IndyCar Series news

Aero changes aim to boost overtaking

01 July 2009

After a processional race at Richmond last season, series organisers have announced that a number of aerodynamic modifications are to be made to cars in order to increase passing opportunities on ovals. With three standard race tracks next up on the calendar, the modifications will first be seen at Kentucky Speedway in a month's time.

With drivers apologising for the lack of passing in Richmond's night race, the Kentucky oval will welcome cars with extensions to sidepods in order to aid airflow plus backing plates on brakes and the reshaping of tyres, all with the intention of increasing downforce levels.

Franchitti is just one man campaigning for more overtaking

"We have always prided ourselves on doing our best to create the most entertaining and compelling on-track product in motorsport," explained IRL president Brian Barnhart. "I think in the last several years - especially with this version of racing car - we've been very successful in achieving that."

Scotland's Dario Franchitti, who finished second at Richmond and holds the same place in the championship, felt sorry for fans whom he believed had missed out on the racing they deserved, claiming that evenly-matched cars between teams was no reason to experience a lack of overtaking. "I don't think it's because things have equalised because there were some people out there with horrible handling cars," said the Target Chip Ganassi pilot. "We couldn't get around them - at the start of the race, we'd run around in 18.6 seconds before dropping to 17 seconds as things equalised. But as you catch traffic you'd be running in 18 and 18.2 seconds on a normal lap."

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