Fans of IndyCar’s top-tier Firestone Indy Lights Series have been waiting to receive news on which new chassis and engine combination that will replace the ageing 2002 Dallara-Infiniti package when the 2014 season begins.
In his latest project update for SPEED.com, series director Tony George Jr. answered a number of questions on the status of the next-generation Lights car, starting with when the key manufacturers will be selected and announced.
“They’re imminent,” he said. “We still have work to do and it’s all coming at the same time as the holidays. Depending on when people are in or out, that will impact the announcement. I can’t get into a certain timeline because if we miss it then I’m a liar. It’s certainly a big priority right now and we’re still working through it. We have some meetings with [IndyCar CEO] Mr. [Jeff] Belskus to get him up to speed and keep him informed as we work through the process. Obviously with the [IndyCar management] changes, it’s slowed things down somewhat, but we’re full steam ahead.”
With a host of interesting chassis manufacturers interested in building the 2014 car, and a few engine marques keen on supplying eco-friendly turbocharged powerplants, a decision was originally expected in September. But with delays attributed to finalizing the specifications for the new Lights car, and later, the firing of IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard hindering the process, George Jr., those vendors have been waiting to hear back from the steering committee.
“We’re well informed on what everybody has to offer; we haven’t made any decisions, and the reason is because we have to be fair to everybody,” he said. “We’re not going to inform everybody until we can inform everybody at the same time. At the end of the day, the decision comes down to Jeff [Belskus] and obviously we’ll provide our recommendation, and we’ haven’t had a chance to specifically do that yet. As soon as we get that, we’ll give that to all the interested parties first. We just need to be really delicate and fair in that process.”
The comment about Belskus having the final say on the 2014 chassis and engine decision is an interesting one. Like his predecessor, Belskus isn’t a racing insider, nor does he have the technical background to make an informed decision on the construction or engineering differences between a Mygale or Swift, for example, leaving one to hope he’ll simply rubber stamp the recommendation of George Jr. and Co.
“Obviously, there are a lot of smart people at IndyCar capable of making a good decision, but Jeff is the CEO. At the end of the day, he needs to be well versed on the subject, and not only the process, but the decision. The CEO is ultimately responsible. Myself, [IndyCar VP of technology] Will [Phillips], [Lights series technical director] Vince [Kremer] and the PR and sales staff have been in this process, and we’ve weighed every aspect of the attributes of each option and that’s what we’re presenting to Jeff.
“I think as a group, we’ll be able to make a recommendation he’ll be pleased with. As I said, he isthe CEO.”
The Lights series entertained an interesting and potentially lucrative deal to use liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the fuel of choice for the next Lights car, which added time to the 2014 specifications as its first-time use, implementation and storage in a major open-wheel spec series required extensive research. (SpeedTV)
