GM Returns To IndyCar in 2012

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GM Returns To IndyCar in 2012

Post by mlittle » Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:50 am

When GM Racing left the IndyCar Series in 2005, it was seen as a sign that the once powerful "Bowtie Brigade" had begun its' long slide to ignominy.......well, if the reports coming from Autoextremist.com are to be believed, Honda just got some competition for 2012............



EXCLUSIVE: Chevy Power returns to Indy in 2012 as GM Racing steps up its game.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo
© 2010, Autoextremist.com
(Posted 11/7, 4:00 p.m.) Detroit. General Motors Co. and its motorsports entity - GM Racing - has committed to fielding a Chevrolet-branded Twin-Turbo V6 racing engine to compete against Honda in the IndyCar Series beginning with the 2012 season. The announcement will be made this Friday, November 12, at a venue yet to be determined, although a press conference at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway would not be unexpected. The one thing that IndyCar needed to solidify its future - more than even new teams and additional sponsors - was another engine manufacturer to compete against Honda, and they'll get that as GM - spurred on by executives at the highest level of the company - has decided to jump into the series. When reached over the weekend the most senior executive directly involved in the decision declined to comment, but it's clear from my sources that GM is planning a new and very aggressive offensive into motorsports as it begins to shed the black cloud of bankruptcy that has stymied the automaker for going on 12 months. GM first fielded a Chevrolet-branded Indy V8 from 1988 - 1993, winning the Indianapolis 500 six consecutive times. GM also won the "500" with an Oldsmobile-branded engine five times in a row from 1997 - 2001, with GM's last victory at the world's most prestigious race coming with a Chevrolet-branded V8 in 2002.

But there's more to this story - much more - because as GM Racing accelerates its motorsports involvement for the 2011 season and beyond, many interesting collateral details are emerging that are at the very least eye-opening.

First of all, the players involved are noteworthy, beginning with Chip Ganassi Racing. Ganassi, after an intense flirtation with Ford where he considered joining their NASCAR program, is instead committing to a relationship with GM Racing and Chevrolet in NASCAR starting in 2011 and in IndyCar beginning in 2012. Ganassi had apparently been leaning toward going with Ford over the last several weeks but once Ganassi learned that GM was going "all-in" for a new IndyCar racing engine program, his decision to go with GM was a fait accompli. Two details that could not be confirmed at post time are whether or not Ganassi would have an exclusive with the new Chevrolet-branded Indy V6 for the first season - something I would expect would be very attractive to Ganassi but with Roger Penske around certainly not an automatic by any means - and who GM Racing's technical partner will be for its IndyCar engine program.

The implications for IndyCar can only be viewed as enormously positive. This will mean an immediate uptick in credibility for the racing series with the competition between the two global auto manufacturers spurring renewed fan interest, something the series so desperately needs. It also means that other manufacturers who had been sitting on the fence while contemplating involvement with IndyCar may be pushed into joining the fray. That development remains to be seen, however.

For GM it means a renewed emphasis on big ticket motorsports events although going back to Indianapolis with an engine program turned out to be a somewhat surprising priority even for its new enthusiast-charged regime, at least below the Dan Akerson level, that is. (Akerson is the newly-minted GM CEO with a heavy Wall Street-oriented financial background and it's safe to say the idea to go back to Indy didn't originate with him.) GM has been sending definitive signals with its rejuvenated product programs that once the restraints of bankruptcy come off they are going to become very aggressive in promoting and advertising these products - especially with Chevrolet - and a high-visibility expansion of their racing endeavors is a clear indication of that.

The rest of the GM Racing story?

- GM Racing will be supporting several Grand-Am DP teams with Chevrolet engines and will also be supporting Camaro teams in Grand-Am GT for a total investment of around $1 million.

- GM Racing is ramping-up its involvement in NHRA Pro Stock in 2011 with several teams being targeted.

- GM Racing will be fielding a two-car team of Cadillac CTS-V Coupes in the 2011 World Challenge GT series with a team yet to be announced.

It's clear that the tail-between-the-legs, bankruptcy-tainted GM is about to become a thing of the past. Instead, we have a new, invigorated company with enthusiasts at the top who are committed to competing and winning at every level - in the showroom and on the race track.

Will GM's direct competitors have anything to say about this?

Stay tuned, it's about to get very interesting.

To quote Speed's Steve Matchett..................
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GM Racing, Penske to Pair Up in 2012

Post by mlittle » Fri Nov 12, 2010 10:11 am

Mod's note........it appears that GM Racing will return to Indycar racing in 2012, albeit with the Captain spear-heading their efforts and not the Chipster.............


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---In an announcement that is expected to reveal a partnership between Chevrolet, Ilmor Engineering and Team Penske, SPEED.com has learned that the trio who ushered in Chevrolet's first Indy Car engine in 1986 will be reunited to race together in 2012.

While speculation about GM's choice of a team partner for 2012 previously centered on the reigning series champions, Target Chip Ganassi Racing, a source close the the negotiations tells SPEED.com that Chevy has tabbed Roger Penske's organization for its open-wheel return.

Penske is also expected to be in Indianapolis on Friday morning for the official announcement of GM joining the IndyCar series. Reached Thursday afternoon by SPEED.com, a Team Penske representative said: "No Comment" when asked about Friday's announcement.

Our sources also call for Ilmor Engineering, Honda's current partner for its IZOD IndyCar Series engine program, to break with the Japanese manufacturer and focus solely on Chevy's new 2.4L twin-turbo V6 IndyCar engine. Ilmor had been with Honda since its entry into the Indy Racing League in 2003 and did more than 50 percent of the workload of assembling and re-building engines along with Honda Performance Development.

A call to HPD president Erik Berkman went unreturned on Thursday.

Ilmor, a company started by Mario Illien and the late Paul Morgan in the mid-80s, joined the CART IndyCar series with Penske in 1986 at the Indianapolis 500 and the Ilmor/Chevy went on to capture six consecutive Indy 500s using multiple versions of its engine from 1988-93. Penske replaced the Ilmor/Chevy with Mercedes in 1994 when he scored a dominating victory with Al Unser Jr. Ilmor returned for the 2003 season with a Chevy-badged naturally-aspirated V8 IndyCar Series engine, and moved on to work with Honda/HPD after Chevy's withdrawal from open-wheel racing at the end of the 2005 season.

How Honda will respond to the loss of Ilmor as a technical partner remains unknown, but with the addition of a second engine manufacturer for 2012, and with the most successful team in the history of Indy car racing as its partner, GM is clearly motivated to dethrone Honda as the top engine manufacturer in IndyCar competition.

SPEED's Robin Miller also contributed to this story.
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Chevrolet Revs Up New Engine For 2012

Post by mlittle » Sat Nov 13, 2010 8:04 am

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The IZOD IndyCar Series’ 2012 car program received another exciting boost Nov. 12 when General Motors and Chevrolet officials announced its re-entry into the series at a news conference at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The new, purpose-built Chevy twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V-6 racing engine will be developed jointly by GM and Ilmor Engineering of Michigan. It will have an aluminum block and cylinder heads, and will be a fully stressed chassis member supporting the gearbox and rear suspension. INDYCAR’s technical details and specifications will be released at a later date. The American automaker will join current IZOD IndyCar Series engine manufacturer Honda, which announced in August that it would build and supply a new twin-turbocharged V-6 engine, designed by California-based Honda Performance Development, for the series in 2012.

Both engines will power the new IndyCar Safety Cell that is being developed by Dallara Automobili with input from current drivers and team principals.The platform allows for the design and implementation of aero kits around the rolling chassis. Dallara officials will break ground on the Indianapolis production facility Nov. 16. “We've heard time and time again from fans that they want competition. We are excited to have engine manufacturer competition again in the IZOD IndyCar Series, beginning in 2012," IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard said. "Chevrolet brings a strong passion for racing, technology, relevance and innovation, which is a great fit for our new car platform. We are excited about the future of IndyCar racing with the addition of Chevrolet as well as the continued involvement of our longtime engine supplier Honda."

The program also will reunite one of the most successful partnerships in motorsports as Team Penske will introduce the Chevrolet engine in 2012. Team Penske posted 31 Indy car victories with Chevrolet engines (in 1986, GM’s Chevrolet brand was attached to the Ilmor-built V8 engine in CART) and four Indianapolis 5000 victories (Chevy posted its first Indianapolis 500 victory in 1988 with Rick Mears).

"Our vision is to design, build and sell the world’s best vehicles – and racing is one of the best ways to showcase what we can do," said Tom Stephens, GM vice chairman of Global Product Operations. "Re-entering Indy-style racing will help us take our advanced engine technology to the upper bounds of what’s possible. And it will also provide a dynamic training ground for engineers, who’ll transfer the technologies we develop for racing to the products we sell to our customers.

"GM has become a recognized leader in implementing direct-injection technology in both four-cylinder and V-6 engines by leveraging knowledge already gained from racing. Building on this foundation, our new partnership with Ilmor will give us even more opportunities to accelerate our engine technology. It will help our effort to continue to expand and improve the DI technology for street cars. Indy racing will also let us compete at the cutting-edge of key technologies like safety, aerodynamics, electronics and materials so we can make our vehicles even more efficient, safer, more innovative and, especially, more fun to drive."

Chevrolet competed previously in Indy car racing as an engine manufacturer in 1986-93 and 2002-05 with V-8 engines, winning 104 races, powering six driver champions and recording seven Indianapolis 500 victories. "Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been a proving ground for manufacturers since Louis Chevrolet, our co-founder, first raced here in 1909,” said Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet Marketing. “Our return to IndyCar as Chevrolet enters its centennial year is natural. At the same time this engine program will be a showcase for the efficient and powerful engine technologies that parallel new Chevrolet vehicles like the Camaro, all-new Cruze compact and Equinox crossover.”

The IZOD IndyCar Series announced June 2 that that its next generation of engines would be more powerful and efficient than the current formula -- along with being relevant to the public and automobile industry. The platform allows manufacturers to produce engines with a maximum of six cylinders and 2.4 liter displacement. The ethanol-fueled engines will produce between 550 and 700 horsepower to suit the diverse set of tracks on which the IZOD IndyCar Series competes and will be turbocharged to allow for flexibility in power.

Honda, which entered the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2003 and has been the sole engine supplier to the series since 2006, welcomed the re-introduction of competition. “We want to take this opportunity to welcome Chevrolet back to the IZOD IndyCar Series,” Honda Performance Development president Erick Berkman said. “Although we are certainly proud of HPD’s numerous accomplishments during our tenure as single engine supplier to the series – including an active and unprecedented streak of five consecutive Indianapolis 500s completed without an engine failure – we have repeatedly and unequivocally expressed our desire for engine competition within the series, dating even from our first days of sole supply, in 2006. We look forward to renewing our relationship with Chevrolet as competitors on the racetrack and giving the fans of open-wheel racing a spirited and challenging rivalry.”

The new engine strategy was based on a recommendation from the ICONIC (Innovative, Open-Wheel, New, Industry-Relevant, Cost-Effective) Advisory Committee, which was tasked with reviewing, researching and making a recommendation to the sanctioning body on the next generation IZOD IndyCar Series engine and chassis.

Committee members included Brian Barnhart, Tony Cotman, Gil de Ferran, Eddie Gossage, Rick Long, Tony Purnell and Neil Ressler. It was mediated by retired Air Force Gen. William R. Looney III. “This is a very exciting time and one of the biggest announcements in the history of the IZOD IndyCar Series,” said Barnhart, president of competition and racing operations for INDYCAR. “We are proud to welcome back Chevrolet as a participant in the series.

“This is a company with an incredible reputation and something from the competition standpoint that the fans and everyone associated with the IZOD IndyCar Series are excited about having engine competition. This will drive fan excitement, loyalty and creates drama and excitement around the events. It will add an element of intrigue to the outcome of the events and something we are very excited about for the 2012 season.

“This is a great time to be introducing a new car and now we will be able to come back with engine manufacturer competition at the same time. Hopefully we will be able to add multiple aero kits to the car as well. This takes us back to a time that involves different looking cars and many levels of competition creating a lot of excitement around the IZOD IndyCar Series.”

Similarly, Mike Kelly, executive vice president of marketing and creative for series title sponsor IZOD, welcomes the addition marketing muscle. “Today’s announcement about GM’s commitment to the IZOD IndyCar Series is one more sign of the growth of our sport," Kelly said. "We clearly have momentum and we couldn’t be prouder to be a part of it. The increased competition that Chevrolet will bring to the series and the added marketing support that a company of their stature brings, is a win/win situation for everyone involved. This will send a signal to other manufacturers that our sport provides a great marketing platform for their brands and the IZOD IndyCar Series is the place to be in 2012."
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