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May102011

Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 10:01AM

May 11, 2011

Can Indy survive another 100 years?

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

(Posted 5/10, 10:00 a.m.) Detroit. It is with great fanfare that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its famed Indianapolis 500 this year, and justifiably so. Despite two World Wars, economic hard times, and a few misguided directional shifts along the way, the Indianapolis 500 remains the greatest spectacle in racing and the most important single motor race in the world. The Speedway has seen unspeakable personal tragedy as well as euphoric human triumph, it suffered through years of neglect when it lay dormant during World War II only to be resurrected by the perseverance and dedication of Anton "Tony" Hulman and the Hulman family, it has seen technical innovation and revolution, and it has survived and thrived to this day through political battles and warring factions, a symbol that has transcended the sum of its parts to become a singular national American institution. Heady stuff for what started out simply as a test track spec-built for automobile manufacturers so that they'd have a venue to test and prove their products.

I will discuss the magic of Indy and the Indianapolis 500 in the coming weeks, but today I want to talk about the future of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500, and naturally whenever one veers into this discussion, you're going to have to discuss the future of racing itself.

I've been writing that racing has been at a crossroads for well over five years now. It had long been apparent to me that the way the sport was going about what it does was and is self-defeating and ultimately would lead to its demise. Racing in a vacuum, and by that I mean racing within a series of regulations that only serve to limit and rein in, rather than reach, explore and improve, will ultimately prove to be fatal for the sport itself.

The sport has been in a technical holding pattern for over 30 years now. Each new season for just about every racing series you can think of begins with a series of rules and restrictions designed to slow the cars down and keep them within a tightly limited performance window. I think we all understand that there are three key reasons for this - insurance premiums, spectator safety, and cost - but focusing on those three parameters alone has cost the sport dearly, especially as spec racing cars and spec racing have emerged as the standard operating procedure for racing series here and around the world.

Racing needs a new idea. And I believe that in order for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to survive and thrive well into the future, let alone another 100 years, then it and the sport of racing itself must become a hotbed of technical innovation again. In short, the "reset" button has to be pressed for racing in order for it to move forward. Every time I speak at an event and I'm asked about the future of racing, I always return to this same topic: Racing must innovate or I can assure you it will fade away and die.

Let me go down a list of suggestions and "what ifs?" that I come across nearly every day in my consultations and discussions with manufacturers and racing principals.

Here's one: "The internal combustion engine hasn't even reached the potential of its efficiency." Really? Then prove it. At The Speedway.

Here's another: "There's nothing new on the horizon, really new." Really? What about the Delta Wing concept, or the OPOC engine?

And another: "There's nothing new in tires, where's the breakthrough?" Have you seen the Michelin "Tweel" - ? I would love to see that technology introduced for production applications through racing.

And another: "We keep hearing about the electrification of our nation's automotive fleet, but the same two critical issues persist, battery life and range." That's true, but why not accelerate the development and attack those issues head-on, through racing? The same can be said for electric vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The problems associated with this technology include heat management, range, safe storage of the on-board fuel tank, and the time it takes for re-fueling. All problems that could be solved on an accelerated basis through racing.

You get the idea here.

In order for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500 to remain vital, The Speedway must become a hotbed for technical innovation again. Alternative propulsion systems must be allowed, fuel-efficiency must become paramount, and The Speedway must not only allow for experimentation and "blue sky" thinking, its rules must encourage it.

I mean it when I say that I would like to see only two basic rule requirements in order to enter a car in the Indianapolis 500. 1. The car must fit into a dimensional "box" or envelope for size, and 2. All safety issues must be addressed and met. That's it. Everything else would be free with one key proviso: You have to travel the 500 miles on 50 gallons of ethanol - total - or its energy equivalent, or less. You put those simple rules in place and slowly but surely lessen the fuel allowed for the race over a sequence of years, and I can assure you that technical innovation will become paramount again at The Speedway.

My vision is to see the winning car of the 2020 Indianapolis 500 average 175 mph for the 500 miles on 20 gallons of ethanol or the energy equivalent.

Even better, I could imagine the winning car at the Indianapolis 500 in 2111 covering the 500 miles on solar power alone.

Yes, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500 could conceivably weather the coming societal shifts, energy solutions, and unforeseen national and international travails, but it will only happen if technical innovation and overall operating efficiency become the pillars of The Speedway's future.

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Indianapolis, Indiana, 1963. Dan Gurney stands in front of his Lotus-Ford during its first shake down test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. One of the true innovators at The Speedway, Dan was responsible for bringing Colin Chapman and the Ford Motor Company together to mount a concerted effort to win the Indy 500 with a mid-engined car. Even though Jack Brabham appeared at The Speedway in his mid-engined Cooper-Climax in 1961, it was Gurney who powered the mid-engine "revolution" forward by the sheer force of his will, determination and dedication. Even though Dan would never win the 500, his innovative Eagle racing cars would go on to achieve much success at The Speedway.

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
It's easy to understand why the debut of the diminutive Lotus "Powered by Ford" at The Speedway in 1963 - with top driving talents Dan Gurney and Jim Clark at the wheel - shook "Gasoline Alley" to its core and changed the Indianapolis 500 and The Speedway forever. The mid-engine "revolution" was on.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" with hosts John McElroy, from Autoline Detroit, and Peter De Lorenzo, The Autoextremist, and guests this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.