New car news!!

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Originally Posted by fan-veteran

And McLaren for example does not have such capability ;) But .. come on, in the whole USA they were unable to find at least one manufacturer to develop and produce an open wheel racing chassis ... for the north American equivalent of Formula 1 ??? How that sounds to you?

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IndyCar is no way near to being an equivalent to F1.
In F1 teams are constantly developing, modifying and building new parts. Dallara just needed to crank out one design and replacement parts. Lola, Swift and Panoz could do the same or quickly get up to speed to do the same. Remember that part of the deal was for Dallara to set up a production facility in Indy.

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Originally Posted by fan-veteran

And McLaren for example does not have such capability ;) But .. come on, in the whole USA they were unable to find at least one manufacturer to develop and produce an open wheel racing chassis ... for the north American equivalent of Formula 1 ??? How that sounds to you?

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It does have the potential capacity to do it though.

But why does it have to be US-based? Surely the success of a series should based on getting the best possible base car to begin with, to create a competitive and attractive sreries for teams, sponsors and fans. The whole thing smacks of doing it on the cheap and praying it all works out for the best.

Dixon and Briscoe test the new car at California

The Voice of The Fan: FVP: Scott Dixon And Ryan Briscoe Test New Indycar At California

No speeds/times!!??!!??

Still talking about shifting weight forward....that sounds like a fundamental chassis flaw that could only be reversed with so major changes

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Originally Posted by I am evil Homer

Still talking about shifting weight forward....that sounds like a fundamental chassis flaw that could only be reversed with so major changes

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Time to "Panoz" (LMS car) it and put the engine in the front!! :-)

Seriously, they have moved the driver back so far in the name of safety (not complaining - just observing) - that perhaps the proper layout of oval racing is once again front engine - that would allow them to properly protect the rear wheels without major concern for weight. It might also both look and function better in term of providing an opportunity for the front wheels to be protected since you would need bulkier bodywork to enclose the engine etc....

I wonder how long before the team owners are crying to ALLOW new bodywork this year??? :-)

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Originally Posted by I am evil Homer

But why does it have to be US-based?

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Because protectionists will pay extra for that sort of thing.

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Originally Posted by I am evil Homer

It does have the potential capacity to do it though.

But why does it have to be US-based? Surely the success of a series should based on getting the best possible base car to begin with, to create a competitive and attractive sreries for teams, sponsors and fans. The whole thing smacks of doing it on the cheap and praying it all works out for the best.

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Because Indy gets a lucrative Tax break for the state of Indiana and one of the rules was to create manufacturing jobs. Indy also lobbied to get massive tax breaks for teams to base themselves in Indy. Of course they make money by renting out the shops to the teams.

Crony Capitalism is alive and well in Motorsports.

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Originally Posted by I am evil Homer

It does have the potential capacity to do it though.

But why does it have to be US-based? Surely the success of a series should based on getting the best possible base car to begin with, to create a competitive and attractive sreries for teams, sponsors and fans. The whole thing smacks of doing it on the cheap and praying it all works out for the best.

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Two words- EXCHANGE RATE. Same reason Champcar went with Panoz.. That was a major consideration when choosing not only who got the contract, but WHERE it was built. Exchange rate fluctuations have always affected the cost of buying race cars..and replacement parts. It was also a deliberate effort of a Non government entity to create jobs and stimulate the local Indiana economy. Lola wasn't going to open up a new shop and Swift has their production in California and when asked, were unwilling to relocate. The Chioce of Dallara may be biting them in the ass.

Swift absolutely could have designed and built car, and I venture to say better looking one at that. I don't recall PAnoz entering the process, but they have their business issues we've all heard about.