Oreca to build aero kit for IndyCar?
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| Will one company come up with a body kit for IndyCar that will include a canopy? |
A reader adds, Dear AR1.com, The question is, will someone be bold enough to add a canopy and really shake things up? I still say the most exciting opportunity for IndyCar is to try to license the design of the X1 Red Bull and have someone create the thing. That is clearly the biggest opportunity to change this game in favor of IndyCar. I realize that a car following the conventional design will in and of itself not change the game, but the X1 design would, and be safer at the same time! Randy needs to have discussions with Red Bull and maybe even Sony (PS3 tie in) to use the creation of the car as a marketing vehicle to sell more games and more Red Bull. Have Red Bull and Sony cover the cost to develop the prototype and buy 1 car per team to defer the cost to the teams and lessen he squabbling that would come from another new car. Remember the days when a new car was a common thing each and every year? I realize economics have changed and that is no longer feasible but this thing would so shake up the establishment that it would pay back to the owners in spades as the series was recognized, once again, as the leader in ‘cool’ and ‘exciting’ in NA, maybe worldwide with that radical and sexy chassis.
Cost to Red Bull and Sony: Say the first 25 entrants get a car (back up cars and spares up to the team)
Sony Alone will spend over 200M this year promoting PS3 world wide)
Give these two companies branding and exposure for 3 years for this investment, give them 2 more years if they buy a second chassis for all players , again peanuts for these guys and an average annual marketing spend of 6.5M (for 50 cars) or 3.25 each… nothing! I believe a deal like this can be sold to the players mentioned… question is does IndyCar have the stomach and the vision for it? Mike Earle
11/26/11 Oreca also builds the ALMS LMPC car with Chevy engines. Could the kit be for the Chevy engined cars?
11/26/11 Rumor has it that long-time sportscar manufacturer ORECA is talking with INDYCAR regarding the production of an aero kit for 2013. With its new, close association with Toyota on the sports car front, it's not clear what their goal would be. An IndyCar engine manufacturer is not going to allow a Toyota body kit on its cars, and what is to be gained for ORECA unless Toyota wants to return to IndyCar as an engine manufacturer someday.