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[h=2]INDYCAR: Honda rejects 'whining' tag[/h] Wednesday, 11 May 2016


RACER staff
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Honda has hit out at the perception it is complaining over IndyCar's controversial dome skid rule for the Indianapolis 500.
Titanium pieces are being added to cars' undersides as a safety measure aimed to prevent them getting airborne in spins following three incidents during 2015 Indy 500 practice. The dome skids increase the ride height and take away downforce from the bottom of the car. This has proved particularly problematic for Honda's aero kit design, and its request for strakes on the floor of the chassis to compensate was denied by IndyCar.


Chevrolet teams and drivers have accused Honda of seeking excuses for underperformance – a charge rejected by Honda Performance Development chief Art St. Cyr.
"We try to keep rules discussions out of the media and we've had lots of opportunities to discuss rule changes – and quite frankly a lot of them have not been favorable to Honda and we have not spewed them out," St. Cyr told Autosport.
"This one here got out in the public and the perception is Honda is whining for a rule change based on our state of performance. I want to indicate that is not what is going on at all.
"I want to make it very clear that we are always for anything that can improve the safety in a sport where you have risk. Honda's expectation was that any downforce lost with an underwing element would be replaced on an underwing with a spec Dallara part. Chevy could run the strakes, too. That was our whole stance.
"Then the rule came out that they were not going to use anything to replace downforce lost on the floor. The perception that we are looking for a concession is not true. It was our expectation it would be replaced with a spec part."
Underfloor downforce is less affected by turbulent air, so Honda teams have been concerned that relying more on downforce generated elsewhere will hamper the quality of the racing.
IndyCar did allow a little more underfloor downforce and Honda took cars to the wind tunnel last month in an attempt to move forward on this issue.
"We have been dealt with openly and have had a chance to discuss our different viewpoints," St. Cyr said. "They understand where we are and we understand where they are coming from. There is always a chance at a different solution, so we have been involved with them the whole time.
"I'm ready to put this decision behind us and work on how to make this car as good as we can."