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| Category | IndyCar Series |
|---|---|
| Constructor | Dallara |
| Designer(s) | Tony Cotman Luca Pignacca Sam Garrett Andrea Toso |
| Predecessor | Dallara IR-05 |
| Successor | Dallara IR-27 |
| Technical specifications[1] | |
| Chassis | Carbon fiber monocoque with honeycombkevlar structure |
| Suspension (front) | Double A-arm, pushrod, with third spring and anti-roll bar |
| Suspension (rear) | As front |
| Length | 201.7 in (5,123 mm) on road/street course, short ovals; 197.33 in (5,012 mm) on 1.5-mile intermediate ovals, superspeedways and Indianapolis 500 (Mk. III) |
| Width | 75.5 in (1,918 mm) minimum (Road/Street), 75.75 in (1,924 mm) minimum (Ovals), 76.5 in (1,943 mm) maximum (measured outside rim to rim) |
| Height | 40 in (1,016 mm) including onboard camera |
| Axle track | Max. 76.3 in (1,938 mm) |
| Wheelbase | 117.5–121.5 in (2,984–3,086 mm) adjustable |
| Engine | Chevrolet Indy V6 (2012-present),Honda HI24TT (2012-present) andLotus Indy V6 (2012) 2.2 L (134 cu in)V6 90° with 4-stroke piston Otto cycle with efficient combustion process and greater emission engine burning single (Honda in 2012-2013)/twin-turbocharged (supplied byBorgWarner),mid-engined, longitudinally-mounted |
| Transmission | Xtrac#1011 6-speedAGS (Assisted Gearchange System)[2]sequentialsemi-automatic paddle-shift + 1 reverse |
| Battery | Braille ML7Ti 12 volts |
| Power | 550 hp (410 kW) on speedways, 575 hp (429 kW) on 1.5-mile ovals, 650 hp (485 kW) on short ovals and road/street courses + 50 hp (37 kW) on push-to-pass |
| Weight | 1,650 lb (748 kg) on 1.5-mile speedways, superspeedways and Indianapolis 500; 1,680 lb (762 kg) on short ovals; 1,690 lb (767 kg) road and street courses (including additional of aeroscreen)[3] |
| Fuel | E85 (85%ethanol + 15% gasoline) (2012-2022): Sunoco E85R (2012-2018) Speedway E85 (2019-2022) 100% renewable E85 (85% ethanol + 15% biofuel): Shell V-Power Nitro+ E100 (2023-)[4] |
| Lubricants | Pennzoil (rest ofIndyCar Series teams), Ridgeline Lubricants (Chip Ganassi Racing) andLucas Oil (Arrow McLaren) |
| Brakes | Brembo (2012-2016) later PFC (2017-present) carbon discs and pads. Brembo (2012-2017) later PFC ZR90 (2018-present) 4-piston (all oval races)/6-piston (road/street course races) calipers |
| Tyres | Firestone Firehawk dry slick and treaded wet tires O.Z. Racing andBBS wheels |
| Clutch | AP Racing CP8153-DE03-SN 3-plate carbon with steel housing |
| Competition history | |
| Notable entrants | All IndyCar Series Teams |
| Notable drivers | All IndyCar Series Drivers |
| Debut | 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg |
TheDallara DW12 (formally named theDallara IR-12) is an open-wheelformularacing car developed and produced by Italian manufacturerDallara for use in theIndyCar Series. It replaced the agingDallara IR-05 chassis in the2012 IndyCar Series season and is to be used through the 2026 season, after which it is to be replaced by the planned Dallara IR-27.[5][6][7][8][9][10]
Since 2012, all IndyCar races are contested with cars built on a common chassis supplied by Dallara,[11] keeping costs to the fixed $349,000 per chassis negotiated by the IndyCar organization.[12] The new specification of chassis also adds safety features, the most prominent being a partial enclosure around the rear wheels. Since 2015, Honda and Chevrolet have offered alternatives to the Dallara aerodynamic kit for the chassis.[13]
The chassis is named afterDan Wheldon, who was the car's test driver, and who was killed atLas Vegas Motor Speedway on October 16, 2011, the final race of the previous IR-05.[14] The new front section is designed to prevent similar single-seater crashes such as the one that killed Wheldon.[15] The nomenclature recalls that of the old Formula One teamLigier, whose cars were labeled JSxx after French F1 driverJo Schlesser, who died in the1968 French Grand Prix.
Dallara DW12 is currently the longest-servingIndyCar Series car chassis to date despite three different aero kit variants.
The 2012 season saw the implementation of the Indy Racing League's new ICONIC Plan (Innovative, Competitive, Open-wheel, New, Industry-relevant, Cost-effective), the biggest change to the sport in recent history. The car used through 2011, a 2003/2007-modelDallara IR-05, andnaturally aspirated V8 engines (required since 1997) were permanently retired. The ICONIC committee was composed of experts and executives from racing and technical fields:Randy Bernard (INDYCAR CEO),William R. Looney III (military),Brian Barnhart (INDYCAR),Gil de Ferran (retired Indy 500 champion),Tony Purnell (motorsport), Eddie Gossage (Texas Motor Speedway), Neil Ressler, Tony Cotman (NZR Track Consulting) and Rick Long (motorsport).[16] IndyCar accepted proposals from BAT Engineering,Dallara,DeltaWing,Lola andSwift for chassis design.[17] On July 14, 2010, the final decision was made public, with organisers accepting the Dallara proposal.[17]
Under the new ICONIC regulations, all teams will compete with a core rolling chassis, called the "IndyCar Safety Cell",[17] developed by Italian designerDallara. Teams will then outfit the chassis with separate body work, referred to as "Aero Kits", which consist of front and rear wings, sidepods, and engine cowlings.[17] Development of Aero Kits is open to any manufacturer, with all packages to be made available to all teams for a maximum price. ICONIC committee memberTony Purnell gave an open invitation to car manufacturers and companies such asLockheed Martin andGE to develop kits.[18]
The IndyCar Safety Cell will be capped at a price of $349,000[19] and will be assembled at a newDallara facility inSpeedway, Indiana. Aero Kits will be capped at $70,000.[19] Teams have the option of buying a complete Dallara safety cell/aero kit for a discounted price.[19]
On May 12, 2011,Dallara unveiled the first concept cars, one apiece in oval and road course Aero Kit configuration.[20]
On April 30, 2011, IndyCar owners voted 15–0 to reject the introduction of multiple Aero Kits for the 2012 season, citing costs.[21] Owners expressed their desire to introduce the new chassis/engines for 2012, but have all participants use the Dallara aerodynamic package in 2012, and delay the introduction of multiple aero kits until 2013. On August 14, 2011, IndyCar confirmed that the introduction of multiple Aero Kits would be delayed until 2013 for "economic reasons",[22] and furthermore, it was put off for 2013 as well.Chevrolet andLotus had already announced their intention to build aero kits.[23][24][25][26]
2011 Indianapolis 500 winnerDan Wheldon carried out the first official test of the Dallara chassis atMid-Ohio in August 2011.[27] Following Wheldon's death at the season-ending race inLas Vegas, Dallara announced that the 2012 chassis would be named the DW12 in his honor.[28][29]
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The first official test of theDallara IR-12 chassis was carried out byDan Wheldon atMid-Ohio on August 8, 2011.[27][30] Phase I of testing involved Wheldon, and was planned to involve three road courses and three ovals, over a total of about twelve days. The second test was held August 18 atBarber,[31] and the third was held on theUSGP road course atIndianapolis on September 1.[32] Oval tests took place in September atIowa[33] andIndianapolis.[34]
Honda (Scott Dixon) and Chevrolet (Will Power) began Phase II of on-track testing atMid-Ohio in early October.[35] A scheduled test atLas Vegas was cancelled after Wheldon lost his life inthe 2011 race held at the track, resulting in Dallara renaming the chassis, a practice adopted from Ligier, which named its race cars "JS" forJo Schlesser. Testing resumed in late October and continued through February at several venues includingSebring,[36]Fontana,[37]Homestead,[38]Phoenix,[39] andSonoma.[40] Lotus first took to the track on January 12 atPalm Beach,[41] and testing by individual teams began on January 16.[42]
A full-field official open test took place on March 5–6 and 8–9, 2012 atSebring International Raceway.[43]
The Dallara DW12's race debut was at the2012 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 25, 2012.Team Penske's Will Power won the inaugural pole andHélio Castroneves won the first race with the DW12.
Full-field oval open tests also took place on April 4, 2012, atIndianapolis Motor Speedway[44] and May 7, 2012, atTexas Motor Speedway.[45]
The car's Indianapolis debut came in the2012 Indianapolis 500. In its first three 500s the car saw 136 lead changes, including a track-record 68 in2013.
For the 2015 season, the universal aero kit provided by Dallara was retired, and replaced with individual manufacturer's aero kits.[46][47] Honda and Chevrolet introduced their own in-house designed aero kits, in partnership withWirth Research (Honda[48]) andPratt & Miller (Chevrolet[49]), respectively.
The first official test of Chevrolet's aero kit was conducted atCOTA byWill Power on October 17, 2014, followed by preseason testing atNOLA on March 14, 2015. The manufacturer's aero kits race debut was at the2015 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 29, 2015.Team Penske's Will Power won the inaugural pole andJuan Pablo Montoya won the first race with the DW12 Chevrolet aero kit.
In the first season of use, the Chevrolet aero kits had an edge over Honda, with Chevrolet teams winning all but six races during the season.[50] However, atIndianapolis, three Chevy entries experienced frightening flip-over crashes, prompting a delay in pole qualifying, tweaks to the qualifying rules, and a safety examination during the offseason.
Midway through the season, both manufacturers introduced updates to their aero kits, with Honda losing its front wing endplates on safety grounds, and Chevrolet introducing an additional winglet.[51]
In 2016, in response to the flipping incidents of Chevrolet-powered cars at the2015 Indianapolis 500, domed skids were introduced.[52][53] Zylon bodywork tethers were also added to the cars, to prevent loose bodywork from leaving a car, and striking another competitor, following the death ofJustin Wilson, who was struck by loose bodywork.[54] In addition, bodywork updates were issued by both manufacturers to their aerokits. Compared to the Chevrolet aero kit, the Honda kit saw numerous changes, with the front wing being altered from a stacked triple element, to a simpler dual element section, with a new endplate section introduced. In addition, new sidepods were introduced on the road course kit, while a new tyre ramp was introduced with it, and vents were added to the rear wing endplates.[55] The Chevrolet Aero Kit was less dominant, compared to the previous season.[56]
For the 2017 season, a developmental freeze was implemented, ahead of a planned introduction of a new universal aero kit for 2018.[57]
In March 2017, theIndyCar Series announced that the DW12 would receive a redesign and facelift of its aerodynamic system, with all cars running a universal aero kit starting in 2018. Named the UAK-18 (Universal Aero Kit 2018), the base Dallara Safety Cell chassis would remain as-was: however, several components, including the airbox and rear-wheel guards, would be removed. The latter were jettisoned as research and on-track results indicated that they were largely ineffective in reducing large crashes and would often break easily, as would other extraneous winglets.[58] The new kits were designed to ensure that more downforce comes from ground effects than the wings, and the visuals were inspired by classic Indy car designs from the 1980s and 1990s. In addition, teams would save money as they no longer have to buy different base undertray chassis strictly for superspeedways such as Indianapolis. The same chassis can accommodate aero kits for both road/street/short oval courses and the longer ovals.[59]
For the cockpit section, all IndyCar Series entrants began to utilize the all-newCosworth CCW Mk2 steering wheel and also-new Configurable Display Unit 4.3 display dashes. Due to cost reasons, several smallerIndyCar Series teams (including part-timer andIndianapolis 500-only) still carried over the Pi Research Sigma Wheel digital display for one more season. The driver seats are slightly reprofiled to improve driver comfort as well as modifications such as a slight increase of cockpit length and width to better accommodate driver body height and weight. IndyCar Series was also in talks on the use of cockpit protection for the 2019 season such as theaeroscreen to avoid fatal crashes such as that ofJustin Wilson in 2015. The aeroscreen was tested byScott Dixon atISM Raceway on February 9, 2018[60][61] and then byJosef Newgarden atIndianapolis Motor Speedway on April 30, 2018.
The initial new cockpit protection called "Advanced Frontal Protection" made its debut at the2019 Indianapolis 500, while the new radical Aeroscreen cockpit protection was introduced for 2020 season developed byRed Bull Advanced Technologies.[62]
The UAK-18 (with the 2020-adopted aeroscreen) with V-6 twin-turbocharged engine powerplant, was originally expected to be retired at the end of the 2023 season. It was to be replaced by a hybrid powerplant for 2024. However, series officials have delayed the rollout of the hybrid formula until an unspecified date after the 2024 Indianapolis 500. Therefore the same cars from 2023 will be utilized for the first several races of the 2024 season.
The IndyCar Series is currently testing updated 2.4 liter V6 powertrains with 100bhp hybrid ERS units provided by German manufacturer Mahle,[63] who has provided such power units to various motorsport categories, such as DTM and in automotive applications. The powertrains are currently in active development after being delayed from the originally scheduled 2023 debut due to the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic affecting availability of manufacturing capacity for the hybrid power units to allow for manufacturer testing,[64] as well as the desire from IndyCar manufacturer participants Chevrolet and Honda to delay the introduction of the hybrid powertrain to 2024 to allow for more testing, development and security in having the necessary parts to supply participating teams with the new powertrains. As of November 2022, there are currently no plans to introduce a new chassis in the near future,[65] with previous plans to debut a new chassis for the 2024-25 seasons delayed to 2027 due to the impact of the pandemic delaying initial design and development from the January 2021 timeframe,[66] with no immediate word on a replacement for the current DW12 UAK18. On December 16, 2024 it was announced that the series andDallara would confirm its successor from 2027 onwards and thus the current chassis is scheduled to retire after the 2026 season.
In December 2022, IndyCar announced that the new engine formula scheduled to debut in 2024 had been delayed to 2027.[67] Instead, a hybrid system for the existing 2.2 liter V6 engines was introduced during the2024 Honda Indy 200 atMid-Ohio Sports Car Course.[68] It has a 60 hp (45 kW), 33 lb⋅ft (45 N⋅m) electric motor coupled to a 320 kJ (90 Wh), 60-volt capacitor.[69]
The DW12 was the second Dallara IndyCar Series chassis to suffer a fatality inIndyCar Series to date. At the2015 ABC Supply 500 atPocono Raceway,Justin Wilson died after being hit on his helmet by the nose cone ofSage Karam's crashed car, as of the end of the 2024 season this was the last fatality to occur in the IndyCar series.
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