“Open the Pod Bay doors HAL!”
Although this is Old News, we simply Didn’t
know what the Fine Folks at Starship IndyCar’, nee Penske Entertainment were up
to now over a year ago, when hosting the inaugural round of it’s Indy
Autonomous Challenge.
Yet uncharacteristically, and perhaps because
of All of the wonderful, generous Overflowing praise the IndyCar Administration
has garnered over the past Offseason. Penske Entertainment’s No. 1 Puffed Shirt
Marcus Miles, No relation to IndyCar drivers Marcus Ericsson or Armstrong, Hya!
Has let the proverbial “Cat out amongst the Pigeons.”
According to Penske Entertainment CEO Mark
Miles, IndyCar, in conjunction with it’s exclusive IndyCar Chassis supplier
Dallara. Have been secretly testing various iterations of it’s forthcoming Dallara
iNX-27 IndyCar chassis, which will finally replace the aging, current 2012 Spec
Dallara DW12 in the near future.
As the final round of the Indy Autonomous
Challenge will naturally be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway sometime
later this year. Presumably following some ‘lil ‘OL 500-miler Oval race…
As IMS CEO Doug Bowles thinks it would be a
great way to cap off the fabled Brickyard’s extensive 2023 season, running
sometime shortly after the upcoming Battle of the Bricks, with the first weekend
of October being ideal.
While Miles says that the winning entry will
receive a Cash prize equivalent to last year’s INDY Lights Champion Linus
Lundqvist prize award of $500,000 being Donated to the winning University,
since Lundqvist’s prize went unclaimed. With a royalty checque being paid for
the duration of the Dallara iNX-27’s racing life.
Dallara iNX-27 Project Manager Paolo Bandini
said there’s No current plans to replace IndyCar Drivers with a plethora of
electronic Control Systems. (ECS) And instead, will simply scale up the winning
Universities Autonomous Open Wheel Racing Chassis to proper dimensions for the
inclusion of a Human Driver replete with the now di riggour Areoscreen, and a second
generation Energy Recovery system. (ERS)
Yet Bandini stopped short of saying whether He
knew anything about IndyCar opening up current Engine regulations, or whether
or not a third, new OEM would be coming online in time for the iNX-27’s season
debut tentatively slated for St Pete, 2027.
While Bandini also would not be drawn on
commenting whether or not the iNX-27 chassis would ride on 18-inch tyres like
it’s contemporary Single Seater brethren Formula 1 currently utilize…
With Bandini also saying that the internal code
name for the new Next Generation IndyCar chassis was the JW-27 in Honour of the
late Justin Wilson. But He didn’t know if that would stick, since Justin was
best known for driving the No. 25 And the decision would be made by others at
Dallara Automobili in the future.
As here’s the previous Autoweek story
recounting the first two rounds of the Indy Autonomous Challenge…
https://www.autoweek.com/racing/more-racing/a38705407/how-indy-autonomous-racing-got-real/
