The third-generation IndyCar formula, which featured two new manufacturers, was unveiled in 2012 and signaled the return of the engine manufacturer rivalry that had been absent since the 2005 season. The current engines are DOHC 2.2-liter twin-turbo V6s with four-stroke piston Otto cycles that are fuel-efficient and provide an estimated 550–750 horsepower depending on the amount of boost applied. They do not have inter-cooling systems. They have a 12,000 rpm maximum and a 248 lb weight limit (112 kg). Honda and Chevrolet presently provide the engines. [27] McLaren has provided their TAG-400i engine control unit since the 2012 racing season. Currently, the engine fuel injector supply combines direct and electronic indirect injection, producing rail pressure of about 300 bar (4,351 psi). The engine design used in the IndyCar Series has no restrictions on fuel flow. After a six-year absence, Chevrolet made a comeback to the series in 2012 with brand-new V6 twin-turbocharged engines that Ilmor built and engineered, while Honda continued its commitment to the series with brand-new V6 single-turbocharged engines that same year. Judd engine development was provided by Lotus Cars in 2012, but the company quit the championship in 2013 due to teams’ lack of interest in using the underdeveloped and uncompetitive Lotus engine. [28] The push-to-pass overtaking technology, which was revived for the 2012 Honda Indy Toronto round and is still in use today, produces about 60 horsepower (45 kW), has a usage time of about 6200 seconds, and is rechargeable (varies track shape). Porsche also showed interest in being a third engine supplier for the series in 2019. When IndyCar refused to let Porsche field a hybrid powertrain, Porsche eventually withdrew. Coincidentally, a month later, IndyCar revealed its intentions for a hybrid powerplant. In 2012, Chevrolet and Lotus were the first engine manufacturers to use a twin-turbocharged arrangement, whereas Honda used a single turbocharger from 2012 to 2013. After 2013, Honda switched to twin-turbocharged engines, which it has been using ever since.
In This Article...
Which types of automobiles are used in the Indianapolis 500?
“Indy cars,” a type of professional-level, single-seat, open cockpit, open-wheel, purpose-built race cars, compete in the event. By 2020, all competitors will use 2.2LV6, twin-turbocharged engines that are geared to produce between 550 and 750 horsepower (410560 kW). Currently, the sport’s engine suppliers are Chevrolet and Honda. Currently, Dallara is the only manufacturer providing chassis for the series. The sole tire supplier at the moment is Firestone, which has a long history in the sport dating back to the inaugural 500. [48]
Ford produces Indy engines, right?
The 2.65-liter turbocharged Indy car racing V-8 engines in the Ford-Cosworth Indy V8 engine family are mechanically comparable and were created by Cosworth in collaboration with Ford. It was made for more than 30 years. Between 1976 and 2007, it was utilized in the U.S.A.C. Championship Car, C.A.R.T., and subsequently the Champ Car World Series. [8] [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] The 3-liter Cosworth DFVFormula One engine, designed by former Lotus engineer Keith Duckworth and Colin Chapman with funding from Ford for the Lotus 49 to compete in the 1967 season, became the DFX engine for Indy cars. Between 1967 and 1985, this engine won 155 races in Formula 1. Parnelli Jones created the DFX version for Indy cars in 1976, but Cosworth quickly took over. From 1978 to 1987, this engine won the Indianapolis 500 10 times in a row. From 1977 to 1987, it also won every USAC and CART title. It propelled 153 Indy car triumphs overall, including 81 straight wins from 1981 to 1986. [20]
IndyCar versus Formula 1: which is faster?
Both Formula 1 and IndyCar vehicles have max speeds of more than 225 mph. But each has perks of their own.
F1 cars can accelerate more quickly than IndyCar vehicles since they are designed for speed through bends and turns. However, IndyCar might have a faster top speed.
Valtteri Bottas established the top speed record for a Formula 1 race in 2016 at 231.4 mph. However, the highest speed ever recorded in an F1 vehicle is substantially higher, coming in at 246.9 mph. Honda reached that speed when attempting to surpass 400 km/h (248.5 mph) at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
On low downforce configurations at the end of straightaways and on oval courses, IndyCar may reach a top speed of approximately 236 mph during a race.
In Monza, an F1 vehicle will essentially fry an IndyCar. However, in Indianapolis, an IndyCar will outperform an F1 vehicle.
Why is milk consumed at the Indianapolis 500?
According to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the custom began in 1936 when Louis Meyer drank buttermilk in Victory Lane because his mother advised him that it would cool him off on a hot day. Since 1956, milk has been a component of every race thanks to a marketing opportunity recognized by a dairy industry official.
Why don’t Fords exist in Indianapolis?
While Cosworth has increased its involvement in the Verizon IndyCar Series, it has also expressed a desire to collaborate with an established OEM and to enhance its current program with a technology asset in the form of “It doesn’t seem like Cosworth on Air will be working with its longtime friend Ford on an engine in the future.
At least that’s what Edsel Ford II said in remarks he made at a private event that were found by the website More Front Wing. Ford II is a member of the board of directors for Ford Motor Company.
Added he, “I’ve discussed it extensively with Jamie Allison, Director of Ford Racing. I don’t believe any of us, including Raj (Nair, Group VP of Global Product Development), are all that interested in attending an IndyCar race.
Ford participates in a variety of motorsports, such as NASCAR, the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, the Red Bull Global Rallycross series, and the Roush Yates-prepared EcoBoost 3.5L V6 turbocharged engine.
Industry sources have heard Ford and Allison’s repeated statements that they want to concentrate on production-based engines. The 2.2L V6 turbocharged formula, for which Chevrolet, Honda, and the Judd-built Lotus in 2012 have created engines, is required by the existing IndyCar engine restrictions, which do not permit that.
If Cosworth wants to rejoin the fray, it will have to look for another OEM.
The last time Ford competed in the Indianapolis 500 was in 1996, the first year of the Indy Racing League and while it was still sanctioned by USAC. Buddy Lazier’s No. 91 Hemelgarn Racing entry won the race with a 1995 Reynard chassis and a turbocharged Ford-Cosworth XB engine. Before the 1997 season saw a change in engine regulations to normally aspirated power plants, Ford-Cosworth powered a number of others in that year’s field.
The partnership between Ford and Cosworth endured until 2007 through several open-wheel iterations of what was CART, subsequently changed to Champ Car, and ran its final race at Long Beach in 2008.
What makes a Ford an Indy?
The nickname “Indy Car” originated as a reference to the most well-known event in the sport, the Indianapolis 500, and was first used to describe the vehicles that participated in the USAC’s “Championship” category of open-wheel auto racing in the country. Due to the division’s connection to Indianapolis, the phrase quickly replaced the official description, “champ car,” in everyday speech and advertising.
Despite not licensing the 500, Championship Auto Racing Teams, the organization that succeeded USAC as the main regulating body for open-wheel racing, continued to refer to its main series as the “CART PPG Indy Car World Series.” The Indianapolis Motor Speedway registered the camel case trademark IndyCar with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 1992 as part of CART’s effort to diversify its board membership, and CART obtained a license to use it as their new tradename.
The USAC-sanctioned Indy Racing League was introduced by Tony George, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in 1996. A legal dispute over the IndyCar trademark resulted from this: After the Indianapolis Motor Speedway attempted to revoke CART’s license to use the IndyCar brand, CART filed a lawsuit against the track in order to defend it. [7] To stop CART from using the mark going forward, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway filed a second lawsuit against them in April.
A compromise was eventually struck, with the IRL promising not to use the name before the end of the 2002 season and CART agreeing to stop using the IndyCar mark after the 1996 season.
[8] For 1997, CART reverted to its original branding as just CART and revived the phrase “champ car” to characterize its cars.
After a six-year break, the Indy Racing League declared that its prime series would become the IndyCar Series for the 2003 racing season. CART followed suit by renaming its primary series the Champ Car World Series.
After the merger, a lot of focus has been put on dropping the legal entity name and initials in favor of the IndyCar name. On January 1, 2011, Indy Racing League LLC adopted INDYCAR as its trading name, making this situation official. The company’s legal name was changed to INDYCAR LLC on November 1st, 2013. [9]
What is the price of a Cosworth engine?
The Cosworth DFV is undoubtedly the most successful top-tier racing engine of all time and the most successful Formula 1 engine ever.
Amazingly, the Cosworth DFV powered 10 Formula One Constructors’ Champions, 12 Formula One Drivers’ Champions, two Le Mans 24 Hours champions, and six Formula 3000 champions, while the DFX turbocharged variation powered 10 Indy 500 champions, three USAC champions, and nine CART champions.
The Cosworth DFV that you can see here is a scaled-down version of the original DFV (Double Four Valve), with a sweeping capacity of 76cc and a ferocious red line of 10,000 rpm. Under license from Cosworth in the UK, the engine was created by Dutch engineers at Bouland Motors.
Each engine is delivered with all 1,200+ of its parts fully constructed and mounted to a running foundation. It also includes external tanks, a battery, a handbook, and some basic tools for adjustments. Despite having a sub-100cc displacement, the operating engine’s sound (heard in the video above) bears the unmistakable hallmark of a high-revving V8.
The 1:3 scale Cosworth DFV is powered by methanol with 6% oil added, and inside the engine (should you ever open it), you’ll find titanium valves, 7075 billet aluminum connecting rods, pistons, and rings, as well as 16 individually cast parts, eight working carburetors that mimic the original engine’s fuel injection system, eight individually cast parts, and a functioning coolant pump.
The claimed power output is in the 7–9 hp range, which is obviously less than the 500–plus hp that the originals are capable of, but you have to accept that 7–9 hp is more than enough for most desktops.
By Formula 1 standards, the price is incredibly low; it just costs $10,650, or approximately $13,100 USD, which is a trifle considering that brake systems alone may cost more than a top-tier college tuition.