Earlier this year IndyCar showed off some renders of what the bodykits for the 2018 cars would look like, and it looked very promising. Well now the new car (in super speedway configuration) has been shown off in the flesh ahead of the first on-track testing, and it looks even more amazing than we’d anticipated.
The chassis is still based on the same Dallara DW12 that was introduced in 2012, but the bodywork has been comprehensively redesigned with the hope of making the racing better. The manufacturer-specific aerokits that have proved unpopular in the last few years are gone, and both Honda and Chevrolet powered cars will have the same bodywork.
In terms of looks it’s also been designed to resemble the cars from one of the sports most popular eras – the low-line IndyCars of the 1990s. The rear wheel guards have gone too, and the whole thing looks like…well, a properly awesome single-seater racing car!
According to IndyCar the new bodywork generates a whopping 66 per cent of its downforce from underneath the car (19 percent up on the current cars) and following distances have been cut in half, which should lead to much closer racing and more passing opportunities.
It’s also been made safer as well thanks to improvements in the crash structure, and the design also allows for a protective windscreen to be fitted once it’s been developed. The car is lighter too, and the weight balance has been moved forwards at the request of the drivers, which should mean that the car is as fast as – if not faster – than the current spec cars.
So, next years IndyCars will be faster, better looking, better to drive, safer, and produce even more exciting racing. What’s not to like?! We can’t wait to see what the road course version looks like when that makes its first appearance in a couple of weeks.
What do you think to the new car? Let us know in the comments!
