General Motors and IndyCar announced that Chevrolet will partner with Ilmor Racing Engines to provide engines for the IZOD IndyCar racing series, at a press conference broadcast live from Indianapolis this morning.
For Chevrolet, this marks a return to past glories—Chevy-Ilmor engines have powered drivers to 104 IndyCar wins, six driver’s championships, and seven Indy 500 wins in the past 35 years.
For IndyCar, this marks a return to the days when major manufacturers competed head-to-head, increasing fan excitement and series visibility.
Honda has been the sole engine supplier for the IndyCar series since 2006, when Chevrolet and Toyota dropped out. Since 2008, the series has had a single chassis. Fans and sponsors wanted to see diversity. As IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard put it, “The one thing that we have heard time and time again from fans and everyone involved in the IZOD IndyCar series is, ‘We want competition.’”
With the return of Chevrolet, that competition has returned. Chevrolet will not only be supplying engines to whichever teams want them; the company also plans to build “aero kits”—bodywork pieces which will affect the car’s performance and also create visual distinction between different cars.
This marks a huge investment in IndyCar racing, which had been struggling until current CEO Randy Bernard took the helm at the start of the 2010 season.
Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet Marketing, explained in detail why Chevrolet was returning to IndyCar:
“First this series opens a new, distinct fan base for Chevrolet in the motorsports community,” he told the press conference. “These fans are passionate about IndyCar and the technology that drives the sport and these teams, and a return provides an important opportunity to expose our products and our technology to this well-educated, highly desirable audience.”
Apart from marketing Chevrolet better, Perry sees GM’s engagement in Indy racing as an opportunity to help develop new technology for passenger users.
“We know that the technology [lessons] we acquire by participating on the track with IndyCar will translate into the vehicles we produce today and vice versa, creating a strong production technology relevance,” Perry told the assembled reporters. But his company’s top motivation, he said, was to win,
“Our goal, no matter which series we enter, no matter which track we compete on, is to power Chevrolet drivers to Victory Lane.”
Chevrolet and Ilmor Racing Motors will begin by providing engines to the Penske Racing team. Roger Penske is a part owner of Ilmor and sits on the Board of Directors, besides running one of the most successful IndyCar teams, so this is a logical arrangement.
Several other IndyCar teams ran Chevy power in the past including Panther Racing, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, A.J. Foyt Racing, Andretti Autosport, and Target-Ganassi, according to an article on SPEED.com. None of these teams have yet announced their 2012 engine choices.
Ilmor partnered with Honda performance development to produce the current IndyCar engine, in use from 2006 through 2011. Earlier this year, Honda announced that it would be producing its own 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged engine for the 2012 season.
Erik Berkman, president of HPD, told Indycar.com, “We have repeatedly and unequivocally expressed our desire for engine competition within the Series, dating even from our first days of sole supply, in 2006.”
“We look forward to renewing our relationship with Chevrolet as competitors on the race track and giving the fans of open-wheel racing a spirited and challenging rivalry.”
For Chevrolet, this marks a return to past glories—Chevy-Ilmor engines have powered drivers to 104 IndyCar wins, six driver’s championships, and seven Indy 500 wins in the past 35 years.
For IndyCar, this marks a return to the days when major manufacturers competed head-to-head, increasing fan excitement and series visibility.
Honda has been the sole engine supplier for the IndyCar series since 2006, when Chevrolet and Toyota dropped out. Since 2008, the series has had a single chassis. Fans and sponsors wanted to see diversity. As IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard put it, “The one thing that we have heard time and time again from fans and everyone involved in the IZOD IndyCar series is, ‘We want competition.’”
With the return of Chevrolet, that competition has returned. Chevrolet will not only be supplying engines to whichever teams want them; the company also plans to build “aero kits”—bodywork pieces which will affect the car’s performance and also create visual distinction between different cars.
This marks a huge investment in IndyCar racing, which had been struggling until current CEO Randy Bernard took the helm at the start of the 2010 season.
‘We are competitors and we are returning to IndyCar to win’
Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet Marketing, explained in detail why Chevrolet was returning to IndyCar:
“First this series opens a new, distinct fan base for Chevrolet in the motorsports community,” he told the press conference. “These fans are passionate about IndyCar and the technology that drives the sport and these teams, and a return provides an important opportunity to expose our products and our technology to this well-educated, highly desirable audience.”
Apart from marketing Chevrolet better, Perry sees GM’s engagement in Indy racing as an opportunity to help develop new technology for passenger users.
“We know that the technology [lessons] we acquire by participating on the track with IndyCar will translate into the vehicles we produce today and vice versa, creating a strong production technology relevance,” Perry told the assembled reporters. But his company’s top motivation, he said, was to win,
“Our goal, no matter which series we enter, no matter which track we compete on, is to power Chevrolet drivers to Victory Lane.”
Starting With Penske, Available to All
Chevrolet and Ilmor Racing Motors will begin by providing engines to the Penske Racing team. Roger Penske is a part owner of Ilmor and sits on the Board of Directors, besides running one of the most successful IndyCar teams, so this is a logical arrangement.
Several other IndyCar teams ran Chevy power in the past including Panther Racing, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, A.J. Foyt Racing, Andretti Autosport, and Target-Ganassi, according to an article on SPEED.com. None of these teams have yet announced their 2012 engine choices.
Ilmor partnered with Honda performance development to produce the current IndyCar engine, in use from 2006 through 2011. Earlier this year, Honda announced that it would be producing its own 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged engine for the 2012 season.
Erik Berkman, president of HPD, told Indycar.com, “We have repeatedly and unequivocally expressed our desire for engine competition within the Series, dating even from our first days of sole supply, in 2006.”
“We look forward to renewing our relationship with Chevrolet as competitors on the race track and giving the fans of open-wheel racing a spirited and challenging rivalry.”
