IndyCar President Jay Frye has made it clear the series must retain its DNA when the new 2022 hybrid engine regulations are introduced.
Frye described the DNA of the series as fast, loud, authentic and unapologetic and is insistent on expanding that philosophy through the new regulations.
The new hybrid engine rules are set to bring in a new KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) component alongside a more powerful engine to bring the power to over 900 horsepower.
“It’s very important that we remain true to our DNA, and our DNA is fast, loud, authentic and unapologetic,” said Frye. “So when we put together this product or put together an RFP for this product, that had to meet all those criteria.
“The biggest part in our opinion is horsepower, so our goal, our stated goal is to get over 900 horsepower. This product will give us at least 50 of that, so we remain true, again, to our DNA. We want to have less downforce but have more horsepower.”
The new KERS component will also bring the drivers the ability to start their own engines at the start of a race and even if they stall during an incident they can recover and rejoin the track in a quicker and safer manner without the involvement of the AMR safety team.
He added: “A couple of things we’re working on with this piece is one is for safety so the cars will have electric starters, so the driver spins, they stall the car, they’ll be able to start the car into 1 so the driver is not exposed.
“Another will be our AMR guys out there with an umbilical cord having to start the car, so they won’t be exposed. Another thing that’s really a by-product of the whole system is hopefully we’ll keep the pace of the race going, so there won’t be as many yellows, so that will help, too.”
Frye also confirmed 10 requests for proposals have been made to the series to build the KERS system. A decision on which company will create the component will be decided within the first quarter of 2020.
“We’ve got 10 current RFP’s out,” he added. “So the plan is to have a chosen partner in the first quarter of next year for a 2022 implementation.”
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