Team Penske find themselves in familiar territory coming in to the 2017 Verizon IndyCar season finale at Sonoma. The big question is not whether they can take back-to-back championships. It is whether they will make the same mistakes that cost them the IndyCar title back in 2015. Picture the scene Coming in to the final…
Tag: 2017 IndyCar series
Could branded engines solve IndyCar’s OEM dilemma?
A significant part of IndyCar’s growth strategy is securing a third official engine manufacturer (OEM) for the series. Following the disastrous Lotus project in 2012, the championship has been unable to find a replacement. Cost of entry remains high, competition is tight and the net benefits of participation remain debatable. Could a change of approach…
IndyCar and ovals: still going the wrong way
From the crapshoot that was the Rainguard 600 at Texas to plans for push to pass next year, one thing is clear. IndyCar is still going the wrong way with its oval plans. Less than a month after another epic Indy 500, normal service has been resumed. The 500 was a race that ran out…
Reimagining the IndyCar oval format
There is a real momentum and positivity around IndyCar at the moment. TV ratings are going in the right direction, schedule stability is coming together and road/street course attendances are growing. Of course there are still areas that need work – sponsorship, attracting new teams, making the series financially viable are just a few. For me the most…
Is Ford wrong about IndyCar?
Ford Performance director Dave Pericak recently rubbished rumors that Ford is considering becoming the third engine supplier to IndyCar. Pericak questioned the relevance of IndyCar to Ford’s ‘track to road’ policy in an interview with Autosport. “We don’t want to go out there just to race. If there’s not a direct translation to the cars, then we’re not…
IndyCar 2017 talking points – part 3
In the final part of my IndyCar 2017 season preview, a look at more of the key talking points this year. Including Takuma Sato’s move to Andretti, international expansion and plans for a standard aero kit in 2018. Sato at Andretti – fast or a furious boss? At the recent Autosport International show Dario Franchitti…
The pros and cons of new IndyCar engine partners
IndyCar officials are confident the switch to a universal aero kit in 2018 will attract new engine suppliers. In a recent article by Bruce Martin of Autoweek, IndyCar officials spoke of their confidence in attracting potentially 2 new manufacturers. In a fairly unprecedented move the series then used it’s social media platforms to actively tout for new suppliers….
IndyCar 2017 talking points – part 2
Part 2 of my preview of the main talking points and highlights ahead of the 2017 IndyCar season. In part 1 I looked at who might challenge Penske’s domination, the chances of success for Ganassi and the prospects for Marco Andretti, JR Hildebrand and the energised AJ Foyt Racing. This time I’m looking at all things oval for…
Silly season: IndyCar 2017 update – 21 November
In a change to recent form, almost all IndyCar seats for 2017 are filled well before the Christmas and New Year break. But a few remain and here’s my rundown of the latest IndyCar silly season rumours and developments. Chip Ganassi Racing The fourth seat at Ganassi alongside Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Charlie Kimball remains…
IndyCar: JR Hildebrand back, JPM sticks with Penske – silly season update
JR Hildebrand, Juan Pablo Montoya and Takuma Sato all bag seats for 2017 as the IndyCar silly season hots up. Hildebrand joins Ed Carpenter Racing JR Hildebrand has secured the vacant seat alongside Ed Carpenter at his eponymous team. The American – who as a rookie spectacularly lost the Indy 500 in 2011 on the final…
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