IndyCar looking at new cars with canopies for 2018 (Update)

UPDATE AR1.com has taken the lead in calling for IndyCar to investigate the use of canopies to protect the drivers head in the event of a serious accident or a flying object. Our Mark Cipolloni broached this subject in this 2011 article titled Houston, we have a Problem. We then presented some images of what the car might look like in this rumor. Now this racer.com article says that IndyCar, under the leadership of Derrick Walker, is going to investigate their use for the 2018 car. Bravo Derrick! Not only will they help protect the drivers, they will give the cars an awesome look that will help to attract new fans. Can the car be as futuristic as Adrian Newey's below? Probably not, but anything is an improvement over what they have now.

09/12/14

As predicted by AR1.com when it was introduced, IndyCar has been losing fans with the current hideous looking car. The above car is what the 2018 IndyCar should look like if they want to grab the interest of the youth of this country. Don't hold your breath.

The Verizon IndyCar Series is getting an early start on the planning required to replace its current chassis, the Dallara DW12, which made its competition debut in 2012, and the engine formula used to power the car.

The DW12 will reach six years of service by the end of the 2017 season, leading IndyCar President of Competition Derrick Walker to recently open talks with IndyCar team owners on the DW12's successor for 2018.

"When you back up from '18 to here, it says certainly within the next 12 months we have to be thinking and developing a plan that says, this is what we're going to do, this is where we're going with the sport, and build it into the 2018 car and engine," Walker revealed to RACER. "That's the timeframe for change.

"We introduced the concept to the owners to think about the future of their current cars and when should we look at change and how should we look at the change, how should we go about building the next, call it the DW18 chassis, per se. How shall we do it? What should it be? What new things should we consider?" More at racer.com