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IndyCar's 2018 bodywork pricing set
Tuesday, 12 September 2017
By Marshall Pruett / Images by Pruett, IMS Photo
Verizon IndyCar Series teams have received guidelines on how to budget the upcoming switch from aero kits sold by Chevy and Honda to new universal kits produced by Dallara.
RACER has learned that through a deal arranged between IndyCar and both auto engine manufacturers, each individual entry will be provided with two free 2018 bodywork kits that include all of the parts and pieces required for the variety of road courses and ovals on the calendar. For example, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, which runs one Honda-powered car for Graham Rahal, will receive two free kits from Honda to outfit his primary and backup car. Team Penske, which runs four Chevy-powered cars, would receive eight free kits from Chevy, and so on.
Although those two free kits will arrive with all the necessary components to complete the 2018 updates, teams have been told to prepare for two out-of-pocket labor expenses in the conversion process for every Dallara DW12.
The first involves $2,720 for a round of tub updates that will install new mounting locations on the DW12 in order to affix the 2018 bodywork. The second expense of $2,760 is to have the forward portion of the current floor modified to the new 2018 shape and profile. Altogether, teams will spend $5,480 per chassis. The installations are expected to be carried out by an external vendor, possibly Aerodine Composites in Indianapolis.
After teams make use of the two free kits, each additional kit will cost $90,000. By repurposing some existing bodywork pieces like the nose cone, floor, front and rear road course wing main planes and few smaller components, Dallara's 2018 universal package has come in well below the estimated $125,000 to $165,000 teams have paid for Chevy and Honda aero kits.
Prior to the aero kit development freeze for 2017, teams also paid approximately $15,000 for annual bodywork updates. IndyCar has removed that cost by eliminating updates during the universal kit's three-year lifespan. The $90,000 price for the universal kit has also been guaranteed through 2020.
Although the 2018 universal kit comes in between $35,000 and $75,000 lower than the current aero kits, there is one negative to consider: The $90,000 figure is above the series' original and incredibly optimistic target of $60,000 per kit.
Although the initial 2018 bodywork kits used in testing by Team Penske and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports were manufactured at Dallara's primary base in Italy, it's anticipated Dallara's American factory in Speedway, Indiana, will be responsible for producing the dozens of kits required to outfit the entire field.
ELECTRONICS
In addition to the bodywork changeover, IndyCar teams will also need to update their DW12s with a new electronics package created by Cosworth. A payment option to spread costs over three years is also in place for teams looking to reduce the immediate cash outlay.
Per car, paid in full, the new data logger is $13,500 (or $4,500 split across three yearly payments), junction boxes are $8,901 ($2,967x3), wiring looms are $16,002 ($5,334x3), and the power distribution unit is $3,501 ($1,167x3).
Cosworth has two options for its new LCD digital dash where a complete 2018 steering wheel data package can be purchased for $12,000 ($4,000x3), or teams can have their current dash units fitted with the new screen, only, for $1995 ($665x3). The latter option is expected to be used in most instances.
On the three-year Cosworth plan, which most teams are expected to use, the cost per car heading into 2018 on the data/electronics side would be $14,633 if the cheaper dash LCD update option is chosen.
The final area of conversion costs involves engine-related electronics and ducting.
A new battery update ($599), engine wiring looms ($7,500), mounting boxes for the engine electronics ($2,000) and the turbocharger inlet ducts ($7,500), which feed air to the twin-turbo V6 motors and hold some of the engine electronics, complete the 2017-to-2018 chassis upgrade project at $17,599 per car.
With the $5,480 for tub and floor modifications, the least expensive three-year Cosworth plan of $14,633, and the engine-based electronics and inlet pieces at $17,599, teams have been told to forecast expenditures of $37,712 on each of the two free aero kit DW12s to go from 2017 to 2018 spec.
After the two free kits are used, teams can plan on adding $90,000 per kit for $127,712 per car.
One final cost for the Chevy-based brake ducts is still in negotiation, and the final price is expected to come in at $5,000 or less. A planned upgrade for the current McLaren TAG-400 ECU to the new TAG-600 model for 2018 has been pushed back to 2019.
Based on estimations, the two free kits represent more than $200,000 in savings for teams.
