INDYCAR News and Notes
The 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season has been over since the middle of September, but news filters out concerning the past, present and future of America’s premier open wheel racing series. Since INDYCAR races on short ovals, super speedways, street circuits and permanent road courses, both its equipment and its teams need to be proficient at all three and need to have the best personnel and equipment they can muster.
During this past campaign, Honda won the Indianapolis 500 but Chevrolet controlled the totality of the season, coming away with driver, team and manufacturer titles. This could all change in 2024, when INDYCAR joins IMSA and Formula One in its debut of a hybrid engine for its cars. At this time only Chevrolet and Honda are on the docket as engine entrants, but the hope that a third manufacturer will take up the challenge remains firm for the series.
Honda has recently tested its 2024 hybrid engine package at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, using the IMS road course for its 2.4-liter V-6 engine, mated to Mahle’s energy recovery system (ERS). This was the first public test after a March run with the new engine alone, but without the Mahle ERS, which was beset with supplier difficulties. The system was intended to debut in 2023, but the lack of testing capabilities means a one-year delay, which will allow both Honda and Chevy to fully develop their programs.
A special regeneration paddle attached to the steering wheel allows aded activation of the MGU as it drags the brakes; obviously the majority of charging from the Mahle super-capacitor comes from hard braking. The one-day test produced plenty of data and no issues, according to those on-site.
On Halloween, a video produced by NTT Data, which has sponsored the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda since Ryan Briscoe was the driver, celebrated the company’s 10-year history with CGR, using Twitter as a delivery device for the video. Many drivers, starting with Australian Briscoe, have driven the No. 10 successfully for the data delivery giant whose parent company is the naming sponsor for the series. They include Tony Kanaan, Ed Jones, Felix Rosenqvist and Alex Palou, the latter taking NTT Data to the championship in 2021.
A day later, McLaren Racing announced that NTT Data would be the lead sponsor for the No. 6 Chevrolet driven by Rosenqvist under the Arrow McLaren SP INDYCAR umbrella. The multi-year partnership includes a fourth Indianapolis 500 entry in 2023 for 2013 Indy 500 winner Kanaan, who will make his 22nd start at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. The Brazilian ironman was second at Indy in 2004, the year he completed every lap of every INDYCAR race en route to his series title. NTT Data will be the lead on Rosenqvist’s car for 10 races next year.
Despite the loss of NTT Data sponsorship for the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing car with Palou as driver, the team has stated the car will be fully funded for the upcoming season.
Many believe there will be “bumping” at the 107th Indy 500 next May and Marotti Autosport is hoping race fans can help get its “Spirit of Speedway” Indy 500 the team’s second entry in the Memorial Day weekend classic. In 2016 Marotti partnered with what was then Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports for the historic 100th running of the 500-mile race and Will Marotti is, at this time, the sole active minister to have led an Indy 500 team. In late 2021, Marotti introduced its first crowdfunding effort for a race-fan-owned 500 entry, featuring a banner on Main Street in Speedway and promotional support from local businesses and partners.
Looking to capitalize from that first effort of funding, the team offers fans the opportunity, for a suggested minimum $10,000 investment, a 1 percent ownership stake in the car and a commensurate 1% share of any prize monies generated by the Spirit of Speedway 2023 Indy 500 entry. “Our race fan investors will not only own a part of the car, but they will also have exclusive access to teams announcements, driver autograph sessions and team dinner leading up to the Indy 500,” said Marotti. “This ownership also provides first-class hospitality during May and July Grand Prix weekends and, of course, the coveted Indy 500.”
Last weekend’s RM Sotheby’s auction of 44 Newman/Haas Racing (NHR) cars and 33 memorabilia lots from the family of team co-owner Carl A. Haas recorded more than $6 million in sales, with the No. 5 1993 T93/00 Ford/Cosworth-powered Lola driven by Nigel Mansell the biggest sale, going to McLaren Racing CEO – and avid vintage racer – Zak Brown for $995,000. Brown has been buying up many of the older NHR Indy cars for the past few years.
While race cars aren’t normally big-ticket items at auctions, the fact that the whole of this offering was solely race cars and racing memorabilia added to the allure. And the fact that the second-highest big-ticket item to sell was a 1984 Lola/Cosworth formerly driven by Mario Andretti (at around $400,000) dictates that maybe race cars with great histories, like the two cited here, can be valuable to a collector. The cars generated nearly 95 percent of the total sales, a good sign of the value of one of the greatest teams in INDYCAR history.
By Anne Proffit