Let’s put aside complaining about no new chassis and the delay of then hybrid system. Indycar has a bigger problem now.
A week of bad Indycar news got even worse Friday when Marshall Pruett published in Racer magazine that Honda is considering leaving Indycar when its contract expires after 2026. HPD wants cost reductions and would welcome a third OEM to reduce their supply burden. The series has tried in vain to add a third engine supplier.
It was hoped that adding the hybrid component would attract another engine, but the series’ frustration with launching the energy recovery system has halted any progress in that regard.
Honda has been a bedrock of Indycar racing since 1994. They were the sole engine supplier from 2006-2011, literally saving the IRL.
Should Honda leave, would Chevrolet be willing to supply 27 full time cars? Would the Indianapolis have 33 entries? It’s doubtful that there would be more than that.
As a fan I find the engine competition fascinating. How many other fans feel that way and would lose interest in a series with a single manufacturer?
There are solutions, many which have been suggested by others. The most obvious is a spec engine, perhaps a bit less sophisticated and cheaper to build. Cosworth and Ilmor could run unbadged powerplants.
A third OEM is the best solution. Ideally no manufacturer would need to supply more than 12 cars for the 500.
As I researched this topic, I found that this is not the first time Honda has expressed doubt about continuing in the series. I found an article by Gordon Kirby from 2007 in which Robert Clarke, then head of Honda IRL program, talked about what needed to be done.
The entire article, which is worth your time, can be found here:
https://www.gordonkirby.com/categories/columns/theway/2007/the_way_it_is_no102.html
An excerpt:
Clarke believes the key to attracting other manufacturers into the IRL is to write hybrid and energy-preserving technologies into the rules for 2011, matters discussed at length in this space over the course of this year.
“My thought is the series needs to become more relevant in using a product and technology which is related more toward production car technologies,” Clarke said. “We need something that we can actually talk about and promote. Right now, there’s nothing we can talk about, other than Honda quality and reliability.
“If the IRL were to embrace real-world challenges like fuel consumption, emissions, noise, and using energy better, I think other manufacturers will take notice. Hopefully, that would cause them to enter the series because they really can’t afford to let us continue to do it on our own and not be involved.
Indycar has always been more reactive than proactive when it comes to change. It is time to change the way they do things. Honda was fair to give htree year’s notice, but that is not a lot of time.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 