BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Let's clear the air about the Verizon IndyCar Series.
Let's clear it with as many wings, flaps, fairings and other aerodynamic appendages as can possibly be tacked onto a stock Dallara chassis. And then let's hope that open-wheel racing fans like what they see.
Those crazy winged cars that spent the last two days testing at Barber Motorsports Park are the culmination of a plan hatched by former IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard back in 2010. The idea was to commission a common chassis from Dallara, then allow engine manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda to create their own unique bodywork for the central safety cell.
They're here now, and the first impression is these new cars represent a solid step forward for the IndyCar Series.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and not everyone is going to like what appears to be a hybrid between an Indy car and a Le Mans Prototype sports car. That's the product of IndyCar's desire to virtually enclose the rear wheels to try to prevent the kind of airborne accident that killed star driver Dan Wheldon in an older model Dallara at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2011.
But there's no question that the rebodied cars have a more slick, modern look than the cars that ran using Dallara-designed bodywork for the past three years.
"I think the new cars with the aero kits look cooler now. Both cars look very different, which is exciting for fans and for the series. ... But I don't really care what it looks like as long as it goes fast." Scott Dixon
Bernard has been gone from the IndyCar scene since late 2012, but the concept that he and the so-called ICONIC Committee (Innovative, Competitive, Open-wheel, New, Industry-relevant, Cost-effective) spawned has finally hit the track.
And it looks (and sounds) pretty good. On the first day of testing at Barber, the 2015 models were already faster than last year's pole time. With uprated engines, chassis development by teams and tire improvements from Firestone, the Honda and Chevrolet models should be comfortably a second a lap faster than in full Dallara spec.
Yes, even though it was designed by committee and built to a price, it's still a quick car.
"The cars have more downforce now and are a lot more demanding to drive," observed three-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, who was second fastest overall at Barber after two days of running. "Some of the corners here in the old cars were almost flat, and now they're flat out when you go through them. If this is any indication of the speeds, I think you will see a lot of track records broken this season.
"The biggest thing are obviously the looks for most people," Dixon added. "I think the new cars with the aero kits look cooler now. Both cars look very different, which is exciting for fans and for the series.
"But I don't really care what it looks like as long as it goes fast."
Chevrolet and Honda were allowed to create new front and rear wings, sidepods and engine covers for the basic Dallara chassis. And as series management hoped, the two cars have come out looking significantly different.
Honda has opted for huge, flat front wing end plates, with a series of winglets attached to the inside that prompted comparisons to venetian blinds and razor cartridges. Chevrolet's front end plates are smaller and sculpted on the outside to direct air around the front tires.
For the sidepods, Honda's solution appears outwardly similar to the shrouds that Dallara used to cover the front of the rear wheels. But Honda's shrouds feature ducting to cool engine components and rear brakes. By comparison, Chevrolet has used smaller rear wheel shrouds and tapered the bodywork in front of the rear wheels to create an open channel through to the back of the car.
Both manufacturers have enlarged the mandated protective bumpers behind the rear wheels to the point where the tire is almost fully enclosed. The search for downforce continues unabated at the back of the car, with large rear wing end plates (vented on the Chevrolet cars) and more add-on winglets.
The new bodywork produces so much downforce that photographs showed the sidewalls of rear tires flexing under the massive aerodynamic load through Barber's fastest corners.
"The braking capacity of the car is much higher," said CFH Racing driver Josef Newgarden. "Referencing the markers, I'd say you cut off about 30 percent of the brake zone, so it's pretty significant on brakes. For Turn 5, we were braking at maybe the 1.5 mark and now we tan take it all the way to the 1.
"I thought it was going to be a little more physical, and it is, but it's not atrocious," Newgarden added. "IndyCars have always been physical, and I think they're only going to be brought up to the next level with these aero kits."
Defending series champion Will Power ended up fastest in the two-day test in a Team Penske Chevrolet, clocking a lap at 1 minute, 7.3118 seconds in the Tuesday morning session.
"The aero kits produce so much more downforce and there's a lot of grip, so the cars are faster everywhere," Power said. "I would expect to break lap records just about everywhere."
Dixon was less than a tenth of a second off Power's pace, while rookie Stefano Coletti, a 25-year old from Monaco driving a KVSH Racing Chevrolet, was a surprising third.
Coletti, a veteran of the GP2 developmental series that serves as the top level before Formula One, was very complimentary of the Indy car.
"The car is heavier, and it's got more downforce," he said. "It's got better tires than what we have in Europe. It's a Dallara, like in GP2.
"I thought I was going to come here and see a car that was a bit lazier to drive and less efficient on braking, overall not as good. But in the end I was surprised because it actually brakes better and goes quicker through the corners. It's actually very nervous and very nice to drive. So I was actually very pleased."
Chevrolet swept the top six times, with Team Penske (Power, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud) running 1-4-5. Coletti's KVSH Racing teammate Sebastien Bourdais was sixth.
Graham Rahal was the fastest Honda driver. His 1:07.6203 lap for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing clocked in a little more than 0.3 seconds off Power's benchmark.
"We've got a little work to do for sure, but I'm pleased with our result because a lot of the guys had a lot more tires than us at the end," Rahal said. "We're working through a lot, the guys are working extremely hard and I think things are looking pretty good."
Andretti Autosport left Barber searching for speed in its Hondas. Ryan Hunter-Reay was the team's top runner, half a second from Power in 14th place.
"I think some places you'll see where the Honda aero kit maybe has an advantage in some areas and the Chevy in others," Hunter-Reay said. "Certainly the Chevys had the upper hand at NOLA [Motorsports Park] and now here at Barber. We only have one week until we load in at St. Pete, so we're concerned. We're working hard.
"We need to close that gap and we need to close it quick."