've had on an Indy car. It took a few laps to get used to, but it was just a lot of fun once I got up to speed. In the mid-speed corners and up, the car also has a ton of downforce. That's something you also feel right away.

"We're close to the quickest I've ever gone in the old car already, and we haven't done much running, so that says a lot about how much is left to come, I think."

Like Rahal, Briscoe enjoyed what he found with Team Penske's DW12 in road course trim, and looks forward to developing the car's setup.

"It looks like the Honda guys were a little bit faster than us, but we got to get into some changes for the first time-[suspension] geometries, springs and bars, and other setup stuff-and overall, it was a lot of fun," he said. "It wasn't always easy to handle the power, either. The turbo's pretty strong. You'd heard a lot negative comments about that, but when the boost comes in on the slow corners, you're feeding in opposite lock and trying to hold onto the thing. It can catch you out if you aren't paying attention. It's challenging, and it's going to get faster and faster as we keep testing. Overall, I'd say we're on the right track."

EJ Viso sampled KV's DW12 for the first time at Sebring, and echoed the comments made by others drivers about being in the early stages of learning what the 2012 car needs to perform.

"There's a bit margin to be improved with the car for the teams, and the drivers also need more seat time, too," he said. "It's a different animal. The turbo makes a big difference when you're driving--the timing, and a lot of that will come down to the engineers to get the RPMs right to [match] the power delivery for the different tracks we'll be at. I think it's the same for everybody."

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-teams-complete-two-day-sebring-test



 
#32 ·
Sebring Test

"It was pretty windy today, and the car was handling really well," Briscoe said. "There were a couple corners where I don't think I'd ever been as quick as I was today. It felt really good in a couple places, with the downforce up, and engine driving nicely."

"We never put on the street course tire; we were on a harder road course tire," he added. "The first impression was pretty nice, better than expected. For a first day test, we were right there with performance on the old car. That's a good barometer for the first day."

"The Chevy guys have done a good job at sorting the ramp up from the throttle pedal so there's almost no turbo lag," he added. "It kicks in more heavily out of the corner, all at once. It does catch up with you a little bit on full throttle."

Team Penske's Helio Castroneves joined the ranks of the left-foot brakers to accommodate the pedal arrangement of the new Dallara DW12 IndyCar during this week's two-day test session at Sebring.

Accustomed to right-foot braking his entire career, the Brazilian has changed that because the new DW12 chassis has two pedals instead of three (third for clutch). For 2012, the clutch joins the paddle shift system on the steering wheel.

http://www.racer.com/indycar-testing-priorities-intensify-on-sebring-day-one/article/223395/

http://www.racer.com/dw12-learning-development-continue-on-sebring-day-two/article/223715/

http://www.racer.com/castroneves-my-left-foot/article/223799/

 
#34 ·
At age 39, Rubens Barrichello isn't quite ready to be a motorsports spectator.

The Brazilian F1 veteran will embark on an exploratory IZOD IndyCar Series test Jan. 30-31 with KV Racing Technology at Sebring International Raceway, team officials confirmed Jan. 27.

Barrichello, who has 332 career starts in F1 (11 wins, 68 podiums and 14 pole positions), suggested on Twitter last week that he wants to continue competing. Last week, he was replaced by Bruno Senna as Williams F1 second driver for 2012 alongside Pastor Maldonado.
"When I said that things were open (it) is because I still have lots of speed on me," he wrote. "Just like an old friend said: racing is in my blood."

He'll be at Sebring with old friend and fellow Brazilian Tony Kanaan, who will compete for the second consecutive year with KV Racing Technology (this season in the No. 11 car). Kanaan was on the Sebring short course last week for further development of the team's Chevrolet-powered Dallara DW12 chassis.

"As we can't keep the secret anymore, Rubens Barrichello will be testing for us. Very proud he can help KV Racing and myself with his feedback," Kanaan wrote on Twitter.

Oriol Servia (in the Lotus development car), Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe (Andretti Autosport), JR Hildebrand (National Guard Panther Racing), and the Team Penske trio of Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves and Will Power also will be on the track Jan. 30.

Justin Wilson (Dale Coyne Racing), Mike Conway (A.J. Foyt Racing), Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon (Target Chip Ganassi Racing), Graham Rahal (Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing) and Charlie Kimball (Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing) join them Jan. 31.

http://www.indycar.com/news/show/55-izod-indycar-series/51114-surprise-test-guest/
 
#36 ·
Rubens Barrichello donned a headset as fellow Brazilian and longtime friend Tony Kanaan zipped around the Sebring International Raceway short course at 9:45 a.m. in the No. 11 KV Racing Technology car.

"Sounds impressive," the driver with 332 career Formula One starts said of the Chevrolet 2.2-liter, dual turbocharged V-6 engine. "Sounds like he's having fun."

Soon it would be Barrichello's turn in the new Dallara DW12 chassis.
"I just hope I don't break anything for Jimmy (team co-owner Vasser)," joked Barrichello, 39, before getting accustomed to the car and bumpy circuit for two days of testing in the No. 5 companion to Kanaan's car.

He didn't during almost six hours of track time and 94 laps (150 miles). He exited the car with a large grin and promptly gave Vasser and Kanaan high-fives.

"I feel like a kid," Barrichello said. "I had a really good and productive day with all the set-up options we tried. You could call me a rookie, even though I have 33 years on this job. In the morning I was getting used to the car and not doing anything silly because obviously you don't want to put it in the wall. It's a different machine from what I'm used to, but it had a good feeling."

What began as a pick-me-up message from Kanaan two weeks ago -- after Barrichello learned that he was being replaced at Williams F1 by Bruno Senna -- has developed into serious consideration about him joining the IZOD IndyCar Series for the 2012 season that kicks off March 25 with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

"If you go purely from joy, it wouldn't be a problem," Barrichello said. "I have still so much passion for the speed and I'm quite young in my mind and I believe I'm getting better and better. Right now, I'm truly happy and I like what I saw. I've been a fan of the Indy series for a long time. It's a great atmosphere and great racing.

"I just need to see what comes up. I need to talk to my family, I need to talk to Jimmy. I like it."

Kanaan, who was joined at dinner Jan. 29 with Barrichello by Helio Castroneves, Will Power and Oriol Servia ("he noticed the atmosphere; how we all get along"), was happy to have Barrichello accept the invitation to join him at Sebring.

"Over the winter we talked about it, but it became serious when I was testing (at Sebring) and they announced that he wouldn't be will Williams and I tweeted a picture of my car saying 'It's ready for you,' " said Kanaan, who is godfather to one of Barrichello's sons and vice versa with his son, Leonardo. "Then I called him up and said, 'Hey, you want to come test at the end of the month?' And he said yes, so I called Jimmy (Vasser).

"It's great to have a guy I can call brother with us. His knowledge and experience helped confirm some ideas that we had for this test, so it was very productive having Rubens around. (His future) is in his hands. Right now, it's just an invitation for him to help us out as far as his feedback. What goes beyond that, it's up to him.

"Knowing Rubens, his timeline will be pretty short. By the time he gets out of the car (Jan. 31), he'll have a pretty good idea what he wants to do. Right now, we don't have anyone signed for the other two cars. You can tell by his face he's having a lot of fun."

Vasser said the door is open.

"This was Rubens' first time in an IndyCar and I think he enjoyed himself," he said. "Certainly, we had a lot of fun working with him. Most importantly, if he is going to have this kind of affect on Tony we are going to have to figure out a way to keep him around."

Barrichello, who has recorded 11 wins, 68 podiums and 14 pole positions in F1, was joined at the facility by his family. They were greeted by INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard.

"If Rubens joins the IZOD IndyCar Series, it continues to strengthen the caliber of drivers that we're attracting," Bernard said. "His record alone is the type of excitement that we want to build within the series and give our fanbase. When you at the history of Indy car and the greats such as Nigel Mansell and Emerson Fittipaldi, it only helped the stature of Indy car. If there is a transition, I want him to know that we're here to help him."

Servia (in the Lotus development car), Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe (Andretti Autosport), JR Hildebrand (National Guard Panther Racing), and the Team Penske trio of Ryan Briscoe, Castroneves and Power also were on the track Jan. 30.

Justin Wilson (Dale Coyne Racing), who co-drove the winning entry in the 50th anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 29, Mike Conway (A.J. Foyt Racing), Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon (Target Chip Ganassi Racing), Graham Rahal (Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing) and Charlie Kimball (Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing) join them Jan. 31.

http://www.indycar.com/news/show/55-izod-indycar-series/51120-barrichello-evaluates-car-future/
 
#39 ·
Xtrac IndyCar Gearbox

The latest type '1011' transmission is a completely new gearbox for the 2012 Dallara DW12 chassis that offers a smaller, lighter and more efficient design fully integrated into the car's improved rear crash structure, which will make a major contribution to increased driver safety.

Xtrac and Dallara worked closely to ensure the design of the gearbox complemented the new car and is fully compatible with all three turbocharged engines supplied by Honda, GM and Lotus. Xtrac similarly consulted with IndyCar and all the race teams to understand what they wanted from a new transmission and has incorporated many of the features requested. A feature that everybody wanted to carry over from the previous transmission was the ultra-reliable and successful MegaLine assisted gearchange mechanism, which is further integrated into the new gearbox and now powers an auto clutch anti-stall system.

The ability to changeover very rapidly from one set of gears to another to provide different ratios for different circuits has also been carried over into the new design, and it is now possible to swap between ovals and street circuits without needing to touch the crown wheel and pinion. Moreover, increased differential adjustment allows teams to further fine tune the chassis from one course to another.

An initial batch of 75 gearboxes has been manufactured to ensure sufficient cars and spares for the start of the 2012 season. Extensive use of sophisticated computational analysis and rig based testing was essential to ensure the gearbox is fit for purpose, even prior to any major endurance track tests. The gearbox is assembled at Xtrac's expanded US facility, which is only 10 minutes from the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the company has been heavily involved in the winter test program for the new racecar to validate the new gearbox design and confirm its reliability.

http://3d-car-shows.com/2012/xtrac-heading-for-another-record-year/

 
#41 · (Edited)
IndyCar Tests

Barber Motorsports Park, Alabama (Feb. 20-21)

Honda
No. 9 Scott Dixon - Target Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 10 Dario Franchitti - Target Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 14 Mike Conway - A.J. Foyt Racing
No. 15 Takuma Sato - Rahal Letterman Lanigan
No. 18 James Jakes - Dale Coyne Racing
No. 19 Justin Wilson - Dale Coyne Racing
No. 38 Graham Rahal - Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 83 Charlie Kimball - Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 77 Simon Pagenaud - Sam Schmidt Motorsports

Chevrolet
No. 3 Helio Castroneves - Team Penske
No. 12 Will Power - Team Penske


Phoenix International Raceway, Arizona (Feb. 21-22)

Chevrolet
No. 4 JR Hildebrand ***8211; National Guard Panther Racing (Feb. 22 only)
No. 26 Marco Andretti ***8211; Andretti Autosport


Sebring International Raceway, Florida (Feb. 23-24)

Honda
No. 9 Scott Dixon ***8211; Target Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 10 Dario Franchitti ***8211; Target Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 15 Takuma Sato ***8211; Rahal Letterman Lanigan
No. 38 Graham Rahal ***8211; Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 77 Simon Pagenaud -- Sam Schmidt Motorsports
No. 83 Charlie Kimball ***8211; Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing

Lotus
No. 2 Oriol Servia -- Lotus Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
No. 78 Simona de Silvestro -- Lotus HVM Racing


Infineon Raceway, California (Feb. 25-26)

Chevrolet
No. 2 Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske)
No. 4 JR Hildebrand (Panther Racing)
No. 12 Will Power (Team Penske)
No. 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport)
E.J. Viso and Rubens Barrichello (KV Racing Technology)

Fans can watch the Feb. 25 test session at Infineon for free.
 
#42 ·
The all-new 2012 INDYCAR race car will make its Sonoma debut later this month, and race fans are invited for a FREE preview, as four IZOD IndyCar® Series teams hit the track for a test session at Infineon Raceway.

The two-day test, Feb 25-26, is being held in advance of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar® Series season, which kicks off on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. on Sunday, March 25. The series will make its eighth consecutive visit to Northern California for the Indy® Grand Prix of Sonoma, Aug. 24-26.

Race fans are invited to enjoy a free sneak peek on Saturday, Feb. 25, with testing slated from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. They will be allowed to watch the test session from the main grandstand, wander around the paddock and attend a driver press conference at noon (space permitting). The Raceway Café will also be open from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. for breakfast and lunch. The raceway is also planning an up-close look at the new car with a Tech Talk session in the Wine Country Winner's Circle during the lunch hour.

Teams and drivers scheduled to attend the test include veteran Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello and EJ Viso (KV Racing Technology), Sausalito's JR Hildebrand (Panther Racing), Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport) and Will Power and Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske).

This will mark Northern California fans' first glimpse of the new 2012 race car, which has been designed to incorporate improved safety standards and accommodate drivers of varying height, while including elements that improve raceability. Series officials also expect the new cars to be much quicker on road courses.

The raceway will feature a number of ticket packages at the test session, highlighted by the launch of the raceway's new INDYCAR Total Access Tech Ticket, which includes a reserved Sunday ticket, Garage/Pit/Pre-Race Pass and race-day Q&A featuring an inside look at the 2012 race car for $99. The test is weather permitting. For more information, visit infineonraceway.com/indycar or call 800-870-RACE (7223).

http://www.infineonraceway.com/
 
#43 ·
The final day of testing at the 2.3-mile Barber Motorsports Park road course were met with slightly warmer conditions on Tuesday, which ended with Ganassi Racing's Graham Rahal posting the fastest lap of the day.

After the track dried from a quick spell of rain, teams got down to business, with Rahal's 1:09.96-second lap around the 17-turn facility in his Dallara DW12-Honda also serving as the best of the two-day test.

Rahal's time is 1.5 seconds quicker than last year's pole time.

"The car has a lot of grip and there's still a long way to go. The car's impressive. Over the past couple years, the times I'm running now here are way quicker [based on using similar tires]."

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-barber-test-update-tuesday/

 
#44 · (Edited)
The IndyCar test at Texas Motor Speedway was conducted with a sense of purpose as teams, drivers and the sanctioning body attempted to define the aerodynamic package for the new IZOD IndyCar Series car on high-speed ovals in advance of a scheduled March 13 Open Test at the 1.5-mile facility.

The daylong session included Briscoe, Kanaan and Alex Tagliani -- driving the Lotus development car -- working on individual programs through midday and then running multiple stints running side by side and in drafting situations.

***8220;Today***8217;s test is the first step in determining the right aero package based on team and driver input and data,***8221; INDYCAR vice president of technology Will Phillips said of the session called at the behest of INDYCAR. ***8220;Today***8217;s test is the baseline. Nothing negative has really stood out.

Dallara-provided aero bits that were tested in the full-scale wind tunnel last month in North Carolina were utilized on all three cars, which had varying setups. The production car is slightly different from the prototype that was evaluated on the Homestead-Miami Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Iowa Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway ovals in autumn (different mirrors, different rear wheel fairings, subtle differences in chassis construction and better integration of the Zylon side intrusion panels).

***8220;The production car is more slippery (moves the air better) than the prototype,***8221; Phillips said of the wind tunnel results that he wanted to confirm on the breezy day at the speedway. ***8220;That lifted the speed as the car was run. We then looked at how could we improve the aerodynamic force of the car? Basically, by optimizing the aero set-up, re-balancing the car and then putting on some aero development parts, it showed that using a nominal assumed horsepower of 575 the car is capable of 225 mph.

Altogether, less drag was noticeable. "It all feels pretty normal right now -- normal in a good way," said Briscoe, the 2010 race winner at Texas Motor Speedway with Team Penske. "We're really just getting a feel for different downforce levels and the different suspension options that we have. We're able to get below (downforce level) where we ran with the old car. With the old car we were limited to a 10-degree free wing angle, and with this car we're free to trim out like Indy-style. We have that freedom and we're trying to explore the limits. The balance feels really good around here."

A road/street course Open Test is scheduled for March 5-6 and 8-9 at Sebring International Raceway, with the mid-March date in Texas the next testing scheduled.

The Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway is June 8-9. A Chip Ganassi Racing team test last week on the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway oval with Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball also provided ***8220;some good feedback with weight distribution,***8221; according to Phillips.

http://www.texasmotorspeedway.com/

 
#47 ·
Infineon Test

About 1500 fans showed up to watch the free test day, courtesy of Infineon Raceway.

The Bay Area's open-wheel fans got a first look at the new Dallara DW12 chassis and got to listen to the 700 HP from Chevrolet's twin-turbo V6 engine echo off the hills.

The track also held a packed public Q&A session with all six drivers in victory lane.

"I think there's a lot of buzz about the new cars," Briscoe explained. "I think everyone was really excited. It was the first chance where we've tested where the fans can come out, have a look, get close and see everything. The cars sound great, and hopefully we made a good impression. And everyone got to see Rubens Barrichello, which was a treat, and we did a Q&A session at lunch, so I think it went really well."

Hunter-Reay was also pleased with the fan's response to the test.

"I was very impressed with that," he said. "It makes me happy to see that many people turn out in the middle of February. The fans were really engaging, we were talking to a lot of fans-a lot of kids, too. That's what matters; we need to create the future fans of the series, and there were a lot of families and kids here today. It bodes well for the series when we have this kind of reaction before the season's even started."

Sunday's test is also free to the public.

http://www.indycar.com/news/show/55...198-chevy-test-day-at-infineon-draws-a-crowd/

http://www.twitvid.com/O4U52



 
#48 ·
Infineon Test

Team Penske's Will Power (Dallara DW12-Chevy) led all drivers at Infineon, posting a 1:16.98 lap in chilly conditions and standard tires.

Power's time is 1.6 seconds quicker than last year's pole time.

"The new car's better in the fast corners and better under braking; that's where we make up all the extra time."

"We still can't get around its understeer. The car's amazing in fast corners, but in the slow ones..."

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-power-posts-11698-lap-to-lead-sunday-at-sonoma/





 
#52 · (Edited)
KV Racing Technology co-owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser announced during a news conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, that Barrichello will drive the No. 8 BMC | Embrase ***8211; KV Racing Technology car this season.

"I'm over the moon," said Barrichello, who's related to former Indy car driver Felipe Giaffone. "I went in to test at Sebring, we had no expectations. It was just a test. I got to the track and I got a fantastic reception. I felt that I wanted to do it straightaway. I love the sport, and I love the speed, so myself behind the steering wheel, I just feel at home."

"The car has a dignity of its own, races take place on relatively short oval tracks (short ovals and superspeedways) or on street circuits, there are less electronics than Formula One, the races are faster, the surrounding environment is more relaxed, the cars are all very similar, and the number of modifications that the teams are permitted to make are limited, so it's the driver that makes the difference," he said.

RB: " I had an agreement with my BMC sponsor to do Formula 1 and when I showed that for the same amount of money they would have the whole IndyCar, they were very happy!"

http://kvracingtechnology.homestead.com/

http://www.racer.com/q-a-exclusive-rubens-barrichello-on-indycar-switch/article/230086/

http://www.indycar.com/news/show/55...08-barrichello-starts-new-chapter-in-indycar/





 
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