IndyCar and Chevrolet have released new photos of the 2015 aero kits. Photo by CHEVROLET
New bodywork to provide more downforce, unique look as Honda aero kit remains to be seen
Almost four years in the making, Chevrolet on Feb. 17 unveiled renderings of its 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series road-course-spec aerodynamic body-kit package. The kit should increase downforce, improve lap times and—perhaps most importantly for the “spec-series” in which every team uses the same chassis—differentiate its cars visually from those of rival IndyCar manufacturer/supplier Honda.
Honda will not reveal its own new-look Indy car until March. However, Chevy during IndyCar media day in Indianapolis presented its take on the project first proposed by former IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard in the summer of 2011, ahead of the debut of IndyCar chassis-supplier Dallara’s all-new DW12 car for the 2012 season.
Intended originally to make its competition debut in 2014 but waylaid due to cost and logistics concerns, the new aero kits will hit the track for IndyCar’s season-opening race in St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 29. That’s the same schedule outlined ahead of the season, as IndyCar and its teams planned to run Dallara’s standard aero package for the now-canceled Brazil season-opener planned originally for March 8.
Chevy’s package—and by extension, it is safe to assume Honda’s—is distinguished from Dallara’s base configuration by 100 different parts, according to the manufacturer, including new front wing elements, side pods and rear wing. The front wing receives new outside and inboard end plates, flaps and vertical, pedestal-mounted wing extensions; the kit also includes revised sidepods, side-floor kickups, flick-ups in front of the rear wheels, rear wheel “wedges” and revised rear-bumper pods with an aero element mounted on top. A new engine cover and sidepods feature more compact shapes, achieved through revised turbocharger- and exhaust-system layouts. A multi-element upper rear wing receives louvered end plates.
IndyCar 2015 IndyCar Chevrolet aero kits
Chevy said it plans to reveal a speedway configuration for the aero kit—sidepods remain the same for all types of circuits—ahead of its competitive debut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May. For short-oval races, teams will mix aero elements from both the road-course and speedway packages.
With the new aero setups focused on balancing downforce, drag and engine performance, drivers should be able to corner faster while maintaining straightaway speeds fans have become accustomed to, though setups and their resulting performance are likely to vary based on the circuit in question. Chevy racing boss Mark Kent told Autoweek that the kits provide 15-percent better aerodynamic performance -- a combination of downforce and drag -- in road-course configuration, though that does not mean 15 percent more downforce.
Chevy during development of the kit predominantly used Charlotte, N.C.-area wind tunnels operated by Penske and WindShear. IndyCar teams did not run the parts during testing at NOLA Motorsports Park in Louisiana the week of Feb. 9; the track hosts the season’s second race, on April 12. However, Chevy has already conducted on-track testing of its kit at Florida’s Homestead-Miami Speedway, Texas’ Circuit of The Americas, and Phoenix International Raceway. It plans to undertake additional testing prior to the St. Pete race, including IndyCar’s official preseason test on March 16-17 at Alabama’s Barber Motorsports Park.
Chevy so far has run the kit with several teams and drivers, including stalwart partners Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing. All IndyCar teams, be they affiliated with Chevy or Honda, are slated to have their aero kits by March 1.
By Mac Morrison
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