Chevrolet has signed a new, multi-year engine partnership deal with the NTT Data IndyCar Series that will see the American automaker continue to participate in the open-wheel series “well into the end of the decade.”
General Motors and Chevrolet decided to remain in IndyCar after the series made the decision to introduce a new hybrid engine formula that will utilize a twin-turbocharged 2.4L V6 engine. The introduction of the new engine formula has been delayed until the 2023 IndyCar Series season, however, due to setbacks brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Chevrolet has enjoyed great success since joining the NTT IndyCar Series in 2012 with our 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V-6 engine,” General Motors president Mark Reuss said in a prepared statement. “We are thrilled to be moving forward with INDYCAR because it’s the perfect showcase for our engine technology, in the only open-wheel racing series in America, a high-tech, growing series that (series owner) Roger Penske and his team are absolutely taking to the next level.”
The new hybrid IndyCar engine formula will produce more than 900 horsepower between the 2.4L V6 engine and accompanying electric motor. The addition of the hybrid system will also give drivers an electronic starter in the car’s cockpit, negating the need for the traditional, manual handheld starters the series currently uses. This should result in better action for the fans, as drivers will be able to restart their car themselves if they stall, resulting in less yellow flag periods to clear stranded cars.
The 2.4L V6 engine will be an evolution of the existing twin-turbocharged 2.2L V6 engine the series currently uses. Chevrolet’s 2.2L V6 IndyCar engine is built by British engineering firm Ilmor and produces between 550-700 horsepower, depending on the maximum allowed boost pressure for a given track. The engine runs off of a McLaren-TAG 400i ECU and is paired with a six-speed sequential transmission supplied by X-Trac.
IndyCar teams currently using the Chevrolet engine include Team Penske, Arrow McLaren SP, Ed Carpenter Racing, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Carlin, DragonSpeed and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. The remaining teams in the series use engines supplied by Honda and its racing division, HPD.
Subscribe to GM Authority for more IndyCar news, motorsports news and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
Wonder why Honda stayed in this series but is pulling out of F1. They are both using hybrid power systems.
Though the technology is similar the cost are vastly different between Indy and F1.
The cost in Indy are spread out over more teams and cars. The return on investment is much greater too with only Chevy in the series.
Spec chassis and aero packages really add to the value.
If the Virus lingers F1 could be in real trouble unless the gain control of cost.
HPD is semi-independent of Honda Japan so they have some say in how they want to operate.
This will help shed light on Chevrolet’s many hybrids.
Not really they will not shed any more light then the non production twin Turbo V6 engines they are using. These are race only systems and really are not production based in anyway. These will be more spec items with the series.