Indy Racing League

The Indy Racing League, better known as IRL, is the promoter of a predominantly oval based open-wheel racing series in the United States and, more recently, Japan. Its centerpiece is the Indianapolis 500. The IRL is owned by Hulman and Co., which also owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex. The IRL was brought about in 1994 by Tony George and was created with a breakaway group of drivers from CART, which had coordinated Indy car racing since 1979. George designed IRL as a lower-cost open-wheel alternative to CART, which had come to be technology-driven and dominated by a few wealthy multi-car teams much like in Formula One. Since then, the IRL has developed a consistent engine package and chassis rules which have produced some of the closest finishes in any racing series. Ironically, the series is now dominated by many of the same wealthy multi-car teams that once dominated CART.

The Engines

Originally, IRL cars were powered by 4.0L V8, production-based, normally-aspirated engines, produced by Oldsmobile (under the Aurora label) and Nissan (as Infiniti). That engine formula was replaced by a 3.5L NA format for 2000, at which time the requirement for the block to be production-based was dropped. This formula was used until April of 2004. After that time, displacement was further reduced to 3.0L, still normally-aspirated, in an attempt to curb top speeds. Currently, Honda, Toyota, and Chevrolet badge the engines, though many powerplants are actually built by specialty-tuners Ilmor (Honda) and Cosworth (Chevy). In a major development announced by Chevrolet on November 4, 2004, Chevrolet stated that it would be ending its IRL engine program effective with the end of the 2005 season, citing costs that exceeded value, according to then-GM Racing Director Doug Duchardt. "The investment did not meet our objectives," he was quoted as saying. Whether another engine manufaucturer will supply IRL engines as of 2006 is unknown at this point. What is known is that the most successful engine in the history of the series, that from GM, will soon no longer be available. Whether this constitutes a very serious blow to the series or just another change remains to be seen. Speculation was rife that General Motors was more impressed with the monetary return it was getting from NASCAR, where the cars are referred to as "Monte Carlos" and the body styles that are used bear at least a superficial resemblance to a consumer product. Toyota will not return as an engine supplier after 2006, as company officials have in the past stated a dissatisfaction with the investment returns in the series while at the same time, Toyota Racing Development is clearly preparing for entry into the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.

Related Topics:
V8 - Oldsmobile - Nissan - April - Ilmor - Cosworth - November 4 - 2005 - GM - NASCAR - Consumer

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Currently, IRL engines are rev-limited to just over 10,000 rpm, and produce approximately 700 bhp at this speed.

Related Topics:
Rpm - Bhp

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