Lola has announced .... http://www.lola-group.com/photo_gallery.asp

conventional, but basically nice looking. A common chassis for IPS and Indycar is a good idea, increases volume which (presumably) would help lower per-unit costs.

That I like very much.

What is it with all (and I do most definitely mean all of them) these new designs being drawn by pimply, pubescent 14 year old schoolboys when they're bored in history class?

Some appallingly ugly sh!t that will keep IRL drowning down the bottom of the motorsport gene pool.

Neil

Maybe, they all copied your designs.

Could be; they certainly closely resemble those I drew in grade school 40 years ago.

Neil

Has nobody thought that this might be the actual future? No one developed anything like this 40 years ago properly. It was a fantasy then, maybe now is the time for it to be reality.

What will the reaction be if these turn out to be better than current designs?

I disagree, it was fantasy almost half acentury ago now it's outdated sci-fi just like those tin foil suits we should all be wearing by now. In fact we've had cars of similar appearance underataking land speed records and in drag racing for years.

Yes, the look is far too retro. But the design concepts behind it are correct. I think the car itself should be shelved, but the goals of the design made into the rules for the series. The Delta Wing LLC as a tech rules arbitrator and marketplace idea sounds great. Make the rules, set the prices, and then let Swift, Dallara and Lola make parts within that framework.

Someone has knocked up an rFactor version. Here is a video of an onboard lap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRgKhCgOLMY...player_embedded

LOLA looks nice - rear is a little messy imho but if it promotes good racing I can live with it.

It looks like pretty much every ChampCar built between 1994 and 2006. It's so "safe", I'd believe you if you told me that it's a modified B03/00.

It's absolutely not what the series needs going forwards, aesthetics-wise.

But how can anyone say that without seeing it in action? For all we know it could be the best design for a racing car but conventional design went the wrong way somewhere.

So we know (a) they're fast, and (b) they stay glued to the ground. Doesn't mean they can't race on ovals and road courses.

Not so much wrong as dictated by the path they were on. Every once in awhile it helps to start with a clean sheet of paper.

Call me nuts but they are making this way more complicated than it needs to be. The car just has to be a little more (well a lot more) nasty. It need to bark and his and growl and look alive. Right now it's like watching a spec series Civic club championship the cars are so gutless.

Reminds me of bathurst in the early 90's when they tried to force 2 litre naturally aspirated cars down our throats. Sure the cars were close and the racing not bad but bugger me, standing on mountain straight hearing a beamer go past withthat ziiiiiiip sound just put you to sleep. That same year we had 600hp RWD beasties with a live rear end flapping about the top of the mountain, just a far more visceral experience.

they're making it more complicated because it really is. The cars being nastier is nice, but the really nasty cars at the turn of the millennium put on some dull races often as well, because they were no longer able to pass.

Also, nastier versions of the same cars won't really look much nastier, which is also a probelm as they need to get people to tune in and show up in the first place. That won't happen if the cars don't get attention instantly. And the traditional open-wheel design no longer does.

Luczo Dragon and De Ferran Motorsports join operations

This is good news, I think. I was hoping that De Ferran would find a way to IndyCar team ownership, but he went all silent some time ago and I feared the worst. I'm sure he'll help make Jay Penske's team stronger. And they are talking about expanding to two cars... who else thinks about Graham Rahal for the seat?

Glad to see Gil back in IndyCar. And yes, Rahal would be a nice fit.

Great to see Gil back. Would love to see Rahal or Moraes get the seat. Shame that they haven't got seats less than a month before the season starts.

Plus a simulation of the Delta Wing at Long Beach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2mqjL2P9O8&feature=sub

I'm not going to believe that thing will work until they build some and put them on the track

The series is only alive because of the Indianapolis 500. Without that it would have died years ago. The 500 is still the largest single day sporting event on the planet even though Tony George ran it into the ground.

Lola car is boring, wow, it's slightly curvy but hardly eyebrow raising. Meh.

digging the that track for rfactor, just hope they can paint the walls different colours for the different sections, but damn theyve got a masta kink in there

im digging the delta wing more than the others, theres a shit ton of single seater open wheel race series we dont really care about, the new car(s) has got to be out there to gain attention

Only too true. But, you want to be gaining attention for all the reasons. How long before people start referring to the DeltaWing as a the Cock'n'Balls racer?

At least it would get people talking about the IRL.

So, anyone post this yet or am I late?

Sato signs on with KV.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81564

*cries for Taku*

sorry he's not going to be in F1, so I hope he blows them all away over there, at least on the road courses.

Sato to Indycar? Awesome. He belongs in F1 after he matured at SA, but man, I hope he spices things up in Indycar. His equipment probably won't allow it to be too far up the grif very often, but it should at least make for some interesting races.

Now someone finally sign up Montagny.

dont think he realizes that now he will just be another aggressive wreck waiting to happen... he did mature ALOT at SA. pleasantly pleased and sad he is not back in F1. hey atleast i might get to meet him at Texas!

I'm excited that Sato is heading to Indycars. I'm curious as to how he'll do and will definitely tune in to watch some races. His aggressive style will be a very good fit for the series, and he should adapt well to the ovals.

I was hoping Bourdais would return, but it looks like he's sticking with Superleague (can't really blame him I suppose).

At least Sato ensures that Motegi will be a sell-out this year, which it hardly was in 2009. So, that's undoubtdedly a very good thing indeed for IndyCar. Getting a recognized international driver can't be bad either. KV seemed to have a very good car last year, so he could very well be top 6 in the championship.

Hideki Mutoh joins N/H/L:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81626

It had been rumoured for a while, now it's confirmed. Also, notice near the bottom of the article, it says that the team was planning to run 3 cars this season, but can only really afford to run one so far. This is mainly due to lack of sponsorship. It's a terrible shame how this once-great team is gradually falling by the wayside.
Are McDonald's still involved, or have they ceased sponsorship of the team? Either way, it must be galling for Carl Haas to see his team on the slide. I feel bad for the Newmans too. Let's hope they can secure some kind of backing and remain one of the top filght teams in the IRL.

McDonald's left N/H/L, which is the main reason the team is in such trouble.

Curt Cavin from the Indy Star has been tweeting some great shots of what must be the IRL's media day.

Here is Takuma Sato: http://twitpic.com/14xnun

Go through the photo gallery on the right of page to see Curt's other shots.

And Justin Wilson is either very tall, or Mike Conway is very short! http://twitpic.com/14xeoe

Wilson is 6'3" I believe so he's a giant.

He is very tall. I remember when he won at Toronto. It looked like he was standing on the top step of a podium during the prizegiving, but when they zoomed out it was revealed he was standing on the same level as the other drivers.

Man, that is SO tall for a open wheel racing driver.

Dan Gurney was 6'5'', was he not? I believe Chris Kneifel, who later became CART chief steward, was extremely tall as well.

Wow, new look for the Penske team.

Red and white replaced by black and white with red trim.



(from Curt Cavin's Twitpic http://twitpic.com/14xul3)

Why did Marlboro end Penske sponsorship? I've missed that one.

Isn't cigarette advertising banned in the U.S.?

They didn't run Marlboro branding last year or (IIRC) the year before did they?

Roger Penske sits on the board of Phillip Morris so I'd presume there's not much wrong with his relationship with the fag empire.

I just saw the pics castroneves and Briscoe posted on Twitter. I am somewhat shocked I have to admit. The new livery looks nice, no problem with that, but the Marlboro livery was as much Penske as it was McLaren. And just as I never could imagine McLaren ina another livery I have my problems with Penske. Furthermore I don't see a replacement for Philip Morris. I just hope that Penske isn't in trouble.

Looks very much to me like Mario/Michael Andretti's 1991 Kmart Havoline Newman/Haas Lola livery.

Check this video for a reminder: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwEqjuvAZzE

Those are gorgeous! Sure the Marlboro livery was iconic but this is a worthy replacement.

reminds me a bit of the black and white K-mart/Havoline Newman-Haas livery... which is a FAIL since this is Penske



but that's just me..

it looks sooo much 90's.... therefore it's great

Penske livery looks great. The red accents differentiate it from the 20 year old N/H cars plenty.

I wonder what N/H/L cars will look like this year without Mickey D's sponsorship, though?

And Mutoh driving for them? How sad. They are going to have one abyssmal year. Thats such a shame because I think they had the best potential of all the Champ Car-convert teams.

Do they have enough to keep going beyond this next year?

Beautiful colors.
Two very sad things I see in that pic though.
The Atrocious look of the car from the cockpit forward, and the lack of any kind of sponsorship whatsoever.
If Penske can't hook a sponsor, on his IndyCar, you *know* your series is in deep trouble.

Roger hasn't had a big sponsor on the sides of his cars for years now, it's been the white and day-glo of Marlboro and the words 'Team Penske'. I'm assuming Philip Morris haven't left as a sponsor, but more like the team just fancied a change. I think Penske relies on a few reliable and dedicated sponsors, such as Verizon, which is the U.S equavalent of Vodafone, Mobil 1 and a few others.

I don't think there's much to worry about in the Penske camp. Newman/Haas/Lanigan on the other hand...

I was worried about Newman/Haas from the moment the /Lanigan was added. Letting Justin Wilson go was pretty much the only confirmation I needed that the team was just looking to survive rather than compete.