From SpeedTV.com
The death of Dan Wheldon during an IndyCar race staged at Las Vegas Speedway will certainly change the sport. But how?
Will Phillips, IndyCar's VP of technology, took the matter in his own hands, and decided to brainstorm with engineers from the teams.
“We know the drivers trust their engineers more than anyone else so we’ve asked them to help us come up with some solutions,” said Phillips.
The million dollar-question was about whether or not IndyCar should continue racing on 1.5-mile oval – like the Las Vegas Speedway.
“The general consensus was that we needed to make the drivers have to drive the cars and not be running flat out a half lap after they get on the track.”
Phillips' team thinks the best way to limit the speeds is to limit the cars' grip.
“Do we accomplish that with aero or mechanical?” he asks. “The biggest affect comes from the tires so we need to talk to Firestone and see what they think, perhaps look at current developments in Formula 1 as an example.”
The other issue the engineers' addressed was the handling problems of the Dallara DW12 – the new car Dan Wheldon was helping developing before the tragedy. Dallara promised some technical changes before delivery to the teams.
Upon arrival, tests will be made by the series, in order to gather data and learn more about how the cars run together in close proximity.
“We need to see them run together, see what the turbulence behind the new cars is like and see if they run two abreast, three wide or get spread out,” Philips explained.
“We'll sort it all out,” he guaranteed.
The death of Dan Wheldon during an IndyCar race staged at Las Vegas Speedway will certainly change the sport. But how?
Will Phillips, IndyCar's VP of technology, took the matter in his own hands, and decided to brainstorm with engineers from the teams.
“We know the drivers trust their engineers more than anyone else so we’ve asked them to help us come up with some solutions,” said Phillips.
The million dollar-question was about whether or not IndyCar should continue racing on 1.5-mile oval – like the Las Vegas Speedway.
“The general consensus was that we needed to make the drivers have to drive the cars and not be running flat out a half lap after they get on the track.”
Phillips' team thinks the best way to limit the speeds is to limit the cars' grip.
“Do we accomplish that with aero or mechanical?” he asks. “The biggest affect comes from the tires so we need to talk to Firestone and see what they think, perhaps look at current developments in Formula 1 as an example.”
The other issue the engineers' addressed was the handling problems of the Dallara DW12 – the new car Dan Wheldon was helping developing before the tragedy. Dallara promised some technical changes before delivery to the teams.
Upon arrival, tests will be made by the series, in order to gather data and learn more about how the cars run together in close proximity.
“We need to see them run together, see what the turbulence behind the new cars is like and see if they run two abreast, three wide or get spread out,” Philips explained.
“We'll sort it all out,” he guaranteed.