Unless you are not on social media of any kind, you are probably aware that the new Indy car was unveiled yesterday and you’ve probably already seen photos and even an introductory video with a voiceover by Matt Damon.
Just in case you have not seen them, I am including a few shots here (all photos courtesy of IndyCar).
Based on the comments I read on social media, I am in the vast minority. I actually liked the looks of the car overall. Within five seconds of looking at it, I silently said to myself “Not bad”. Like with almost anything, there were some things I liked and things that made me say “Hmmm…”
First the good…I really liked the way they improved the looks of the aero screen. From the very first day I saw the aero screen in 2020, I cringed when I saw the head-on look of the car. I understand why, but the opening up top was wider than the base to the point where it looked like a funnel. That’s what happens when you add something to an existing car. On the new car, they were able to design it where it had a wider base. It looks much better than what we have been looking at for the past seven seasons with the current aero screen.
I also like the front-end of the tub. The nose is more streamlined than the current car and the front-wing appears to integrate with the rest of the car, instead of looking bolted on like the DW12. From what I can tell, the sidepods have a more modern look. The cockpit looks bigger, mainly because it is bigger. Taller or wider drivers are not penalized for their physical dimensions.
I had heard of a clear or transparent engine cover before yesterday’s unveiling and was not sure how that would look. I had pictured the entire cowling being made of Lucite. That is prime real estate for sponsor logos, and I could not see how that would work. Now that I see it is a thin spine of transparent material, I see how it works. I’m not sure why they want that, because I’m not sure how effective it will be from a marketing standpoint for the manufacturers – but at least I understand how it works.
Beneath the body panels. I like what I hear – mostly. More horsepower, a much-improved hybrid system and a totally new gearbox equates to the new IR-28 losing 100 pounds in weight. That’s good news, because ethe old DW12 had become morbidly obese in it’s later years
What do I not like? The rear wing for the speedway configuration looks very funky to me. Some said it looks like a Dyson fan, while others say it looks like a bi-plane. Of course, I was not a fan of the rear speedway wing when the aero kits were ditched in 2018, that were even more narrow than a baseball bat. I think they were more effective in providing sponsor space than providing rear downforce. I agree with David Land when he said he preferred the look of the large end-plates on the speedway rear-wings. I guess we can have weight reduction and aesthetically pleasing wings.
One thing that will make a lot of people happy is the return of the LED position lights on the side of the cars. I was personally not that big of a fan when they were tried in the mid-2010s. I wasn’t opposed to them, but they rarely worked. When I was at a race track, I had trouble reading them – especially at Indianapolis, since the cars whizzed by way too fast for me to read. I am ambivalent on them, but I know a lot of people were happy to see them on the renderings.
What I wish had been done on the renderings would be to focus on visibility and less on style. When the unified body was introduced for the 2018 season, they used what were obviously CAD designs using a light gray car. It may not have been a sexy presentation, but you could see every nook and cranny of the car. With the red sidepods and body parts against a dark reddish black background, much of the bodywork is obscured. I was not even aware of the presence of the so-called sponsor-blocker, until David Land pointed it out on his video. I’m not wild about that, but if it helps the racing or the safety and stability of the car – I’m all for it. But I don’t think it was a mistake the way these renderings were presented. It makes one wonder if they are trying to camouflage the less than pleasing aspects of the car.
One of the many complaints I saw on the new car was that it looked too much like the old car, and they didn’t think outside the box enough. Personally, I see that as a good thing. Thinking outside the box gave us the DeltaWing in 2011. Can you imagine seeing 33 of those at IMS? I was not looking for something revolutionary or futuristic – I wanted to see a refinement of what most people think an Indy car looks like. That’s what we got.
But by reading through the comments on social media, you’d think the series trotted out a Pontiac Aztec and said here’s your new car. I know better than to put any stock in social media comments, but it is still baffling to read comments from IndyCar fans. Some of them will look for things to complain about. My rational side tells me that the comments I see represent a small, but vocal, minority. The bad thing is that it’s a lot more tempting to vocalize a complaint than it is to publicly praise something. But every now and then I take the bait and confront the naysayers. Our old friend Pressdog used to always say “never engage the crazies”. Those are good words to live by.
The new car is supposed to hit the track as early as this weekend, possibly at the IMS road course. That would make sense with Dallara and several vendors of key components nearby. I heard Marshall Pruett say that’s where it will be, but I have not seen that in print. Wherever and whenever the car hits the track, I’m sure video cameras will be rolling. We will get a much better idea of what the car really looks like on track, than what the renderings showed us.
I’ve mentioned David Land’s videos here before. He posted a good video that goes into a lot more detail than I did and comparing the differences between the road course configuration and the speedway configuration.
But my overall assessment after looking at the same photos and videos that you have seen – I like it. To me, there are very noticeable differences between all versions of the DW12 we saw over the years, and the IR-28. It looks different and more modern, but not radical – and there is no question that you are looking at a traditional Indy car. That’s really all I was wanting.
George Phillips
