All that might change in 2011.
The Volkswagen group (VW, Audi, Porsche) have been showing serious interest in joining Honda as an engine supplier for the Indy Racing League (IRL) IndyCar series when new engine regulations take effect in 2011.
Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Fiat, Mazda and Volkswagen sent representatives to an IRL meeting to discuss the future specifications for Indy car powerplants. Of those attending, it seems the VW Group has the most to offer and the most to gain.
One of the main topics at the meeting was market relevance. It makes no sense for a manufacturer to spend a lot of money to develop an engine that has nothing to do with the company’s street cars.
IRL is considering returning to turbocharging, as well as allowing four-, six, and eight-cylinder designs to compete head-to-head. The VW Group is interested in developing small-displacement turbocharged engines for its high-performance street cars, and wants to increase its visibility in the U.S. market. The two plans seem a perfect match.
Alfa Romeo is also (rumored to be) interested, but I doubt Alfa has the money available for a serious, long-term investment in IRL. Alfa just doesn’t sell that many cars in the U.S., and doesn’t have the dealer network of the name recognition.
Nothing has been finalized, no contracts have been signed, and right now this is all rumor and speculation. But it is rumor and speculation supported by all the official statements made by the various entities involved.
Porsche, Audi Need New Series to Conquer
Audi has dominated Le Mans with its turbo-diesels for the past decade, winning there eight times out of the past nine races, and likewise dominates the American Le Mans series, winning the championship every year since 2000.
Porsche has enjoyed equal success in ALMS, winning the P2 and GT3 titles in 2008. In the past decade, Porsche has won the manufacturer’s title and the driver’s title eleven times.
But for much of America, racing means ovals, not road-racing.
If Porsche and Audi want to increase U.S. sales they would get better exposure from Indy than from road racing. Not many people know what Porsche and Audi have accomplished in Europe or on most road tracks in the States.
Audi, in particular, wants to expand U.S. sales and wants to take its ALMS money and invest it somewhere it will provide higher dollar return. IndyCar would be its best bet.
Multi-Series Applications
Les Mactaggart, senior technical director for the Indy Racing League, said, “We’re looking to see if we could create a common platform across a number of series to make everything more cost-effective.”
Also, IRL is considering allowing different fuel options. Currently all IRL cars run 100% ethanol; IRL is the only series that uses this fuel exclusively.
With Audi’s expertise with turbo-diesels and the possibility that IRL cars could use E85 (gasoline with 15% ethanol, used in Le mans-series cars and sold at many gas stations across the U.S.) the potential commercial payoffs increase, making the series even more attractive for the VW Group.
It is possible that the VW Group could develop an engine that could, with minor modification, run in F1, ALMS and IRL.
A multi-series engine formula would make racing hugely more cost-effective, a real consideration in these times of shrinking auto sales and rising fuel prices.
Smart Planning Could Save the Series
A lot of this depends on whether IRL and ALMS can work out engine formulae that Audi, Porsche, and VW can work with; I am sure the corporate lobbyists are hard at work.
I don’t know why F1 isn’t all over America, but it isn’t; in America, we have Indy cars. And as the premier open-wheel racing series in the United States, IndyCar needs and deserves more manufacturer involvement.
Indy car racing has been struggling for a while now, with organizers springing up and folding, costs skyrocketing, and fan—and manufacturer—interest dropping. NASCAR gets vastly more attention, draws bigger crowds, and makes more money. IRL needs to make some changes to keep the series alive.
I hope IRL management sees the light and works out a deal with the VW group. Of course there will be conflicts over balancing the different types of engines; of course all the manufacturers will complain, no matter what. But engine balance has been worked out many times in many series; it would not be a major challenge.
Serious long-term involvement from VW could be exactly what IRL needs. If two manufacturers were competing, the series would get more money, and both manufacturers would want to promote it more.
If IRL cannot attract serious manufacturer money, it may end up going the way of ChampCar and USAC. If IRL doesn’t get a boost, we might be left with nothing but NASCAR.
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