Check Out IndyCar's First New Racer in 16 Years

      IndyCar

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      Introducing the IR28, the first entirely new race car from IndyCar in over 15 years. The American open-wheel series unveiled these renderings on Tuesday, and barring any major changes in the next 18 months, this is what we can expect to see on track during the opening race of the 2028 season.

      The IR28 takes the place of the original DW12 (named to honor the late Dan Wheldon), though currently, the chassis is known as the IR18. The platform continues to be developed by the Italian chassis manufacturer Dallara, which boasts a large engineering and testing facility in Indianapolis (as well as in Italy). It will support Honda and Chevrolet's versions of the 2.4-liter hybrid V6 engines, and there is hope for an additional engine from a third, yet-to-be-announced manufacturer.

      As discussed in May, while IndyCar oversees the entire engineering project in collaboration with Dallara, both engine manufacturers have been closely involved to ensure their requirements are met for both the cars and the regulations.

      Similar to the chassis and engine, the hybrid system in the new Indy cars will also be entirely new. A more traditional battery-hybrid system will replace the existing supercapacitor system, providing "approximately 14 times" the battery capacity of the current setup. This new hybrid system is expected to be 20 pounds lighter than the current one, while the next-generation Xtrac transmission aims to be 25 pounds lighter than the existing version. IndyCar asserts that the car is 100 pounds lighter, though it remains unclear if this reduction pertains solely to the chassis and other lighter components or if it refers to the overall package.

      The IR28 is the first chassis designed from scratch to accommodate IndyCar's aeroscreen, as the previous model was retrofitted with it after years of use. This design allows for a more streamlined and cohesive appearance, as everything has been proportioned as a complete package rather than as separate parts developed over time.

      The renderings displayed here showcase the superspeedway wing, but the entire aero package of the car has been crafted to minimize dirty air and encourage overtaking, whether on road courses, street circuits, or superspeedways. It is noteworthy that no specific figures or statistics accompanied these renderings, though it is possible that IndyCar may release some performance targets in the upcoming months. It would be beneficial to have data on downforce improvements or lap time estimates.

      The suspension system in the IR28 is named the Custom AXIS Inertance Control Suspension System, which will provide teams with enhanced flexibility and modularity for suspension configurations. Additionally, a display will be incorporated on the side of the car, next to the aeroscreen, showing the car’s position during a race, similar to functionality used in IMSA and other racing series.

      This announcement marks the initial significant step in the lengthy process of introducing the newest and most advanced race car the series has ever produced. IndyCar is set to test the first prototype later this week, so stay tuned for more updates on the IR28. What are your thoughts so far?

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