Dallara is offering an alternative suspension arrangement for its DW12 IndyCar, to better optimize weight distribution. Dallara officials said the company will absorb the costs associated with producing the new suspension components.
"As requested by IndyCar, Dallara will design an alternative set of suspensions to move back two inches the front wheels and one inch the rear wheels,” said Andrea Toso, head of research and development for Dallara's IndyCar design team. “Both front and both rear suspensions will be available for the teams from the catalog and can be utilized in any combination front to rear at all the events. Teams will take delivery of their cars with the current set of suspensions and, should they decide to start the season with the alternative set, they can get free of charge replacement based on the return of the current set."
Dallara also announced that wind tunnel testing will be conducted in early January comparing data from a 2011 Indianapolis 500 car of Target Chip Ganassi Racing with the new car, in an effort to resolve superspeedway aerodynamic drag issues exhibited in the chassis validation and engine manufacturer development.
“Some of that is in the development of a car and sorting it out,” explained HVM team manager Vince Kremer, whose squad was one of 15 teams that picked up their new cars on Thursday. “I've been involved in the sport a long time and we'll get it sorted out.”
HVM is one of four teams scheduled to run Lotus engines – the only one of the new V6s engines yet to make a test run, although the British manufacturer says its V6 is will be ready to begin track testing Jan. 13.
Dallara expects to produce 60 DW12 chassis before the start of the season March 25 in St. Petersburg. The next 15 chassis will be ready for pickup Jan. 15.