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Article #2: Indy Racing League

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The Indy Racing League, better known as The current generation chassis however,
IRL, is the sanctioning body of a are designed to accommodate the added
predominantly American based open-wheel requirements of road racing. Drivers
racing series. Its centerpiece is the report that the cars are particularly
Indianapolis 500. The IRL is owned by demanding to drive on road courses,
Hulman and Co., which also owns the especially when compared to GP2 and Champ
Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex. The Car chassis.
IRL was founded in 1994 by Tony George Indy Racing League officials have
and began racing in 1996. It was created confirmed that the series will continue
with a breakaway group of drivers from to use the current batch of Dallara and
CART, which had sanctioned Indy car Panoz chassis for the balance of this
racing since 1979, who incidentally, had season (2006). Both manufacturers have
broken away from USAC. George blueprinted served as chassis manufacturers with the
the IRL as a lower-cost open-wheel IndyCar Series since 1997 and their
alternative to CART, which had come to be current three-year chassis suppliers'
technology-driven and dominated by a few agreement was signed in 2003. The series
wealthy multi-car teams, much like currently has no confirmed chassis
Formula One. Ironically, the IRL has come contracts for 2007. By the end of the
full-circle and is much like the CART 2006 season, all full-time teams were
series it sought to separate from. The using Dallaras for oval races.
IRL is, itself, dominated by a few The Engines
wealthy teams, mainly consists of Starting in 1997, IRL cars were powered
foreign-born drivers, and is a mix of by 4.0L V8, methanol burning,
ovals and road/street courses. production-based, normally-aspirated
The IRL developed a consistent engine engines, produced by Oldsmobile (under
package and chassis rules which have the Aurora label) and Nissan (badged as
produced some of the closest finishes in Infiniti). That engine formula was
any racing series. Ironically, the series replaced by a 3.5L format for 2000, at
is now dominated by many of the same which time the requirement for the block
wealthy multi-car teams that once to be production-based was dropped. This
dominated CART. formula was used through 2003. In 2004,
The series initially raced exclusively on the displacement was further reduced to
oval tracks, as the league was founded 3.0L, in an attempt to curb top speeds.
partly in response to the increasing In 2006, the series switched to a new
prominence of road and street courses on fuel blend. For one season, the cars
the CART schedule. In 2005, the series would burn a 90%/10% mixture of methanol
abandoned its unofficial ovals-only and ethanol. For 2007, the engines will
stance, and added three road/street utilize a 100% ethanol fuel, and
course events (Watkins Glen, Infineon and displacement will be increased back to
St. Petersburg). For 2007, two more road 3.5 L.
street events (Mid-Ohio and Belle Isle) Historically, Honda, Toyota and Chevrolet
were added. competed for the engine supply business.
In its inception, the series and George In a major development announced by
himself were widely ridiculed by members Chevrolet on November 4 2004, Chevrolet
of the media and some CART competitors. stated that it would be ending its IRL
The IRL's early seasons consisted of engine program effective with the end of
sparse schedules, mostly unknown drivers, the 2005 season, citing costs that
and novice-level teams, even in the Indy exceeded value, according to then-GM
500. Eventually the schedule expanded, Racing Director Doug Duchardt. "The
and caliber of drivers improved. The IRL investment did not meet our objectives,"
began to draw teams from CART starting in he was quoted as saying. In November
2000, contributing to the latter's 2005, Toyota company officials announced
bankruptcy in 2003. the company's withdrawal from American
The League consists of two series, the open-wheel racing and the immediate
premiere IndyCar Series (usually discontinuation of its IRL program. The
considered synonymous with the Indy company in the past stated a
Racing League) and the Indy Pro Series, dissatisfaction with the investment
which is a developmental series. returns in the series, and at the same
The Cars time, Toyota Racing Development is
IRL is not an open formula, but neither preparing for entry into the NASCAR
is it a one-make or "spec" series. Nextel Cup Series in 2007. This has left
Instead, chassis and engine manufacturers Honda as the sole engine supplier to the
apply to the League to supply cars for IRL through 2009. Whether this
three year cycles. Currently, Dallara and constitutes a serious blow to the series
Panoz provide the chassis, while Honda is or just another change remains to be
the sole engine provider. A third chassis seen.
manufacturer, Falcon, once held the Currently, IRL engines are rev-limited to
rights to produce a chassis for IRL 10,300 rpm and produce approximately 750
events, but as no orders were ever made, hp at that revolution regime. The Honda
no Falcon IRL rolling chassis were ever HI5R engine is a normally aspirated,
completed, and the company has since fuel-injected, aluminum alloy cylinder
ceased to exist. Riley & Scott produced block V-8 with a displacement of 3.0
IRL chassis from late 1997 to 2000. In liters (183.1 in3). The valve train is a
the series' first season, 1996, old CART dual overhead camshaft configuration with
chassis were used. four valves per cylinder. The crankshaft
Superficially, IRL cars closely resemble is made of alloy steel, with five main
those of other open-wheeled formula bearing caps. The pistons are forged
racing cars, with front and rear wings aluminum alloy, while the connecting rods
and prominent airboxes. Originally, the are machined alloy steel. The electronic
cars were unique, being designed engine management system is supplied by
specifically for oval racing; for Motorola, firing a CDI ignition system.
example, the oil and cooling systems were The engine lubrication is a dry sump
asymmetrical to account for the pull of type, cooled by a single water pump.
liquids to the right side of the cars.






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