“The guard helps keep the rotors, which are made of carbon, from being damaged by the wheel during a typical 6-second pit stop for tires,” INDYCAR vice president of technology Will Phillips said. “We have made it mandatory for the ovals only this season to ensure there is no aerodynamic advantage of running the old versus new type. This will allow our teams to run through their remaining inventory from 2012 at road and street events with no compromise of safety or performance.”
The front brake scoops have about a 40 percent larger inlet than the model for the new-for-2012 chassis, while the rear brake scoops are an add-on to the original.
“When you use the brakes in a street car and then don’t use them again for 15 minutes, they naturally cool down,” IZOD IndyCar Series technical director Kevin Blanch said. “In a race car on a circuit such as Sebring when you’re doing 53-second laps and you’re using the brakes about half of that time, the scoop is what feeds the air in and keeps the brake rotor, pads and the caliber to an operating temperature.
“What we learned running the car last year is it could use a bit more and came up with a larger scoop on front and back and worked on ducting some air on the caliper to help regulate the temperature. It’s another tool the teams can use to fine-tune where they want that brake temperature.”
Drivers who are easier on the brakes than others can realize an aerodynamic advantage.
“If you can block some of that inlet off or use the (original) scoop, the car will be faster because you’re not dragging the air into the caliber or rotor,” Blanch said.
