Frye hopes 2018 aero lures new teams, manufacturers

Monday, 24 July 2017


Mark Glendenning / Images by IndyCar

IndyCar competition boss Jay Frye hopes that the new universal 2018 aero kit will lower the barriers of entry for new teams, and potentially, a third engine manufacturer.

The series released the first images of the new bodywork today ahead of its first track test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway tomorrow. Frye estimates that the new aero will be 30-40 percent cheaper than the current version with a guaranteed life cycle of at least three years, which Frye says makes it easier for teams looking at entering IndyCar to make plans.
"We're very fortunate right now, we have four or five possible [new] entries going forward, which is really good," Frye said. "But one of the things from a team perspective [is] that you know you can get a kit now and you can plan a three-year window, so you can plan your budgets three years out. You know what it costs. The price is not going to go up. So we were able to lock in all the costs to the car, so it's a good time to come in."
Harding Racing has already indicated that it hopes to compete full-time in 2018, as has Juncos. Both made their debuts at this year's Indianapolis 500. Elsewhere, other teams including Carlin have indicated a desire to race in IndyCar full-time in the future, although up to this point they have stopped short of announcing firm plans.
In addition to smoothing the path for new teams, Frye hopes that the 2018 aero kit will also remove some of the hurdles standing in the way of the long-desired third manufacturer by removing the cost and complication of an aero program.

"This whole process started when we started talking to new manufacturers to come into the sport," he said. "They weren't necessarily interested in the aero kit piece, so this was one of the things that we did, so hopefully besides new teams, we have an opportunity to recruit a new OEM partner, too.
"I'm not sure if we're close [to signing a third manufacturer]. I would say we're 'closer', because there were several some hurdles that we had, and hopefully we've removed the hurdles, so there seems to be more enthusiasm about the direction, and they see our five-year plan, they see where we're going.
"That doesn't mean they're coming. It's just maybe there's now an opportunity that they could come. One of the things we did when we went through this whole process is we made sure to let other OEMs who aren't currently our partners know what we're doing, and ask for their opinion because we thought it certainly behooved us to show them where we're going and what we're doing before it came out, get their opinion on it. It wouldn't have been very smart on our behalf to come out with a new plan, and then for them to say that they didn't want to do that, either
"I think we've eliminated some hurdles. I think they see we're doing what we said we're going to do, and they like our direction. They like where we're going. Now we've just got to keep doing it.