Mark Miles, President and CEO of Penske Entertainment Corp., has stated his belief that a successful implementation of IndyCar’s hybrid system could help to lure additional engine manufacturers into the series.
The new hybrid components are set to debut for the upcoming 2024 season, with limited testing having already been completed on the various track types on which the series competes.
A lot of work has been done by Honda and Chevrolet, in close concert with IndyCar itself, to develop a system that integrates with the manufacturer’s existing 2.2-liter turbocharged engines.
With the hybrid system nearing its debut, and powertrain talk front and center, questions continue to be asked about the progress of the ongoing quest to bring in a third engine manufacturer.
Speaking on the Race Industry Week webinar on Monday, Miles described the hybrid implementation as his highest priority, with interest from other manufacturers hopefully rising once it has been proven on track.
“I would say that we are entirely focused on the hybrid and getting that on the track and having it be additive for our racing, improving the quality of our racing, and increasing the chances of us finding a third OEM that we’d like to find and bring in,” said Miles.
“Those are the things right in front of us, and I don’t think that a new chassis is going to get in the front of that line at this point. When it might become relevant, I don’t know.
“We have great racing, we have fan metrics increasing, we think there’s some fan relevance to improving the racing through the hybrid that we’re working on, and we want to get all that done well and behind us before we start thinking about what else might be new.”
For over a decade, IndyCar has operated with just two engine manufacturers making power plants available to teams.
Both Honda and Chevy are nearly at their limit of support by supplying 27 full season entries, and a third manufacturer would help relieve that bottleneck as teams evaluate the feasibility of expanding.
Lotus supplied engines during the 2012 season, but poor performance led to them withdrawing from the series and leaving Honda and Chevrolet to compete amongst themselves for the manufacturer’s title since then.
2012 was also the year the current DW12 chassis was introduced alongside a new engine formula, which served to level the playing field and entice new players to join the series.
Miles laid out how he feels a similar situation could play out with the new hybrid systems, bringing in more interest from other engine manufacturers that think they could compete against the established brands.
“I think that invitation [to join IndyCar as a third manufacturer] is an open invitation in a number of email and phone lists. Really, I think we’re not likely to see the third OEM happen until we get the hybrid on the track and people see what it does for us. And I think it does some great things.
“The technology itself is interesting; it’s real development and not some kind of hybrid motor off the shelf. By the way, huge kudos to both GM and Honda for their hands-on work to develop these technologies with us.
“So that’s one. Two, I think it’s more horsepower and more exciting racing, even more passing. It offers that opportunity.
“And three, if you were the next prospective OEM coming in and you’ve got the current engine, you look at Honda and Chevy as having a whole lot of experience, and a big leg up.
“A change like this may create a reset opportunity that would encourage a third OEM to join us. We’ll see.”
Although regularly discussed, no manufacturers have put their name forward recently as interested in joining America’s premiere open wheel series.
An entirely new 2.4-liter engine was in the process of being developed for the 2024 season, but that was being developed by the two existing manufacturers and was put on hold in order to focus on getting the hybrid systems ready in time.
