Got 6mil? Call Cosworth

[Hoop-98]

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-marshall-pruett-cosworth-2012-qa/

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[DBell]

You beat me to it. :)

I wonder if 6 mil would really be enough in comparison to what Honda might be willing to spend. Or maybe Honda is thinking along these lines. It would be interesting to see what Honda was budgeting for the R&D on their TT-V6.

It sounds like it will take a partner for Cosworth to enter. I didn't get the impression they were willing to come in under the company name, as they are in F1.

[Hoop-98]

I think the F1 deal was/is more of a supplier contract situation...

[Jag_Warrior]

From vee angles to cylinder block deck heights, the specifics of the 2012 engine rules have yet to be written, and little is known about the exact limits of engine architecture. As long as those boundaries remain a mystery, designers will have to wait before penning their first components, but that hasn’t prevented some of them from getting ahead of the curve.

My memory is becoming increasingly foggy. But didn't Honda claim that they needed a good 18 months to produce a new engine for CART several years ago? And wasn't CART's inability to make a decision on the engine rules one of the reasons Honda cited as they then elected to go to the IRL? As technology has progressed, I'm sure it's now possible to produce an engine faster than before. But some companies begin their fiscal year in October. So to establish a budget for 2011, it seems that someone would have to make their pitch in the next month or so to get some of these OEM's interested.


And I have to say, some people have said the IRL have been a bit vague on the rules but actually I think that's a good thing. I think it’s more likely for them to be able to attract a manufacturer because actually I think they’re more open to be accommodating to a manufacturer rather than turning a manufacturer away because it doesn't quite fit the detailed rules that they could easily put into place

Is that another way of saying that with no (detailed) rules currently in place and no one other than Honda now on board, a prospective manufacturer can influence the rules to their liking, because the IRL will soon be desperate to get SOMEBODY else on board? Sounds like quite a prom night date strategy.

The IRL started having engine roundtable discussions about two years ago. Though some of the names were basically duplicates, it was reported that they did have a decent turn out. But since then (the declining economy aside), the IRL seems to have lost whatever traction it had on that front. And now it comes out that the rules are still up in the air for an engine that a company would have to budget for within the next few months to make the 2012 grid???

[Jag_Warrior]

I think the F1 deal was/is more of a supplier contract situation...

As I've read it, that's how it is. In fact, I don't believe a team is even allowed to badge the Cosworth. I recall Mad Maxie saying something along those lines when the F1 drivetrain package deal was announced. So even if Williams (or whomever) had Ford in their pocket, they couldn't badge the engine as a Ford-Cosworth. I guess they could get cute with the team name and structure and call themselves Williams-Ford/Cosworth, sort of like the BMW-Sauber/Ferrari deal.

And say, does/will the IRL still have that rule in place that an engine HAS to be badged by an OEM and must have an activated marketing budget, or is that another rule that has yet to be decided on?

[DBell]

My memory is becoming increasingly foggy. But didn't Honda claim that they needed a good 18 months to produce a new engine for CART several years ago? And wasn't CART's inability to make a decision on the engine rules one of the reasons Honda cited as they then elected to go to the IRL? As technology has progressed, I'm sure it's now possible to produce an engine faster than before. But some companies begin their fiscal year in October. So to establish a budget for 2011, it seems that someone would have to make their pitch in the next month or so to get some of these OEM's interested.



Is that another way of saying that with no (detailed) rules currently in place and no one other than Honda now on board, a prospective manufacturer can influence the rules to their liking, because the IRL will soon be desperate to get SOMEBODY else on board? Sounds like quite a prom night date strategy.

The IRL started having engine roundtable discussions about two years ago. Though some of the names were basically duplicates, it was reported that they did have a decent turn out. But since then (the declining economy aside), the IRL seems to have lost whatever traction it had on that front. And now it comes out that the rules are still up in the air for an engine that a company would have to budget for within the next few months to make the 2012 grid???

I remember seeing a quote from Bernard saying that an OEM would have to commit by October to realistically have time to get an engine ready by 2012. He also stated it may be likely that no commits in time for 2012. I think he's hoping that he gets someone for 2013.

Myself, I'm waiting for the announcement that "due to time constraints, the new car and engine is being delayed until 2013". That's just my gut feeling.

[Jag_Warrior]

Myself, I'm waiting for the announcement that "due to time constraints, the new car and engine is being delayed until 2013". That's just my gut feeling.

I am getting that exact same feeling. The owners seem to be complaining that they don't have many details on the chassis. And it appears that the rules for the new engine only exist in someone's head. Anything could happen. But given that we're almost at September, I'll be surprised if we see anything other than the current Dallara-Honda in 2012.