INDYCAR expects aero kit rules soon
Bodywork open to development and for sale by any approved manufacturer will be introduced for the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season. Phillips said the three engine manufacturers – Chevrolet, Honda and Lotus – in addition to "a few other companies we're talking to" have shown interest in designing, manufacturing and supplying the aero kits that will sell for $75,000 each.
For 2012, all IZOD IndyCar Series teams will utilize the oval and road/street course bodywork that is part of the Dallara package. The sidepods and engine cover will be universal for the diverse set of racetracks, while Dallara-designed and -produced front and rear wings will be different for the ovals and road/street circuits.
"The base principles are still in place," Phillips said. "One would have to understand though that in 2013 the Dallara kit will have been around for a year – a year's development. A delay in the aero kit has changed some of the philosophy of what you are and aren't allowed to do. Those are the issues that remain to be sorted. In terms of what parts were and were not on an aero kit, there's no intention to change what was there."
Dallara won't be one of the companies entering the 2013 aero kit market, according to head of research and development Andrea Toso.
"It's difficult to commit to an aero kit because we've been so busy with our parts production and Indy aero," Toso said. "It's a large investment and Dallara would not be profitable. You have to be humble enough to provide the platform and let them play."