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"         Sweeping changes to diversify the field and contain costs are coming to the IndyCar Series in 2012. Turbocharged 2.2-liter V-6 engines will replace normally aspirated 3.5-liter V-8s. Honda\u2014the sole supplier since 2006\u2014has been joined by Chevrolet and Lotus, which have also announced that they will produce aerodynamic body kits. Dallara plays a unique role in this transformation, building a rolling chassis to IndyCar specifications for use by all teams and delivering a third aero body style to the series.   IndyCar teams didn&amp;#039;t have any choices of what equipment to run from mid-2007 through this season. It was Dallara-Honda or stay home. For 2012, there will be Dallaras with Chevrolet, Lotus or Honda power. There will also be Chevrolet IndyCars and Lotus IndyCars, as the rules call for the aero kits to determine the brand of the car. When Chevrolet and Lotus committed to doing aero packages as well, IndyCar gave them the right to prevent a team from racing, say, a Chevrolet-Honda or a Lotus-Chevrolet. &amp;quot;It becomes too confusing for the public and it&amp;#039;s not good for the manufacturer,&amp;quot; explained Tony Cotman, the IndyCar 2012 Project Manager.   Meetings with prospective engine manufacturers were initiated in 2008, but when it came time to commit, Honda was alone. Last June, IndyCar&amp;#039;s proposal called for a maximum of 2.4 liters with up to six cylinders, fitted with one or two turbos and direct injection. Two months later, though, IndyCar reduced the capacity to 2.2 liters. Moreover, the engines were mandated to be a stressed part of the chassis and run on E85 fuel. The specifications of the engines were based largely upon Honda&amp;#039;s recommendations, as the company, along with IndyCar, wanted the powerplants to be relevant to production cars.   &amp;quot;If you go back to the first roundtable meetings in 2008, a bunch of German and Italian manufacturers and some domestics went around the concept of an inline-4,&amp;quot; Honda Performance Development Technical Director Roger Griffiths said. &amp;quot;Honda was always the advocate of the V-6. We presented a lot of data. What the engine needs to do and the power targets are a lot easier to achieve than with a four. We shared all the data we had.   &amp;quot;The Germans [Volkswagen] were big advocates of the inline design because of what they were selling in Europe. We&amp;#039;re not sure the American consumer will accept the change from a V-8 to an inline-4. And from a performance point of view, the V-6 was much more desirable. The draft of the regulations came from a lot of work we did with IndyCar, and until the last couple of months it looked like we might be the sole supplier. There have been some subtle changes and compromises to the draft.&amp;quot;           The door is now closed for any manufacturer to come in with a 4-cylinder engine for 2012. Chevrolet is building its V-6 in partnership with Ilmor, while Lotus has teamed with Cosworth. At this point, none of the three engine makers has confirmed the number of turbos, but Honda is believed to have two, while Claudio Berro, Director of Motorsport for Lotus, says his company is &amp;quot;50-50&amp;quot; on utilizing one or two turbos.   Added Ilmor President Paul Ray: &amp;quot;We argued quite strongly that IndyCar should decide on one or the other, but IndyCar felt it gave manufacturers more options in relation to its road cars. IndyCar has told us all clearly there will be no bodywork, no aero advantage particularly, to [the turbo configuration]...There&amp;#039;s probably a minor weight advantage, carrying it in the center of the car, if you use a single turbo.&amp;quot;   When Honda, which has used Ilmor to build the current-generation IndyCar engine, decided to build its own powerplant for 2012, Roger Penske approached Chevrolet about rejoining the series with an Ilmor-built engine. Chevrolet liked the rules, and the prospect of selling cars to IndyCar fans. &amp;quot;This series is growing in interest and popularity,&amp;quot; GM Vice President of Marketing Chris Perry said. &amp;quot;It provides some of the highest return on investment of any investment we conduct.&amp;quot;   Penske offered the powerful inducement of signing a multiyear contract for his team, the winner of 15 Indy 500s and an all-time leading 147 IndyCar (under USAC, CART and IRL sanction) victories.   &amp;quot;We first looked at the new engine rules and the series has aligned itself closely with production cars on future emission and fuel economy regulations,&amp;quot; General Motors Director of Racing Mark Kent said. &amp;quot;With a small displacement, E85, turbocharging and direct injection, we&amp;#039;re able to meet all those standards and have cars that are still fun to drive. There&amp;#039;s a lot of relevance where the series is going in relation to production cars.&amp;quot;   IndyCar will regulate power levels for different tracks\u2014up to 700 horsepower for road/street courses and 550 for ovals\u2014by raising and lowering the turbo boost, yet the rules are left open enough for a manufacturer to gain an advantage.   &amp;quot;There&amp;#039;s enough leeway to have that development freedom,&amp;quot; Griffiths said. &amp;quot;One area IndyCar has not been keen to try to put too many restrictions on is the fuel system. We&amp;#039;re keen on developing that aspect of the engines. You could see some quite interesting developments and it could make a difference [in performance].&amp;quot;   &amp;quot;Yes, there will be differences,&amp;quot; Ray said. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s going to be quite a bit of interesting development opportunity how we get the power at different boost levels. What we&amp;#039;re asking out of direct injection is very complicated. Running it at 12,000 rpm is up there farther than anything that&amp;#039;s been done before. There&amp;#039;s a lot to learn.   &amp;quot;Ilmor&amp;#039;s expertise is on the mechanical side. GM has a tremendous wealth of knowledge on direct injection, E85 and modern turbocharging. It has a lot of technological understanding to bring to the table. It&amp;#039;s quite a good partnership and it&amp;#039;s quite a technical challenge.&amp;quot;   The trio of engine suppliers and IndyCar agree that a stressed engine is superior to non-stressed.   &amp;quot;Every [purpose-built] racing engine is a stressed part of the car,&amp;quot; Griffiths said. &amp;quot;It creates an integrated structure. When you attach the suspension to the car, it allows them to work as intended. The car twists if it&amp;#039;s non-stressed. When you make changes to the car, you can actually feel it rather than a car winding up like a coil spring. It&amp;#039;s a much neater package,&amp;quot; Cotman said. &amp;quot;Those days of the flexy flier are gone.&amp;quot; While IndyCar has gone in that direction, there were some proponents who felt non-stressed would further reduce costs and help smaller teams not only gain entry to the Indy 500, but also compete in the complete IndyCar season schedule.   Engine costs will be reduced for 2012, although the exact amount hasn&amp;#039;t been specified. Honda has committed to reducing its lease up to 40 percent from the $935,000 it charged for the 2010 season\u2014which would bring it down to $561,000. Teams are allowed 10,000 miles and receive five engines per lease.   &amp;quot;That&amp;#039;s significant durability,&amp;quot; Ray stated. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s going to be quite a challenge. At 2000 miles, the engine has to produce within one percent of its horsepower when it&amp;#039;s fresh. A lot of development on these engines from the first time it fires up to the first race will be on durability.&amp;quot;   The Dallara-produced rolling chassis, which will be built in Indianapolis, will cost $349,000 and be available with bodywork for $385,000. A complete new Dallara cost $700,000 in 2010.   The aero body kits will cost $70,000 in 2012. They are comprised of front and rear wings, sidepods and engine cover. The underwing and nose will be built to IndyCar specifications.           &amp;quot;I believe there is enough leeway in the [aero] rules that the cars will be unique and the fans will be able to differentiate them on the track,&amp;quot; GM&amp;#039;s Kent said. &amp;quot;Once we decided we wanted to get back into the series, we saw an opportunity for us to differentiate the entire car.&amp;quot;   Lotus, for the record, is building a facility in Indy to produce its aero kit. &amp;quot;The body [aero] rules are a little more open than the engine,&amp;quot; Berro said. &amp;quot;Everybody will not be the same. We will have three different kits, one for road course, one for ovals and one for Indianapolis. But it&amp;#039;s clear our priority for the first seven or eight months of this year will be the engine.&amp;quot;   IndyCar racing has been known for its innovation and relevance to the auto industry ever since its beginning more than 100 years ago, but lost its influence in recent years.   &amp;quot;I think it&amp;#039;s IndyCar energized,&amp;quot; offered Gil de Ferran, the former Indy 500 winner who&amp;#039;s also a member of the committee IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard formed to create the 2012 rules package. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s like a big boost of adrenaline in every respect. I think it generates a layer of interest that previously wasn&amp;#039;t there when you have a single-make engine and a single-make car.   &amp;quot;The companies getting involved in our sport are big. They are going to energize the series with promotion, with exposure, with marketing investments. Otherwise, why else would they get involved?&amp;quot;   &amp;quot;The impact of what IndyCar did was tremendous,&amp;quot; adds Kent. &amp;quot;We look at the fan base and it&amp;#039;s young, and the viewership is up tremendously. Sponsorship has doubled in the past year and that&amp;#039;s always a good indication of the strength of the series.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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