ORECA Considering 2012 IndyCar Aero Kit

French sports car constructor ORECA, known in recent years for its line of aerodynamically impressive Le Mans prototypes, has been evaluating what it would take to the ranks of aero kit constructors for IndyCar’s new 2012 chassis.

Speaking to SPEED.com from the paddock in Sebring, Florida, ORECA technical director David Floury says he’s had the aero kit regulations on his desk for some time, and believes the Hugues de Chaunac-led company is ready to deliver a competitive aero kit directly to a team or an auto manufacturer.

“We do a lot of body kit design and production for sports cars, and now with what the [IndyCar Series] is doing for next year, this is exactly the kind of thing we would like to do," he said. “I used to work for Dallara and am very familiar with Indy cars. Plus, I love very much racing in the USA; our entire team loves the way racing is done in the US. This is very appealing for us, and with what [the IndyCar Series] will do with the new Dallara chassis and engines, investigating the aero kits are something we are interested in."

“We have been developing and building racing cars for a while now, doing sports car and touring cars," Floury continued. “Through the years we’ve really developed our skills and our facilities to be a full racing car constructor, and do all of our own design, simulation, CFD (computational fluid dynamics) and much of our own manufacturing. For the high-volume pieces, we sub-contract to reduce costs, but we are able to do it all when required. I think with what is required for the aero kit, this is something we already do now but with sports cars."