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99-788: Atlantic Championship Forsythe Championship Racing was an American racing team that competed in the Champ Car World Series owned by Gerald Forsythe . The Champ Car effort ceased operations after the 2008 unification of North American open wheel racing. The team won the 2003 championship with driver Paul Tracy . Forsythe Racing began sponsoring Lee Brayton 's entry for his son Scott in 1981. Forsythe later started his own team, racing in CART part-time in 1982 with Héctor Rebaque and Danny Sullivan who drove for

198-634: A competitor to Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). In 2008, the IndyCar Series merged with CART's successor, the Champ Car World Series and the history and statistics of both series, as well as those from its predecessors, were unified. The series' premier event is the Indianapolis 500 , which was first held in 1911. Historically, open-wheel racing was the most popular form of U.S. motorsport nationwide. However, an acrimonious schism (often referred to by many as "The Split") in 1994 between

297-414: A consortium of ethanol producers that advocate the increased use of ethanol . EPIC was anxious to address public concerns of that era that ethanol use led to engine damage and poor performance when used in road cars. As a marketing effort, it was believed that sponsoring an IndyCar could be used as a tool to promote education and awareness of ethanol use and to curb the spread of erroneous information. Dana

396-406: A first-ever Dallara DW12 facelift. The kits, while increasing speeds and offering a clear distinction between the two manufacturers, did lead to significant cost increases. Further, Chevrolet's aero kit was the more dominant with Honda only able to mount a competitive charge on ovals due to having slightly better engine power. While Honda was able to make gains in 2016, after two years of development

495-565: A foot protection bulkhead, and cockpit padding. From the 2020 season onwards, the IndyCar Series implemented a cockpit protection system. This consists of a combination of the Halo mandated in Formula One and a reinforced windscreen dubbed the "aeroscreen", provided by Red Bull Advanced Technologies, to lessen the probability of traumatic head injuries from flying debris. All IndyCar Series cars carry an Electronic Control Unit. Live telemetry

594-622: A long line of television celebrities to enter this series—starting with Dick Smothers at the very first race in 1968 —was Frankie Muniz of the Fox Network comedy Malcolm in the Middle , making his debut in 2007. Sharing the dream of many American open wheel racers, Muniz stated his intention to use Champ Car Atlantics as a direct path to racing in the Champ Car World Series . A few women have chosen to participate in Atlantic racing under

693-446: A monetary pole position reward. Starting in 2006, the series has been run exclusively with Swift 016.a chassis powered by Mazda - Cosworth MZR 2300 cm (2.3 L) DOHC inline-4 engines producing 300 bhp (224 kW). The cars are capable of speeds in excess of 175 mph (280 km/h). The new formula has lowered the costs of running a full Atlantic season to around $ 500,000–$ 600,000. This reduction in costs, plus

792-507: A new high-definition television package was announced on HDNet , which features live coverage of certain events and replays of others. Web video of events has also historically been available on the series website, and the series also has its own official YouTube channel under the username "AtlanticRacingSeries." IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series , currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship ,

891-429: A pneumatic clutch with semi-automatic activation, supplied by Xtrac Limited since the 2008 season. All current IndyCar transmissions use pneumatic actuation for the shifting and clutch, so the clutch is therefore only needed for launching the car from a standstill, and the clutch isn't required for gear shifting. From 1996 to 2007, all IndyCar Series cars used a hand-shifted 6-speed sequential manual transmission with

990-592: A practice crash. Riley & Scott produced IndyCar chassis from 1997 to 2000. Their initial effort, the Mark V, was introduced late in the 1997 season, severely limiting its potential market. It also proved to be uncompetitive. After Riley & Scott was purchased by Reynard, an all-new model, the Mark VII, was introduced for the 2000 season. It won in Phoenix, the second race of the season (driven by Buddy Lazier), but

1089-558: A race in Toronto, Canada and finished eleventh in points. Stephen Simpson competed in three races with his best finish of fifth place in Monterrey, Mexico. Christal was also the owner of sponsor Roadblock Protective Systems and Team Manager for BMW of Sterling Motorsports. Simona de Silvestro was an Atlantic Championship contender who led a large portion 2009 Atlantic Championship season , ultimately finishing third. In three years in

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1188-533: A rival BP backed series appearing in 1973. 1974 saw the BP series changing sponsor to John Player and the Yellow Pages series becoming backed by John Webb's MCD organisation and Southern Organs. In practice most top drivers competed in both series and there were no date clashes. Only one series ran in 1975–76, in the final year taking the title ' Indylantic and adopting Indianapolis-style single-car qualifying. But

1287-638: A season. In 2005, she became the first woman in history to win a professional open wheel race in North America, at Long Beach, California . She then amassed two more wins in the same season and finished third overall in season results. Christal Waddy was the first African American female Motorsport Director in the United States for a professional motorsport team. In 2006 Christal campaigned a two car entry for car owner Bob Gelles of Gelles Racing sponsored by Western Union. Driver Robbie Pecorari won

1386-502: A series of professional races for Atlantic cars on the U.S. west coast, with Al Brizzard as Chief Steward. WCAR had originally sprung up with the FIA's "Formula Mondial" championship and when that folded prematurely, WCAR became Atlantic racing in the United States. On the east coast, Vicki O'Connor decided to establish a similar series. Thus, East Coast Atlantic Racing - ECAR - was born. Simultaneously, Vicki established Pro-Motion Agency Ltd as

1485-501: A shift stick lever, supplied also by Xtrac since 2000 season until 2007. The clutches of all IndyCar Series cars are carbon with steel housing 3-plate clutch operated by foot-pedal in 1996–2011 later hand-paddle steering wheel clutch in 2012–present and provided by AP Racing . Mechanical limited-slip differentials are also allowed and constant velocity joint tripod driveshafts are also used. All IndyCar Series car drivetrains are currently rear mid-engine with rear-wheel-drive layout . Since

1584-538: A single set of specifications is used, based upon the configuration and speed of the track, as well as having the right rear tire diameter constructed to be slightly larger than the left rear, (also known as stagger) to aid in high speed cornering. The suspension of all IndyCar Series cars is double A-arm, pushrod, with third spring and anti-roll bar configuration multilink. All NTT IndyCar Series cars use carbon-fiber shell driver's seats with 6-point safety restraints. The cars' steering wheels are designed by Cosworth with

1683-556: A system of buttons that allow the drivers to make adjustments to their cars mid-race. All IndyCar Series cars were equipped with Pi Research Sigma Wheel to Display data display units from 2001–2017 until they were replaced by Cosworth's Configurable Display Unit 4.3 display from 2018 onwards (although in 2018 some smaller low-budget IndyCar Series teams still utilized old Pi Research Sigma Wheel instead of new Cosworth Configurable Display Unit 4.3 due to cost reasons). The cockpits of all IndyCar Series cars are still open but protected by zylon,

1782-572: A universal bodywork kit. Digital renderings for the common bodywork kit, referred to as the 'IR18' car, were released in early May 2017 as a second facelift of Dallara DW12 . The car was officially unveiled in late July, and the universal aero kit became known as the UAK18 bodywork. The bodywork is inspired by CART 's 1990s and 2000s designs, with a more streamlined appearance. The redesigned aero kit reduces both aerodynamic downforce and team and manufacturer design development costs. The universal Aero Kit

1881-463: A well-funded team, was brought on to develop the engine with team owner Eddie Cheever expanding the team to two cars and bringing on his brother Ross Cheever as a test driver. By 2000, the engine had improved markedly and Cheever captured the marque's first win at Pikes Peak International Raceway . However, despite the improved success, few teams made the switch to the Infiniti and the company left

1980-470: Is an American open-wheel racing series with races throughout North America. It has previously been called Champ Car Atlantics , Toyota Atlantics (after its then engine supplier for sponsorship reasons), or just Atlantics . The series began in 1974 as a professional version of the Sports Car Club of America 's amateur Formula Atlantic classification and typically served as a stepping stone to

2079-476: Is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies since 1920 after two initial attempts in 1905 and 1916. The series is self-sanctioned by its parent company, IndyCar, LLC ., which began in 1996 as the Indy Racing League (IRL) and was created by then Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George as

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2178-775: Is used only for television broadcasts, but the data can be recorded from the ECU to the computer if the car is in the garage tents and not on the track. Since 2007 McLaren supplied its Engine Control Unit (ECU) system for few IndyCar Series teams and later promoted to standard Engine Control Unit (ECU) systems from 2010 season onwards. Previously Motorola supplied IndyCar Series ECU in 2003–2009 for Honda -powered cars, also Denso supplied IndyCar Series ECU in 2003–2005 for Toyota -powered cars and also Zytek supplied IndyCar Series ECU in 2002–2005 for Chevrolet -powered cars. Rearview mirrors for all IndyCar Series cars are fully mandated to easily enable viewing opponents behind. At its inception,

2277-566: The CART chassis and turbocharged engines that had been the mainstay of the Indianapolis 500 since the late 1970s. Starting with the 2003 season, the series rules were changed to require chassis manufacturers to be approved by the league before they could build cars. Prior to that, any interested party could build a car, provided it met the rules and was made available to customers at the league-mandated price. In total, four manufacturers have built IndyCar chassis. Dallara began producing Indycars for

2376-857: The Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs (CASC) in Canada (now ASN Canada), drawing much attention and large fields due to its national CTV television coverage. IMSA in the United States took advantage of the large number of teams and organized its own series in 1976. During these years, the series attracted guest drivers from Europe, including Formula One, particularly at the Trois-Rivières street race in Quebec, Canada. Guest drivers included James Hunt , Jean-Pierre Jarier , Riccardo Patrese , Patrick Depailler , Jacques Laffite , Didier Pironi and Vittorio Brambilla . In 1977,

2475-497: The Firestone Indy Lights machines. After the withdrawal of factory support from Panoz Auto Development , they are the only supplier of new chassis. The G Force chassis was introduced in 1997 and won the 1997 and 2000 Indy 500 races. In 2002, Élan Motorsport Technologies bought G Force, and the chassis was renamed "Panoz G Force", and then shortened to "Panoz" in 2005. In 2003 a new model was introduced, and it won

2574-591: The Oldsmobile Aurora label) and Nissan (badged as Infiniti). Per IRL rules, the engines sold for no more than $ 80,000 (with an exception of full-works IndyCar Series teams that usually received free engines due to direct partnership with an each engine manufacturer), and were rev-limited to over 10,000 rpm and weighed up to 280  lb (127  kg ) (excl. headers, clutch, ECU, spark box or filters). They produced around 600–700 hp (450–520 kW). These engines utilized 90° crankshafts , and while

2673-554: The pole position at Indianapolis . The team returned in 1994 as Forsythe-Green Racing with co-owner Barry Green, but by the next year the two had split and Green took their driver Jacques Villeneuve and Canadian cigarette sponsor Player's LTD to his new Team Green and won the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and CART championship. Forsythe reunited with Teo Fabi in a full-time effort in 1995 with Combustion Engineering sponsoring their team. Forsythe did keep sponsor Player's LTD for his Indy Lights team and Canadian Greg Moore brought home

2772-645: The $ 2 million prize towards a Champ Car ride. However, he elected not to accept it as he felt that without other sponsorship, he would be driving for a non-competitive team. Matos instead accepted an offer from the Andretti Green Racing team in the developmental Firestone Indy Lights Series instead, where he was promised the chance to race in the Indy 500 and a future ride in the IndyCar Series . 2007 runner-up Franck Perera , who finished on

2871-611: The 1995 Indy Lights championship for Forsythe. Moore tested a Champ Car for Team Penske late in 1995 so Forsythe quickly signed Moore to run their single 1996 Champ Car entry with Player's moving back from the Team Green squad as Villeneuve left IndyCar for Formula One . Moore would drive with Forsythe for the five seasons in total, one in Indy Lights where he would win 10 of 12 races, and four in Champ Car until his death at

2970-470: The 1997 season. The Dallara and G Force chassis were relatively evenly matched over their first few seasons, but eventually, the Dallara began to win more races. This caused more teams to switch to the Dallara, further increasing their success. As of 2017, a Dallara chassis has been used by 17 Indy 500 winners, although there have not been any competing manufacturers since 2008. Dallara was also tapped to build

3069-511: The 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach . In 2010, IndyCar announced that it would officially adopt a single-make chassis formula, beginning in 2012 among a selection of proposals from interested parties, and set up the ICONIC (Innovative, Competitive, Open-Wheel, New, Industry-Relevant, Cost-Effective) Advisory Committee to make a final recommendation. Proposals were submitted and announced by BAT Engineering, Dallara , Lola , Swift , as well as

Forsythe Championship Racing - Misplaced Pages Continue

3168-510: The Atlantic Championship by extending an engine contract that covers the series through the year 2011. In early 2010, Atlantic Championship personnel publicized several features intended to attract new drivers and retain existing racers and teams. One was to brand the series as the "Road to F1", announcing that "at least one current European F1 team manager" would be in attendance to monitor a test for interested racers. Another

3267-512: The IRL used methanol racing fuel, which had been the de facto standard in American open-wheel racing since the 1964 Indianapolis 500 Eddie Sachs – Dave MacDonald crash. Methanol had long provided a safer alternative to gasoline. It had a higher flash point, was easily extinguishable with water, and burned invisible. With the IRL's introduction of night races in 1997, the burning of methanol fuel

3366-560: The IRL, a major point of contention for CART management, to whom Ford-Cosworth was an official engine supplier. The Ilmor Mercedes V-8 engine, also a mainstay CART powerplant, was permitted, but the only time it was used as a one-off at the 1996 Indy 500 by Galles Racing . Starting in 1997, IRL cars were powered by 4.0-litre V8 , four-stroke piston, Otto cycle methanol -burning, production prototype-based, naturally-aspirated internal combustion engines and electronic indirect multi-point port fuel injection, produced by General Motors (under

3465-838: The Indianapolis 500 and the series title. However, Toyota had just one podium in the last seven races of 2004, and only Penske Racing fielded competitive Toyota-powered cars in 2005, while Honda became the dominant engine manufacturer within the series. In November 2005, Toyota company officials announced the company's withdrawal from American open-wheel racing and the immediate discontinuation of its IRL program, coinciding with its entrance into NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series in 2004, and its discontinuation of its IMSA program. After Chevrolet and Toyota elected to shut down their IRL involvement after 2005 season ( Chevrolet temporarily hiatus from IndyCar Series for six years while Toyota USA elected to focus on NASCAR involvement), Honda became

3564-556: The Indy 500 in 2003–2004 and finished second in 2005. It fell out of favor starting in 2006, and by then, only one had finished in the top ten at Indy. Little factory support was given to IndyCar teams by Panoz after that point, as they had concentrated on their DP01 chassis for the rival Champ Car World Series. By 2008, only one Panoz saw track time, an aborted second-weekend effort at Indy, that resulted in Phil Giebler being injured in

3663-724: The IndyCar Series in 2008. The team's Atlantic operation, Forsythe Racing continued to contest that series through the end of the 2008 season and the team fielded three of the team's Panoz DP01 chassis in the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach . On July 15, 2008 Forsythe Racing announced that they would return to the Firestone Indy Lights Series grid in 2009. According to additional reports, Forsythe Racing were close to finalizing IRL IndyCar Series and American Le Mans Series programs for 2009, according to team manager Ken Swieck. Swieck confirmed that Forsythe intended to compete in both series rather than choosing one or

3762-771: The SCCA Formula Continental Championship in 1968 (when they were largely overshadowed by the V8-powered Formula 5000 cars) and then as an independent series from 1969 to 1972. Formula Atlantic as a class evolved in the United Kingdom in 1971 from the US Formula B rules, with 1600 cm production-based twin-cam engines (initially dominated by Lotus-Ford Twin Cam -based dry-sump Cosworth Mk.XIII, then by Cosworth BDD when

3861-758: The SCCA sanctioned the US events and in 1978 the CASC and SCCA series merged and conducted the series jointly until 1983, when it ran as the Formula Mondial North American Cup ; Michael Andretti won the championship. The series could not sustain the success of earlier seasons and was cancelled for 1984. In its place a "Pacific" series was conducted exclusively on the US West Coast in 1985. This rebirth expanded to an East Coast "Atlantic" series

3960-549: The Toyota Atlantic or Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda banner. As mentioned in the list of former drivers, Danica Patrick was an Atlantic competitor in 2003 and 2004. She was the first woman to score a pole position in the series and the first woman to finish on the podium. She also led the 2004 season briefly before finishing third overall in season results, but did not score a win in two years of Atlantic competition. Katherine Legge also competed in Atlantic for

4059-489: The U.S. government's demand that the alcohol is unfit for human consumption and add visible color in case of fire. However, 2010 São Paulo Indy 300 , held in Brazil –outside of the U.S. regulations– utilized a full E100 mixture, the first instance in the sport. To compensate for the loss of power due to the use of ethanol, the displacement was increased back to 3.5 liters. Since ethanol gets better fuel mileage than methanol,

Forsythe Championship Racing - Misplaced Pages Continue

4158-577: The US Formula Atlantic Pacific Championship) and races were run in Australia and New Zealand , where Formula Pacific became the top class of racing. For a few years the prestigious Macau Grand Prix was run to Formula Pacific rules before becoming a Formula Three race. South Africa also adopted Formula Atlantic rules, but later mandated that the cars were fitted with Mazda Wankel engines. In recognition of

4257-476: The addition of the aforementioned $ 2 million prize, had an immediate effect on increasing the number of competitors in the series (car count), which had dwindled over the previous few seasons. For example, the 2007 season featured 30 drivers. Although the series had been run on Yokohama tires since 1991, the Japanese company elected to end its relationship with the series after the 2006 series, at which point it

4356-498: The cars were unique, being designed specifically for oval racing; for example, the oil and cooling systems were asymmetrical to account for the pull of liquids to the right side of the cars. Later cars were designed to accommodate the added requirements of road racing. Because of a schedule conflict, the Champ Car World Series spec Panoz DP01 , with a Cosworth engine, was run in an IndyCar Series points event in

4455-665: The cars will race exclusively on Hoosier tires. On December 21, 2012, it was announced that the 2013 schedule had been suspended. On October 1, 2013, it was announced that the series would return in 2014 with a twelve race, six weekend race calendar. For the 2017 Atlantic Championship , sanctioning transitioned from the SCCA to the United States Auto Club but Formula Race Promotions continued in their role as promoter. The series returned to SCCA sanctioning in 2019. Atlantic Championship races have previously been shown on multiple networks, including SPEED . For 2009,

4554-476: The class became Atlantic in the United States, however other engines like Alfa Romeo and BMW were also eligible). Conceived by John Webb of Brands Hatch (who would later also develop the Sports 2000 class) as a category for national competitors with the performance near a Formula Two car but running costs at or below that of a contemporary Formula Three car. A single ( Yellow Pages championship ran in 1971–72, with

4653-580: The development work associated with them. However, after a series of safety concerns during practice for the 2015 Indianapolis 500 with the Chevrolet aero kit package, this did not come about. The 2017 season was the third and final year contested with the Chevrolet and Honda aero kits outfitted to the Dallara DW12 chassis. Beginning in 2018, all DW12 Safety Cell chassis have been fitted with

4752-696: The down time in order to deliver an unparalleled racing offering when economic conditions allow." On December 29, 2011, Mike Rand, Bob Wright and Al Guibord Jr. of Formula Race Promotions, which operates the F1600 and F2000 Championship Series sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America 's Pro Racing Division, announced the Atlantic Championship would be revived for the 2012 season with a schedule that will be held during three of their F1600 and F2000 series weekends - Road Atlanta (May 10–12), New Jersey Motorsports Park (June 28-July 1) and Summit Point Raceway (August 24–26). SCCA engine and chassis rules will apply and

4851-416: The end of the 1999 season. In Champ Car, Moore would capture five wins and place a best of fifth in the 1998 points standings, all with Forsythe Racing. In 1998, the team expanded to two cars by adding Patrick Carpentier to the all-Canadian squad. Carpentier would drive for Forsythe through 2004 when he was hired by Cheever Racing of the rival Indy Racing League for 2005. Patrick captured five wins with

4950-496: The engine blocks were to be production-based, they were not "stock blocks" like the Buick or Menard engines of the 1980s and 1990s. They were purpose-built racing engines. The engine formula was changed with the 2000–2004 formula. The displacement was dropped down from 4.0 to 3.5 litres (244 to 214 cubic inches ), and the requirement for the block to be production-based was dropped. The engines also switched to 180° crankshafts , and

5049-443: The engines were moderately de-tuned. The engines proved themselves to be quite durable — there had been no engine failures at Indy from 2006 to 2010, which also lowered the number of crashes. Most of the engines, including those used for the Indy 500, are used for multiple races and were intended to last 1,200 miles (1,931 kilometres ) between rebuilds. The Honda engines were only available via lease arrangement from Honda, which, for

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5148-472: The existing engine blocks to curb top speeds (started from the 2004 Indianapolis 500 ). Infiniti's engines, though reliable, were significantly down on power compared to the Auroras in 1997, leading many of the teams that had initially opted for the Infiniti to switch. By the end of the 1998 season, only a handful of low-budget teams were using the Infiniti. However, early in the 1999 season, Cheever Racing ,

5247-451: The first time since 2011. The fuel cell for all current IndyCar Series cars are made of rubber and are covered with a Kevlar-fitted blanket for extra protection in side impacts. Since 2012 the capacity has been 18.5 US gallons (70 litres ). Previous capacities were 22 US gallons (83 litres ) in 2007–2011, 30 US gallons (114 litres ) in 2004–2006, and 35 US gallons (132 litres ) in 1997–2003. The initial 1996 IRL season, as well as

5346-451: The first two races of the 1996–97 season, featured engines with specifications leftover from the rival CART series competition. Those chassis/engine combinations were essentially under the same rules utilized by teams that participated in the 1995 Indianapolis 500 , which was sanctioned by USAC. V-8 powerplants were allowed the typical 45 inHg (1.5 bar; 22.1 psi) of pressure boost. The Menard-Buick V6 engine used in 1996, however,

5445-446: The following year and the two ran concurrently through 1990. From 1990 to 2005, the series was sponsored by Toyota and the cars were powered by 1600 cc Toyota 4A-GE engines available in kit form from Toyota Racing Development . With the support of Toyota, the two US series were reunited into a single North American championship and have remained so to this date. The same rules were adopted as Formula Pacific (not to be confused with

5544-425: The formation of IndyCar Series in 1996, the brake package for the IndyCar Series was slimmer carbon brake rotors with 4-pot brake calipers and carbon pads on all-oval races until 2011. The thicker steel brake rotors with 6-pot brake calipers and carbon pads were introduced in 2005 for road and street course races for stronger braking while approaching sharper turns even hairpins. From 2012 onwards, IndyCar Series ditched

5643-433: The formula was under threat from Formula 3 and no series ran in 1977–78. The series returned in 1979 with backing (for one season only) from Hitachi and continued to 1983, with diminishing grids and few new cars appearing. As a result of its similarity to Formula 2 and Formula 3 in terms of chassis regulations, Formula Atlantic typically used chassis closely related to these cars — with performance somewhere in between

5742-636: The front and 14 in × 15 in (356 mm × 381 mm) on the rear since 1996; this size will be used until at least the 2022 season. 18-inch wheel rims will be adopted if the Dallara DW12 's successor comes out for the 2023 season onward. Firestone has been a tire supplier for the series since the 1996 season and sole tire supplier since 2000 season. Previously, Goodyear also supplied tires from 1996 to 1999 for several teams before withdrawing their support. The IndyCar Series has run bespoke compounds since 1996 which were re-profiled in 2003. The front tire sizes are 305/45-R15 (10.0/25.8-R15) and

5841-453: The fuel tanks in the car were decreased. Compared to methanol, human contact with the current ICS fuel is much less harsh, and the fumes much less irritating. The fumes are often compared with the sweet smell of apple cider or apple cobbler. Unlike methanol, ethanol is not caustic and does not cause chemical burns when it comes in contact with the skin. It also is less polluting when spilled compared to methanol. In May 2010, Sunoco became

5940-519: The global acceptance of the formula it was briefly renamed Formula Mondial in 1983, but this series failed to materialize. Among Atlantic drivers in races through 1982 were Keke Rosberg , Gilles Villeneuve, Michael Andretti, Bobby Rahal , Howdy Holmes, Tom Gloy, Dave McMikllan, Kevin Cogan, Jacques Villeneuve Sr, Chris Kneifel and Roberto Moreno. In 1983, Jon Norman, Gudrun and Rick Shea and Tim Fortner, formed West Coast Atlantic Racing - WCAR - and ran

6039-474: The highest levels of sports car racing such as American Le Mans . A US$ 2 million prize was announced for the winner of the 2006 racing season and future seasons, with the restriction that it can only be used towards the cost of racing in the Champ Car World Series . Simon Pagenaud became champion in 2006 and claimed the first such prize. He promptly moved to Champ Car in 2007 to race for Walker Racing . The series champion for 2007, Raphael Matos , also won

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6138-480: The kits were frozen for 2017, and starting in 2018 all cars ran the same aero package again. To further help reduce costs, IndyCar allowed teams to shop for competitively priced non-safety-related parts such as brakes instead of mandating parts from specific suppliers. IndyCar had hoped to set a new speed record at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by 2016 with the introduction of aero kits and

6237-660: The management of the Atlantic series the many years of experience she'd accumulated while working for Carl Haas in his Lola, Hewland and other racing equipment import business, and more directly, her involvement in Carl's race team management in the CanAm and other series. Vicki's biography as a member of the Road Racing Drivers Club reads in part "… the Toyota Atlantic Series which developed into

6336-579: The most successful and longest-running open-wheel driver development series in North America". The Toyota Atlantic Series ran on road courses, ovals, street courses and airports in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The success of the series brought it the sponsorship and engine development of Toyota Motor Corporation in 1989 under its North American competition division, Toyota Racing Development , led by Les Unger. Later races were sanctioned by CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams) when CART bought Pro-Motion Agency Ltd. When Champ Car succeeded CART in 2004,

6435-543: The new owners also bought Pro-Motion Agency, and Toyota Atlantic continued under their sanctioning. The series ended with the bankruptcy of Champ Car in 2007. The series raised to prominence a great number of drivers including Michael Andretti, Jacques Vlleneuve, Scott Goodyear, Joey Hand, Buddy Rice, Sam Hornish, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Brian Till, Dan Wheldon, Alex Tagliani, Calvin Fish, Danica Patrick, Simon Pagenaud, A. J. Allmendinger, Graham Rahal and Katherine Legge. The latest in

6534-521: The official fuel of the series starting in mid-2010 with an immediate effect, running through 2018. For the 2012 season, the ethanol fuel blend rate was reduced to 85% blend in a reference of road car relevance. Speedway LLC took over as series official fuel supplier beginning from 2019 season onwards, but the E85 formula still retained until at 2022. From 2023 onwards Shell USA (North American division of Shell plc ) will supply 100% Ethanol-sourced fuel for

6633-477: The only standard spec-engine manufacturer in the IndyCar Series starting in 2006 and continued in that capacity through 2011 as it was announced by Indy Racing League president & chief operating officer Brian Barnhart and Honda Performance Development president Robert Clarke on December 15, 2005. The IndyCar Series carried on with only one engine manufacturer in spite of the television agreement required at least two or three engine manufacturers to participate in

6732-530: The organizing and managing body to run the series and had SCCA as the sanctioning body. The first ECAR race was at Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia on 07 Jul 1985. Incidentally, this race and all subsequent Atlantic series races except those on ovals, used a series signature standing start following a group warm-up lap. Both WCAR and ECAR ran races for a while until the two series were merged under Vicki's management in 1991. Vicki brought to

6831-403: The original Indy Lights series under Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). After that series was ended in 2002, the Atlantic series became the official developmental series of CART successor Champ Car World Series until the merger of Champ Car with IndyCar in 2008. The series ran independently on 2009 under IMSA sanctioning but shut down following that season. Starting in 2012, the series

6930-402: The other. However, Forsythe never fielded any entries in either series. The Forsythe team and its derivatives have amassed 34 CART and Champ Car victories and single championship in 2003 with Canadian Paul Tracy . ( key ) (results in bold indicate pole position) (results in italics indicate fastest lap) ( key ) Atlantic Championship The Atlantic Championship Series

7029-467: The partial enclosure around the rear wheels, which acts to prevent cars ramping up over another vehicle's back end. This chassis was intended to support multiple aerodynamic kits, but introduction of these was delayed until 2015, with teams citing costs. After the events of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championships the chassis was nicknamed DW12 in honor of Dan Wheldon . In 2015, teams began running aero kits developed by their engine manufacturers as

7128-548: The podium eight times during the season and won three races ultimately signed to race with Champ Car team Conquest Racing . When Champ Car was purchased by IndyCar prior to the 2008 season, Conquest joined IndyCar with Perera. As of 2009, the series offers an unrestricted $ 1 million prize to the season champion, $ 500,000 to the runner-up, and $ 250,000 to the third-place finisher on the season. These season rewards are part of total of $ 3 million in total prize money, which also features $ 50,000 for each race win, and other bonuses such as

7227-533: The primary series, CART, and Tony George led to the formation of the Indy Racing League, which launched the rival IndyCar Series in 1996. From that point on, the popularity of open wheel racing in the U.S. declined dramatically. The feud was settled in 2008 with an agreement to merge the two series under the IndyCar banner, but enormous damage had already been done to the sport. Post-merger, IndyCar continues to run with slight viewership gains per year. For 1996–1997,

7326-479: The public its "Gen IV" motor, a rebadged Cosworth motor for competition. At the time, Cosworth was owned by Ford. 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." Toyota won its first race in Miami, as well as

7425-486: The radical DeltaWing design that was penned by Ben Bowlby and financed by Chip Ganassi . In July 2010, IndyCar announced that Dallara had won the contract to remain as the series' single chassis supplier. In 2012 the series adopted the Dallara IR-12 chassis as a cost control method, and IndyCar negotiated a price of $ 349,000 per chassis. The new specification also improved safety, the most obvious feature being

7524-549: The rear tire sizes are 415/40-R15 (14.5/28.0-R15). The compounds and construction of IndyCar Series tires unique to each mounting position on the race car. For road/street events, there are unique primary and alternative specifications for dry conditions, along with specially designed full-rain tires for all rain conditions but, unlike in Formula One which has intermediate rain tires for light rain conditions only, no intermediate rain tires due to additional costs. For oval racing,

7623-422: The rev limits were adjusted from time to time. These engines made 675 hp (503 kW), ran on 109- octane methanol racing fuel, and revved to 10,300 rpm, all while weighing only 280 lb (130 kg). This formula was used through 2003. In 2004, in the wake of several crashes including the fatal crash of Tony Renna and the severe crash of Kenny Bräck , the displacement was reduced to 3.0-liters using

7722-444: The same chassis. Currently, Dallara provides a specification chassis to all teams, with Honda and Chevrolet providing teams different engines. In the series' first season ( 1996 ), 1992 to 1995 model year CART chassis built by Lola and Reynard were used. The first new Indycar came into being in 1997. Tony George specified new technical rules for less expensive cars and production-based engines. The move effectively outlawed

7821-550: The series after the 2002 season to focus on powering the league's new Infiniti Pro Series (now Firestone Indy Lights). As part of General Motors' discontinuance of the Oldsmobile name, the Olds engine was rebadged as the Chevrolet starting with the 2002 season. However, the effort would lack in competitiveness against Toyota and Honda, which came to the IRL in 2003 from the rival CART series. In August 2003, Chevrolet announced to

7920-512: The series to ensure future continuity. The Honda Indy V8 engine was partnered and co-developed by Ilmor , which is part owned by Roger Penske for tune-up, engine maintenance, arrangement and trackside support. The engine displacement was reverted from 3.0 to 3.5 litres (183 to 214 cubic inches ) beginning from 2007 season. During that time, since the IndyCar Series had only one engine manufacturer, Honda focused on minimizing engine failure and minimizing costs instead of defeating rivals. As such,

8019-422: The series was now legally entitled to use it due to the expiration of a 1996 legal settlement with Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). The series began to progressively downplay the former IRL name, changing its name to simply IndyCar for the 2008 season. The company was similarly renamed in 2011. Izod signed a six-year deal to become the series title sponsor beginning on November 5, 2009, through 2014, but

8118-645: The series was simply referred to as the Indy Racing League. For 1998–1999, the series garnered its first title sponsor, and was advertised as the Pep Boys Indy Racing League . In 2000, the series sold its naming rights to Internet search engine Northern Light , and the series was named the Indy Racing Northern Light Series . The name IndyCar Series was officially adopted beginning in 2003, as

8217-441: The series, she has bettered Katherine Legge's career mark of three wins, with one in 2008 and four in 2009. On October 31, 2008, an official announcement was made that the Atlantic Championship series had been purchased by Ben Johnston, an Atlanta area businessman and one-time Atlantic racer. At the same time, Mazda and Cooper Tires also announced a continuing commitment to the series. Then, in 2009, Mazda recommitted its support to

8316-515: The sponsorship was terminated at the end of the 2013 season. In 2014, Verizon Communications became title sponsor of the series through 2018. In January 2019, it was announced that Japanese communications company NTT would become title sponsor and official technology partner of the IndyCar Series. In 2023, IndyCar announced that NTT had extended their title sponsorship, for an unreported length. The IndyCar Series allows manufacturers to develop different types of engines, while every team uses

8415-737: The steel brake discs in favor of carbon brake rotors on all types of tracks but the caliper configuration remained the same as 1996–2011. PFC currently supplying brake packages for all IndyCar Series cars since 2017 season (disc only) and later increased their involvement from the 2018 season (supplying the calipers and rest of other brake packages). Previously Brembo supplied the brake packages in 2012–2016 (full brake package), 2017 (caliper only), and Alcon in 2003–2011. BBS and O.Z. Racing have been supplying forged wheels since 1996. The wheel rims for all IndyCar Series cars are made of aluminum alloy. The size of IndyCar Series wheel rims have been 10 in × 15 in (254 mm × 381 mm) on

8514-450: The team in the 1982 Indianapolis 500 and finished 13th and 14th, respectively. Later that season Rebaque won at Road America . Before Indy, Sullivan finished third at Atlanta Motor Speedway . Also that season Al Unser Jr. made his CART debut for the team at Riverside International Raceway and finished fifth. Moderate success continued from 1983 to 1985, most notably with rookie driver Teo Fabi who won four races in 1983, and started on

8613-413: The team. For 2000, Forsythe tabbed rookie Alex Tagliani to drive alongside Carpentier. In three seasons, Tagliani scored three poles and five podiums but no wins, so Alex was replaced by veteran Paul Tracy for the 2003 season. Tracy would win seven races on his way to bringing Forsythe its first CART championship in CART's final year of operations. In 2006, Mario Domínguez , who had replaced Carpentier,

8712-478: The track and expenses from repairs. The "aeroscreen" cockpit protection was added in time for the 2020 season, and some minor modifications were eventually conducted to reduce the intense heat caused by stagnant air on the drivers. For the transmission gearboxes, all IndyCar Series cars currently use an electronically actuated AGS ( Assisted Gearchange System ) 6-speed semi-automatic sequential gearbox with an electro-pneumatically operated paddle-shift system and

8811-478: The two — so most of the manufacturers were familiar from those classes, particularly the likes of Brabham , Lotus , March , Chevron early on, with Ralt and then Reynard later. US manufacturer Swift came to displace the British imports and dominate in North America. Several smaller marques also appeared. The first professional races run under Formula Atlantic rules in North America were conducted in 1974 by

8910-560: Was an updated powerplant from the 1995 version. In addition, the V-6 stock block engines (Buick-Menard) were allowed 55 inHg (1.9 bar; 27.0 psi) of boost at all races, instead of just at Indianapolis. During the CART era, V-6 stock blocks were only allowed 45 inHg (1.5 bar; 22.1 psi) at all races outside of Indy, which was a decided disadvantage and left the engine out of favor. Ford-Cosworth reluctantly provided support to teams wishing to run their older-spec engines in

9009-470: Was designed without the wheel guards of the DW12 chassis, which were deemed ineffective and proved prone to breaking. The IR-18 also lacks an air inlet above the cockpit, a first for an IndyCar Series chassis (most Champ Car chassis had been designed that way). The new Aero Kit also has fewer small aerodynamic pieces that can become broken or dislodged, with the intent to reduce the amount of debris that ends up on

9108-573: Was fired mid-season and Forsythe brought in displaced American A. J. Allmendinger . Allmendinger proceeded to win his first three races with the team, his first Champ Car victories. Allmendinger was teammates with Paul Tracy who finished fourth in points in 2004 and 2005 after his championship-winning season. However, Allmendinger and the team were not able to come to terms for 2007 and Allmendinger announced he would be going to NASCAR Nextel Cup with Team Red Bull . Forsythe would later announce Dominguez's return to his team on March 30. Dominguez, however,

9207-431: Was killed in a crash in 2006, but the IRL had already begun a transition to ethanol fuel . For the 2006 season the fuel was a 90%/10% mixture of methanol and ethanol . Starting in 2007, the league advertised " 100% Fuel Grade Ethanol ," the first competitive series to utilize renewable fuel. The mixture was actually 98% ethanol and 2% gasoline, provided by Lifeline Foods of Saint Joseph, Missouri . The additives satisfy

9306-495: Was off the pace at Indy and was quickly dropped by its teams. Falcon Cars were founded by Michael Kranefuss and Ken Anderson in 2002 as the third approved chassis supplier for the 2003 season. One rolling chassis was completed and shown, but it was never fitted with a working engine and never ran. No orders were ever filled. Superficially, IndyCar machines closely resemble those of other open-wheeled formula racing cars, with front and rear wings and prominent airboxes . Originally,

9405-444: Was replaced by Cooper Tire and became title sponsor for the series. The history of Formula Atlantic begins with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Formula B class, created in 1965 for single-seat formula cars with engines not exceeding 1600 cm in capacity. Prior to Formula Atlantic, professional Formula B races were held in the United States from 1965 to 1972, first with the SCCA's poorly supported Formula A, then as part of

9504-446: Was replaced by Oriol Servià on a race by race basis until Servia was hired full-time. For the 2008 season, Jerry Forsythe and former RuSPORT owner Dan Pettit, were to merge their teams into Forsythe/Pettit Racing to field at least two cars. However, changes brought about the unification of open wheel racing into the IndyCar Series . This made competitive racing financially unviable in the eyes of Forsythe and he elected not to race in

9603-450: Was revived by Formula Race Promotions with SCCA Pro Racing sanctioning. FRP switched to USAC sanctioning in 2017, though in 2019 it returned to being sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing. The Atlantics series is a developmental open-wheel racing series in North America, also called a "ladder series". In 2005, a new factor was announced to solidify this reputation as the last series in which a driver will compete before moving to Champ Car , or

9702-522: Was to announce prize money that would be paid directly to drivers, rather than to teams. Another press release listed teams that were committed to the series. Despite these efforts, on March 3, 2010, series officials announced that the 2010 season had been put on hold. Robert Davis of Mazda North American Operations said: "All of us at Mazda are disappointed that the Atlantic Championship will be on hiatus this year." Series president Ben Johnston stated: "The Atlantic Championship office will be working during

9801-468: Was visible for the first time, seen with a light blue haze. With this in mind, in an effort to make it more visible in case of fire during daylight hours, additional mixtures were placed in the fuel. As a safety feature, the methanol would burn with color. In 2005, the driver Paul Dana brought the sponsorship of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) to his IndyCar team. EPIC is

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