Kyle Larson Enters 2024 500 with McLaren

When you sit down to write a news story and a bigger one pops up- that’s what just happened. The driver fans have clamored for will finallyt get his shot at the Indianapolis 5009. I will have more to sya on this later, but for now here is the press release from Arrow McLaren.

KYLE LARSON TO JOIN McLAREN RACING FOR THE 2024 INDIANAPOLIS 500

Partnership between McLaren and Rick Hendrick to field the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion

Champion driver Kyle Larson will join McLaren Racing for the 2024 Indianapolis 500, adding to Arrow McLaren’s star-studded lineup for the “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”  

Kyle’s Chevrolet will be co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rick Hendrick and carry title partnership from HendrickCars.com. Rick is the chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group and the owner of 14-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports, which Kyle has driven for since 2021.  

Additional details, including car number and livery for the HendrickCars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, will be announced at a later date.  

Kyle, 30, has proven success at the elite NASCAR Cup Series level where he won the 2021 series title, 19 points-paying races, the 2019 and 2021 NASCAR All-Star Race, and the 2014 Sunoco Rookie of the Year award. In his 2021 championship campaign, the Elk Grove, California, native won 10 points races and led more laps in a single season (2,581) than any driver since 1995.  

In partnership with McLaren Racing, the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will mark the first event as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES owner for Rick, whose stock-car teams have won an all-time record 291 points-paying Cup Series races. He is also NASCAR’s winningest owner at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 10 Cup victories on the storied 2.5-mile oval.  

Entering his 12th season in the NASCAR Cup Series and third with Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Kyle has consistently expressed interest to race the Indy 500 with Team Chevy. Arrow McLaren, with an opening in its 2024 lineup, seeks to have him at the front of the grid.  

Pending additional 2023 entries, Kyle would become just the fifth driver to run “The Double” on Memorial Day weekend by racing in the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. His double would be the first since Kurt Busch raced in both events in 2014.  

Widely regarded as a world-class talent, Kyle has a broad resume of auto racing success with more than 400 career wins in a variety of disciplines and types of vehicles on dirt and pavement. His versatility and experience complements McLaren Racing’s investment, strategy and competition in different racing series.   

Kyle joins a list of other notable names to run for Arrow McLaren in the Indy 500, including two-time race winner Juan Pablo Montoya, two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso and 2013 race winner Tony Kanaan, who joins the team of Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi (2016 winner) for the Indy 500 for the 2023 season.

Kyle Larson, Driver, said:

“I’m super excited. Competing at the Indianapolis 500 is a dream of mine and something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time – since I was a child before I ever began competing in sprint cars. To do it with McLaren Racing and Mr. Hendrick especially is a dream come true. I’m grateful for the opportunity and am really looking forward to it even though it’s still about a year-and-a-half away. I’m really looking forward to competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 and maybe even get a win or two that day.”

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said:

“Adding Kyle Larson with a HendrickCars.com partnership to the Indy 500 lineup in 2024 is exciting for our Arrow McLaren team as well as for race fans. He’s a complete driver, known for racing anything on wheels, so I’m looking forward to seeing what Kyle can do in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car. It’s been great working with Rick Hendrick and (Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman) Jeff Gordon to pull this together, so a big thank you to them for what’s to come in May 2024.”  

Rick Hendrick, Chairman/CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group and owner of Hendrick Motorsports, said:

“Having the opportunity to support Kyle, partner with an elite team like Arrow McLaren and promote HendrickCars.com in one of the world’s great auto racing events is truly unique. All of us are competitors. Putting Kyle in top-level equipment and allowing ample time for him to prepare for such a difficult challenge was important. It’s going to be very, very special to field a Chevrolet in the Indy 500 as a car owner. A collaboration like this was what we needed to make it happen, and fortunately the stars aligned. We’re 100% committed to doing it right and look forward to working with Zak and his organization.” 

Gavin Ward, Racing Director, Arrow McLaren, said:

“Kyle’s ability and desire to compete across so many disciplines of motor racing is as rare today as it is refreshing. He’s one of the best dirt track racers on the planet. He’s a NASCAR Cup champion. He’s won a Rolex 24 at Daytona. He’s an incredibly talented driver and has shown his ability to win no matter what he’s racing. I can’t think of a more exciting addition to Arrow McLaren’s 2024 Indy 500 lineup. We’re all racers on this team, and we’re going to give it everything to make sure this endeavour is as successful as possible.” Previous

Power Joins Rolex 24 Indycar Contingent

Will Power ill participate in the 2023 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona at the end of January. Power will co-drive the number 75 Mercedes AMG in the GTD class. The car owner, Kenny Habul, used to race against Power in Australian supercars.

Power will be making his debut in the Rolex. He joins Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin in the 24 hours. Newgarden and McLaughlin will be teammates in the Tower Motorsports LMP2 entry.

I think sports cars is where Power’s future lies. He has expressed interest in running at Bathurst in his native Australia.

He joins 10 fellow full time Indycar drivers in the first major race of the season in North America. In addition, Indy NXT drivers Kyffin Simpson and Christian Rasmussen, and Josh Pierson will also take part in the race.

Pierson will be part time in NXT as his main focus will be in sports cars. he has signed as a development driver with Ed Carpenter Racing. Keep in mind the kid is not yet 16 years old.

The previous year’s Indycar champion should be in the Rolex 24, which has become somewhat ofa racing season All-Star race. Likewise, I would like to see the IMSA season champion in the Indianapolis 500.

Indycar drivers entered in the Rolex 24 as of now:

GTP-

Colton Herta BMW Team RLL

Scott Dixon – Cadillac racing

Helio Castroneves- Meyer Shank racing

Simon Pagenaud-Meyer Shank Racing

LMP 2

Josef Newgarden-Tower Motorsports

Scott McLaughlin- Tower Motorsports

Kyffin Simpson-Tower Motorsports

Christian rasmussen-ERA Motorsport

Devlin DeFrancesco-Rick ware Racing

Rinus veekay- TDS Racing

GTD Pro

Romain Grosjean- Iron Lynx

GTD

Kyle Kirkwood- Vasser Sullivan

Will Power- Sun Energy1

Andretti/Cadillac: Upping the Ante for F1 Bid

Greetings from The pit Window’s winter headquarters in sunny Florida. As I predicted in my last blog, big news broke while I was traveling. It never fails.

Andretti Global, Michael Andretti’s F1 organization, has entered into an agreement with GM with the Cadillac brand. The partnership is an attempt to bolster the Andretti F1 bid. GM is trying to grow their brand world wide. Andretti also has an agreement with Renault to use their power plants. A Cadillac branded engine may not appear until 2026, assuming Andretti gets an entry in the world championship series.

While it appears the FIA and President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has opened a period of interest for future entries. He seems ready to welcom the Andretti/Cadillac team to Formula 1.

The FOM, the association of team owners, however, is not as enthusiastic about a new team. They talked about a new entry meeting a standard of competitiveness. Have they noticed Williams or Haas the last few years? Do they remember Minardi? I’m pretty sure Michael Andretti will come in with a first class operation. Like most new teams, there will be growing pains the first few years, but I see the Andretti team scoring points by its second year.

If Formula 1 wants to run three races a year in the United States, they are going to need a team from the United States before the novelty wears off. Drive to survive won’t last forever. Haas is hard to relate to as an American team.

How can Andretti’s entry into F1 help Indycar? It is a longshot, but if Colton Herta drives for the F1 team, but still runs the Indianapolis 500, there could be a boost. The better chance for exposure is having the F1 broadcasters mention that Andretti’s Indycar team will be racing later the same day.

I hope tat F1 allows Andretti to enter their world. think it is

2023: Less Off -Track Drama, More Good Racing

The site of Spring Training

I hope everyone had a great holiday season and is looking forward to a good new year. At the end of January Indycar will be on track at the Thermal, California, track, which could nbe the site of an Indycar race in a couple of years.

I am excited about several things this upcoming season. For one the off track driver drama should be much less. Alex Palou knows where he will be the next two years. Pato O’Ward has the contract he wanted. The drama should stay on the racetrack. This is not a season preview, just a list of what I’m looking forward to.

Before I talk about Indycar, a couple of IMSA items.

I am excited to go to the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona to see the new GTP cars. The former top prototype class has some new manufacturers with more coming in 2024. The cars have some style differences, which is refreshing. I’m not sure that the body work is distinct enough to recognize different cars while they are on track, but it is a step in the right direction.

I don’t like the new group name GTP. It makes the top class sound as if they are GT cars. IMSA should have stuck with the prototype label. That is what this class is- concepts. But they again failed to ask my opinion.

I am very excited for the IMSA race at IMS in September. It’s about time this series ran at the speedway.

Indycar- A Big 4 at Last?

This may be the year Arrow McLaren may finally join the Big Three of Penske, Ganassi, and Andretti as Indycar elite. The team has been nipping at the heels of the top tier, and 2023 could be their breakthrough season.

The addition of Alexander Rossi should give Pato O’Ward some extra help in his championship hunt. Felix Rosenqvist is essentially auditioning for a job on another team for 2024, and last year he did a great job fighting to keep his ride at McLaren.

Meanwhile a reconfigured Andretti Team looks to improve from a mediocre 2022 season which saw just two wins. Colton Herta should geta couple victories. I look for improvement from Kyle Kirkwood on his new team. Romain Grosjean may be driving to keep his ride. Will Devlin DeFrancesco be better with a year of experience?

Super Sophs?

David Malukas had a strong run at the end of the year. Will he carry that momentum into 2023? I felt he matured a lot as the season progressed.

Kyle Kirkwood has a fresh start after a difficult year. I hopoe his new team with more resources gives him a better chance at good results.

McLaughlin Even Better?

Scott Mclaughlin won three times in his second year in 2022. I think we have a third Penske driver to watch. McLaughlin could win the championship this year. I would not be surprised to see his win total increase in 2023.

Notes

The Pit Window will be moving to winter headquarters tomorrow. That means there will be major news breaking while I’m driving through the wilds of Kentucky or Tennessee.

Nest week I will share some thoughts abought the Damar Hamlin situation. There are some parallels to racing.

Andretti-Wayne Taylor Racing Partnership: Some Thoughts

Yesterday’s announcement of the new partnership between Andretti Autosport and Wayne Taylor Racing is huge for both IMSA and Indycar. While in 2023 we might not see any big changes, the next two years have a lot potential for some big moves.

Le Mans?

My first thought was that the new group will head to Le Mans in 2024 or 2025. Taylor’s son Ricky has driven at le mans for other teams, but now Taylor has a chance to bring his own car to France. It would be great to see the Andretti name return to Le Mans.

Resources

The groups no have increased depth in engineering and crew personnel. I can see a possibility of trading people back and forth for the sports car and Indycar programs as necessary.

I’m not sure how much each program can learn from Acura/Honda that translates from Sports cars to Indycars,but with Indycar moving to a hybrid system in 2024, perhaps there are things Andretti can learn from a year with the GTP car.

Expansion

Will Acura grant WTR/Andretti a second GTP car for 2024? If they do, will Meyer Shank still be an Acura program?

Ricky Taylor in Indycar?

The prospect of Ricky Taylor driving an Indycar really excites me. He is a talented driver. Driving for a team affiliated with Andretti gives him his best opportunity. I doubt if he would ever be a full time Indycar pilot, but I could see Taylor running a couple of road course races and possibly the Indianapolis 500.someday.

Indycar Exposure

I am not sure if there will be an increase in exposure for Indycar with this joint venture. Andretti joins Chip Ganassi, Mike Shank, Roger Penske, Bobby Rahal as Indycar team owners who will have entries in the GTP class in IMSA. With both series on NBC/Peacock, maybe the network can work opn some cross promotion. Some driver crossover would help.

For 2023 I believe all the Andretti indycar drivers have endurance commitments with other teams in various classes. Colton Herta with Rahal, Kyle Kirkwood with Vasser./Sullivan, and Romain Grosjean with Lamborghini. Devlin DeFrancesco has an LMP2 ride I believe.

I am excited to see how this partnership evolves. I see a potentially big super team on the horizon.

Andretti Joins IMSA with Wayne Taylor Racing

Andretti Autosport added to their extensive racing portfolio by partnering with Wayne Taylor Racing in the IMSA Weather tech Championship. The multi year deal begins withthe Rolex 24 hour at Daytona when the GTP Acura debuts. I will have some thoughts on this partnership tiomorrow.

The release from Andretti this morning:

INDIANAPOLIS (Dec. 28, 2022) – Andretti Autosport and Wayne Taylor Racing announced a new, long-term partnership today that will see the championship-caliber teams combine resources to compete in IMSA’s top classes. Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport’s No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 and its No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX Evo22 will make their official debut at the 2023 Roar Before the Rolex 24 and will be on the grid for the Rolex 24 at DAYTONA. The newly formed team will also compete in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series. 

During the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, day-to-day operations and leadership remain as they have currently operated with the long- term goal of moving the programs into Andretti Global’s recently announced 575,000-square-foot headquarters in Fishers, Indiana, due to be operational in 2025.

Wayne Taylor’s global motorsports enterprise boasts two IMSA driver championships (2013, 2017) and back-to-back IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships (2021, 2020), which have contributed to nine IMSA manufacturer championships for Acura, Pontiac, Corvette and Cadillac as well as multiple victories in sportscar racing’s most iconic events – the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA (a total of six Rolex 24 At Daytona titles, two as driver and four of the past six years as team owner), Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, Road America, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International. Wayne Taylor Racing claims eight Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Championship titles and a Lamborghini World Finals title. 

For 2023, Andretti will continue to operate in IMSA’s LMP3 category with Jarett Andretti. The five-time Indianapolis 500 champions Andretti Autosport competes in six additional racing championships worldwide, including the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, INDY NXT by Firestone, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Extreme E, Australia’s Repco Supercars Championship and Mexico’s SuperCopa series. 

Michael Andretti, Chairman & CEO, Andretti Autosport: 

“This is an exciting time for us. We’re proud to be returning to the IMSA paddock in this way and the opportunity to be part of the launch of the GTP program alongside Wayne Taylor Racing and our friends at Honda Performance Development. Re-entering IMSA full time, and at this level, has been a goal of mine. I wanted it to be the right opportunity and at the right time – and we’ve found that. I’m looking forward to working closer with the team at WTR and meeting all the team’s strong supporters. I want to personally thank Wayne (Taylor) and Travis (Houge) for already being such great partners as we plan for a successful future.” 

Wayne Taylor, Team Owner, Wayne Taylor Racing: 

“It’s an honor to be partnering with a name like Andretti as we enter a new era of racing. I was approached by Michael a year ago and, as we all know, timing is everything, especially as our GTP and GTD programs continue to grow with Acura |HPD. Having worked with Michael on this for nearly a year, I’m very excited to see it come together. While our 2023 program won’t look much different, there is a lot that Andretti Autosport can offer to us as we continue to build and expand. I’m looking forward to working closer with Michael (Andretti), J-F (Thormann), Rob (Edwards) and the entire Andretti team.” 

Holiday Wishes

Time for The Pit Window’s annual holiday wishes for Indycar, drivers, teams, and fans. it has been a busy off season, but cars will be on track for Spring Training in a little moire than a month. So here are my wishes for 23.

For the Series:

Safe, competitie races.

Red flags only for safety issues or tack blockages.

An improved 2024 schedule with night racing.

Work with venues to insure fairer, family affordable ticket prices.

For the drivers and teams:

A much better season for Jack Harvey, Romain Grosjean, and Kyle Kirkwood.

Improved results for Juncos Hollinger Racing. I hope that second car becomes a reality.

A couple more wins for Andretti Autosport.

Arrow McLaren becomes the consistent competitive force I expect them to with their new lineup.

Rinus VeeKay and Conor Daly each have a trip to Victory circle.

For the fans:

Safe travels to whichever races you attend

Have fun.

Make your voices heard- praise when warranted, criticism when deserved.

Finally, I thank all of you for your continued readership. I appreciate all of you so much. Iwish you all a happy holiday, whatever you celebrate. I’m looking forward to another exciting year of covering the Indycar series.

INDYCAR, MAHLE Powertrain Reach Milestones with Hybrid System  

From Indycar, news about the ERS system:

INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, Dec. 19, 2022) – For the past two years, MAHLE Powertrain has worked with INDYCAR to develop an innovative, first-of-its-kind hybrid system for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES to provide on-demand acceleration at the driver’s request.

With several milestones now met by MAHLE Powertrain, INDYCAR, in collaboration with Chevrolet and Honda Performance Development, will provide continued development and production of the hybrid system in time for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

The new hybrid system is an important extension of the INDYCAR’s objective to be the most sustainable motorsports series in the world. In 2023, the series will use 100% renewable race fuel in its race cars, while the teams’ support transporters will use 100% renewable diesel fuel as they move from their race shops to the event circuits. The hybrid system developed by MAHLE Powertrain demonstrates how innovative technology can also help the wider transportation and industrial sectors achieve their decarbonization goals.

“We are delighted to have supported the NTT INDYCAR SERIES to develop the new push-to-pass hybrid system,” said MAHLE Powertrain Managing Director Hugh Blaxill. “We’re particularly appreciative of the expertise and support we have received from INDYCAR, HPD and Chevrolet during the system’s development, much of which took place during the significant global supply chain issues that demanded even closer collaboration between ourselves, the entire INDYCAR team and our suppliers to help resolve.“I would like to thank the MAHLE Powertrain team for their hard work and dedication to reaching this milestone, and we look forward to watching the hybrid system perform on track to deliver the exciting racing that INDYCAR fans enjoy.”

INDYCAR President Jay Frye said: “We appreciate the innovative solution initiated by MAHLE Powertrain and their hard work in the development of our new hybrid system. We are also grateful for Chevrolet and HPD, as well as the INDYCAR team, for their close collaboration in this important project and continued work as we proceed toward implementation for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.
”The 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season will begin Sunday, March 5 at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. Coverage will be available on NBC and simulstreamed on Peacock. Coverage also will be available from the INDYCAR Radio Network with audio available on the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.

About MAHLE Powertrain
MAHLE Powertrain is a specialist in providing engineering services for the design, development and integration of advanced internal combustion engines and electrified powertrain systems. As a recognized expert in these fields, MAHLE Powertrain is engaged in the extensive research, development and application of new traditional and advanced drivelines into cost-effective, production feasible solutions for enhanced efficiency, improved fuel economy and lower emissions.As a services subsidiary of the MAHLE Group, MAHLE Powertrain has six technical centers strategically located in the UK, Germany, USA, and China and is well-placed to provide solutions around the globe. It operates independently of the main group when considering choice of components or technologies.

About MAHLE
MAHLE is a leading international development partner and supplier to the automotive industry with customers in the passenger car and commercial vehicle sectors. The technology group, which was founded in 1920, is working on the climate-neutral mobility of tomorrow with a focus on the strategic fields of electromobility and thermal management as well as other technology fields to reduce CO2 emissions, for example fuel cells or highly efficient combustion engines that run on e-fuels or hydrogen. Currently the share of its sales earned independently from the internal combustion engine for passenger cars amounts to more than 60 percent and is to increase to 75 per cent by 2030. Half of all the vehicles in the world now contain MAHLE components.

In 2021, MAHLE generated sales of EUR 10.9 billion and is represented in over 30 countries with more than 71,000 employees in 160 production locations and 12 major research and development centers. (Last revised: 2021-12-31) #WeShapeFutureMobility

About the NTT INDYCAR SERIES
 The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is North America’s premier open-wheel auto racing series. It features an international field of the world’s most versatile drivers – including two-time and reigning series champion Will Power, six-time series champion Scott Dixon, two-time series champion Josef Newgarden, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves and reigning “500” winner Marcus Ericsson – who compete on superspeedways, short ovals, street circuits and permanent road courses. The 2023 season consists of 17 races in the United States and Canada and is highlighted by the historic Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES, INDYCAR, INDY NXT by Firestone, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IMS Productions are owned by Penske Corporation, a global transportation, automotive and motorsports leader. For more information on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, please visit www.indycar.com
.  
 

From IMS: TireRack.com To Sponsor Battle on the Bricks in 2023 at IMS

From IMS:

IMSA Event Tickets On Sale Dec. 20

INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022) – Indianapolis Motor Speedway and TireRack.com – a customer-direct tire, wheel and car accessory distributor – announced Dec. 14 an entitlement sponsorship of the Battle on the Bricks IMSA sports car event in September 2023.

.TireRack.com is the “Official Partner of the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks” and “Official Partner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

“The opportunity to join as official partners in bringing IMSA sports car racing back to IMS amplifies how important tire performance is to our DNA,” said Matt Edmonds, executive vice president, TireRack.com. “Tire performance always plays a critical role for every driver, on the track or the street, and IMSA at IMS provides an exceptional showcase right in our home state of Indiana.”

The TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks features the return of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to the Racing Capital of the World from Sept. 15-17, 2023, with a full weekend of sports car racing on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile IMS road course. The two-hour, 40-minute feature event will take place Sunday, Sept. 17, with live NBC network television coverage.

“We welcome TireRack.com as a partner of this exciting weekend of IMSA sports car racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “We know many sports car fans also are enthusiasts who enjoy working on their own cars, including me, and TireRack.com provides 24/7 access to shop for the highest-quality tires, wheels and car accessories with a focus on the best prices and customer service, which is an ideal match.”

In addition to Sunday’s WeatherTech Championship race, the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge will headline the action Saturday, Sept. 16 with a four-hour, bumper-to-bumper traffic jam of production-based race cars.
With 18 different manufacturers competing in IMSA, the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks weekend will be a three-day festival showcasing the pinnacle of sports car racing.

Fans who signed up for event updates about the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks will receive a ticket pre-sale link via email. Ticket sales will open to the general public Tuesday, Dec. 20. Visit ims.com/imsa to sign up for event updates and purchase tickets once available.

In another exciting addition to the sports car weekend, fans can camp in the IMS infield, access not available during any other race weekend. Powered and primitive spaces will be available to purchase throughout the infield for public camping.
IMSA also will return to IMS in 2024 and 2025 for longer endurance races. Fans who purchase race tickets or infield camping in 2023 will have first access to secure those spots for the 2024 IMSA endurance race.

Tire Rack, headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, is a leading independent tire tester and consumer-direct source for tires, wheels and performance accessories. Since 1979, Tire Rack has grown from a single-point retail store in Indianapolis to encompass over 2.8 million square feet of space in 10 distribution centers across the country. Tire Rack does business as TireRack.com online, TR Wholesale Solutions in the car dealer and wholesale channels and Tire Rack Mobile Installation in select areas as a mobile installation solution.