IndyCar 2018

Firstly, credit where credit is due. Yes, the first three years of the DW/IR12 were not pretty. In it's debut form, it was a pig. I never thought it looked quite as bad as people made it out to be, but it certainly paled in comparison to what people expected for 2012, especially considering the modern cool of Lola, Swift, and even Dallara's own concepts from the selection process. Then, in 2015, with the advent of the manufacturer aero kits, it got a pair of distinct new suits that each gave it a ground sucking, downforce monster look that I will honestly miss. That's pretty impressive that you can so dramatically change the look of an open wheeler while retaining the same tub and safety structure.

It's been a fun couple of years, but everyone has been frothing at the mouth in anticipation since the autumn, when IndyCar confirmed that a new single kit for 2018 would be drawing inspiration from the hallowed (and aesthetically overrated!) ChampCar Panoz DP01.

Well, today IndyCar delivered. Yeah, Dallara is now officially the chassis manufacturer, and the IR12 the chassis, through 2020. That sounds bad initially, and many have been throwing shade at IndyCar for not moving on to another manufacturer. But a tub is just a tub, and really, only the shape of the nose structure is set in stone. All the other parts that define the shape of the car can be massaged, modified, and ultimately changed completely, and along with the Dallara announcement, IndyCar also gave us a first glimpse at what those aero parts might look like in 2018 and beyond.

Initial reaction? YES. OH GOD, YES.

They're just pencil sketches, and we won't see a more complete render for at least a few more weeks, but this is an excellent first step. On the base level, they look cool as hell. I especially like the full side profile with the hyper-aggressive wheel pods, and the 3/4 top down view in the lower right with the sidepod wickedly undercut at the back like the 2000's era Lolas. As promised, there is not an airbox to be found, although I'm still in the minority that an airbox in and of itself makes an IndyCar ugly, just a poorly designed one. There is one thing I don't like - those contour lines running down the nose by the front tires in every render. Dallara's designers seem hellbent on those, they appeared on all their initial 2011 concepts and in my mind hearken back too much to the awkward cockpit hump that the IR03/05s had. Even with those, though, the concepts hit the spot.

Most importantly, I feel like these concepts show that IndyCar is going through the right process this time around. The big problem with the ICONIC search was that the scope wasn't defined well enough, and neither was the ultimate judging criteria. You ended up with a wide swath of admittedly creative ideas that were difficult to really compare well: the conservative but attractive Lola, the well thought out, radical Swift, the trying way too hard to cater to everyone BAT, and, of course, the insane DeltaWing. Even Dallara was schizophrenic, showing three different concepts, then something different when the announcement was made, then ultimately designing an actual car that looked almost nothing like any of their concepts.

A few years later, when the Indy Lights tender was issued, the scope was far tighter, and the results were much better. The Mygale, De Ferran, and Dallara concepts for those were only about 10% off each other from an aesthetic standpoint, and the resulting Dallara IL15 has been a great success, both in looks and in function.

This time around, IndyCar listened to all their stakeholders - not just the owners, not just the manufacturers, but the fans as well - and have defined their requirements very tightly. The car needs to have a certain look. The car needs to achieve a specific level of performance. The car needs to meet critical safety standards. This time around, I don't think it matters too much who gets the contract, because with those restraints, there's not much room to screw it up.

All that said, I still have some questions. The sketches show a distinctly different shape to the rollhoop than the IR12 currently has, and I was under the assumption that was set in stone. So, is it? And, are designers stuck with the current rear wing mounts and location? 

Regardless of what those answers are, I am actually confident that the next iteration of the IR12 will be awesome. And for a car that's was so widely derided at it's introduction for being a slow, bloated whale, that's impressive. Granted, there's still a ways to go on this process, but today was a hell of a first step.