Barnhart getting a Dallara kickback?

[indycool]

Oh, I think he's smart enough.......jut hasn't considered it. or have it enter his mind.

[NickFalzone]

I don't see Brian as the kind of guy that's in this for the $$. Having spoken to him about the IRL car design a few years ago, I got the impression that he was just genuinely interested in making the Dallara-Honda spec the best car possible. And for better or worse, I think his judgement on the new car is probably a bit biased, in that he feels they made a LOT of development strides with the current car, and it would be a shame to lose them all in an entirely new design like Bowlby's. To him the new Dallara would be ideal, as it could incorporate many of the safety and performance aspects that they built into the current car, and simply take them up a notch. The Delta design, which we will see in the next day or two, is likely to be a radical departure from the Dallara. Perhaps not starting from scratch, but a lot of the tried and true elements of the current car will be simply thrown out the window. That being said, I am likely to favor the Delta project, because I think the IRL in many ways is about innovation, and radically new is NOT necessarily a bad thing, EXCEPT for safety aspects, which are honestly my only significant concern with a radical design. Otherwise, I would kind of like to see a Delta project car that has issues from the start that the teams need to work through, a car that requires more than just Penske/Gannassi wind-tunnel testing to perfect.

[indycool]

I agree with you on Barnhart and his thinkin', Nick.

As far as the DW project is concerned, really not enough information, No prototype, crash testing, safety features, speed. All of those take $$, the teams don't have them and manufacturing is far from set.

[px400r]

First of all, it's Bowlby.

Second, Barnhart getting a kickback is ridiculous.

Third, Ken Anderson was a top-flight engineer. Still is. He gave us the Falcon. The Bowlby design has never been built, tested or run anywhere. This is a time for evolution, not revolution.

None of the proposals from Swift, Lola, and Dallara have been built, tested, or run anywhere.

And I don't think the Falcom ever turned a wheel on the track.

[indycool]

But all three are familiar with Indy Cars. They've built 'em before.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I still refuse to understand how one chassis being anoited is good for the series. Have all cars fit inside a set of parameters for safety and let the marketplace decide. AT some point, either the IRL matters as an innovative series or it is a spec series. Spec series means eventually not being taken seriously. I don't see how it helps. This series has always been able to sell the high tech nature, and you don't get that with no innovation allowed...

[garyshell]

I still refuse to understand how one chassis being anoited is good for the series. Have all cars fit inside a set of parameters for safety and let the marketplace decide. AT some point, either the IRL matters as an innovative series or it is a spec series. Spec series means eventually not being taken seriously. I don't see how it helps. This series has always been able to sell the high tech nature, and you don't get that with no innovation allowed...

Mark there is one and only one reason. $$$$$ plain and simple. Letting the market decide means that some teams buy the wrong chassis find themselves way off pace and then have to scrap that investment and buy the faster chassis or see their sponsor money go away. I don't like that fact, but it is what happens. We saw it before when we did have multiple chassis.

I don't see how being a spec series equates to not being serious. Serious about what? Serious about chasing technology/innovation? The only folks who care about that are us handful of gearheads? How about being serious about showcasing great drivers in an exciting, challenging series of races, that can be financially viable. I am MUCH more interested in the latter as much as I do love the innovation.

Gary

[px400r]

But all three are familiar with Indy Cars. They've built 'em before.

Bowlby was with Lola for 12 years working on their Indy Cars before joining Ganassi. I'd say he knows as much about these cars having designed, built, and even raced them.

He has experience as both customer and supplier.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Mark there is one and only one reason. $$$$$ plain and simple. Letting the market decide means that some teams buy the wrong chassis find themselves way off pace and then have to scrap that investment and buy the faster chassis or see their sponsor money go away. I don't like that fact, but it is what happens. We saw it before when we did have multiple chassis.

I don't see how being a spec series equates to not being serious. Serious about what? Serious about chasing technology/innovation? The only folks who care about that are us handful of gearheads? How about being serious about showcasing great drivers in an exciting, challenging series of races, that can be financially viable. I am MUCH more interested in the latter as much as I do love the innovation.

Gary

Gary, at some point teams have to pay to play. Making everyone buy the same chassis is just silly....and if the teams pick the wrong chassis, chances are they would be the same teams that would be in the back anyhow. Furthermore, I am also going to say teams would be allowed to modify the cars over time, so you could make a bad car a good car with some work as long as the basic concept wasn't far off.

Listen, at some point, either this series is a first class OW series with all that implies, or it is just a glorified Formula Renault, Formula Nippon or Formula Mazda. It isn't the gear heads that will keep this series alive, but alienating them is not helping the dwindling TV and fan numbers now is it?

This series has to come out and BE something...not just exist.

[indycool]

Bowlby might have a good idea, but who's going to manufacture it?