There’s nothing quite like the sound of a roaring engine. And thanks to turbocharged, direct injected V6 motors pumping out almost 700-horepower, the Verizon IndyCar Series has become synonymous with speed.
But it takes more than some metal and oil to get these open cockpit racecars up to 220 mph.
What makes IndyCar fast
Of course, tires and strategy play an intricate role in successful driving but this year the Verizon IndyCar Series wanted to up the ante with the addition of aerodynamic bodywork components – designed, manufactured and supplied by both Chevrolet and Honda – called aero kits.
With a different aero kit for road courses and oval tracks, these lightweight chassis were added to the series with the hopes of not only providing a platform for the development of safety, but also to promote individuality.
In an exciting season that took the final race to crown Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon the champion, the underlying topic throughout the 2015 campaign was the aero kits.
Speed and maneuvering provided fodder for the conversation – especially when it came to the Indianapolis 500. After several frightening crashes during practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, some began to question the value of the aero kits and if the new parts were to blame for the incidents. But the race known as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” lived up to its moniker, with four lead changes in the last 15 laps, despite an almost 16 mph slower average speed from the winner than the previous year.
“The [aero kit] parts have created more turbulence, so it’s a little bit more difficult for the drivers to drive close to each other,” said Bill Pappas, Technical Consultant for KV Racing.
Pappas is no stranger to the scientific intricacies of IndyCars and understands just what it takes to provide his team’s drivers – Sébastien Bourdais and Stefano Coletti – with a chance to win, week in and week out. And while it took some getting used to for KV Racing and the other IndyCar teams, piecing together the car was something that seemed to become second nature by the end of the season.
Why Aero Kits?
So, what is it about these kits that is so important to the performance of the each and every IndyCar?
Aero kits aren’t just thrown together before practice like one of the Transformers, but rather, are carefully designed and tested – under regulations – with pieces including side-pods, engine covers and the front wing main plane.
Pappas explained the finer points of the equipment’s importance, as well as the weight factor, at Pocono Speedway before the ABC Supply 500 on the 2.5 mile triangular track.
“[Aero kits] are just more efficient. We can go from a package that takes us down to 1,600 pounds of downforce, all the way up to 2,500 pounds. This race start we’re about 2,200 or 2,300 pounds. It’s not so much it gives [the driver] an advantage, it’s just trying to make sure that you have enough downforce to be able to stay flat and pass cars and be able to pull away from them. So, it’s a constant balance of different parts to give us the downforce to drag ratio that we need to be competitive.”
Each team could use more than two kits over the course of the season – and at about $75,000 per car for the pair, the new look certainly isn’t cheap. That’s why the KV Racing team spends a great deal of time in the garage beforehand, making sure everything meets standards.
Crew members spend hours taking pieces off, looking like the Incredible Hulk despite the entire kit weighing between 46 and 55 pounds, depending on the track. As not to miss anything, Coletti and Bourdais’ cars both have a printed piece of paper on it, with a checklist of between 30 and 40 points, ensuring that the vehicle – from the aero kit, to the wheels, to the engine – works properly before the testing process, giving fans a racecar that’s not only more aesthetically pleasing but built to handle whatever track IndyCar throws at it.
To the casual fan or those who, out of tradition, put on the Indy 500 for a couple of hours, the look of IndyCars in 2015 might not look too different than 2014 – but it’s the little things that provide the identity.
Last season, virtually every car had a similar look. Sure, there were different sponsors, but take the paint off and what was left was essentially a spec car. That’s no longer the case, given that each of these racecars has subtle changes, from the front to the back. But there’s always room for improvement, and while style and driving are important, safety is always the biggest concern.
“It’s part of the car now,” Pappas added about the kits. “If they open up developmental areas, there’s always ways to make the cars better than they are right now.”
Photos courtesy of Edward Miller and Megan Miller – in memory of Justin “Badass” Wilson.
Ed Miller is a contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @PhillyEdMiller or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
