New IndyCar 15 mph faster
"It'll be as much as we want," project manager Tony Cotman said Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, an oval track.
Speeds will be regulated by the amount of horsepower permitted to the 2.2-liter V6 engines of Honda, Chevrolet and Lotus.
IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard is advocating speed records at all tracks — he's most interested in new marks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — to show fans "things they've never seen before."
It will take a 10 mph jump to break Arie Luyendyk's Indy record of 237.498 mph.
Cotman said that's attainable, but he joked that one of his primary jobs is to "keep the reins on Randy."
Cotman said he'll have a better idea about potential oval-track speeds after next week's test at Texas Motor Speedway. In preparation for that session, the new Dallara driven by Dan Wheldon will test at Barber Motorsports Park outside Birmingham, Ala.
Testing at IMS is tentatively scheduled for the last week of September.
As for the car, Cotman asked the media to start referring to the airbox above the driver's head as "a turbo inlet" since that is its function. The airbox hasn't been popular with fans who associate it with the normally aspirated engines used in today's cars. Indy Star