The return of Lola?

[bjohnsonsmith]

The return of Lola?

Lola is being relaunched under new ownership. Till Bechtolscheimer who races in the GT Daytona class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, purchased the assets of Lola Cars and is reviving Lola 10 years after the previous iteration of the company, Lola Cars International, went into administration in 2012. Bechtolscheimer said: “It’s still early in the rebuilding process and specific goals are being defined, but we would love for Lola to go back to Indy,”

Could there be a return to multiple chassis manufacturers racing in IndyCar again?

https://racer.com/2022/06/24/new-own...-back-to-indy/

[joeb]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

The return of Lola?

Lola is being relaunched under new ownership. Till Bechtolscheimer who races in the GT Daytona class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, purchased the assets of Lola Cars and is reviving Lola 10 years after the previous iteration of the company, Lola Cars International, went into administration in 2012. Bechtolscheimer said: “It’s still early in the rebuilding process and specific goals are being defined, but we would love for Lola to go back to Indy,”

Could there be a return to multiple chassis manufacturers racing in IndyCar again?

https://racer.com/2022/06/24/new-own...-back-to-indy/

I doubt the series would go back to multiple chasses, but I was thinking about the Road to Indy series cars and maybe Lola could fit in there somewhere?

[broadrun96]

Ligier just built a couple of the lower formula cars off the F4 chassis but the Lights car is probably due for an update soon. But again, stability and reuse is a selling point for them, new chassis all around can't be good for a series where adding a 4 car team is cause for celebration everywhere

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

Ligier just built a couple of the lower formula cars off the F4 chassis but the Lights car is probably due for an update soon. But again, stability and reuse is a selling point for them, new chassis all around can't be good for a series where adding a 4 car team is cause for celebration everywhere

Dallara currently build the Lights car, so is the contract up for renewal?

[broadrun96]

No idea, it's not a new car but I would not assume they are ready to replace it any time soon either

[fieldodreams79]

Do we know how long is the deal with Dallara and how strong is that relationship with IndyCar? I can't find the deal info off hand...

Originally Posted by joeb

I doubt the series would go back to multiple chasses, but I was thinking about the Road to Indy series cars and maybe Lola could fit in there somewhere?

I still enjoy this series, but I'd like to see upwards of 3 or 4 manufacturers with at least the same amount of engine suppliers. I realize these days are probably long gone, but it's not out of the realm of possibility, if the money is right for all involved, which means it's out of the realm of possibility.

And let's give a shout out to that Lola/Mazda Till is standing next to in that article.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Dallara first went IndyCar racing in 1997, with the IR-7. In 2003, Dallara rolled out the IR-03 chassis, which would later become the spec-car chassis and its designation changed to IR-05, which had an aerodynamic update for 2007. In 2012 the DW12 appeared, and is currently in its Universal Aero Kit configuration. That's a long association.

In the, The Race article I posted on the News and Rumors thread, it says there will be new body work but no new chassis for 2024. One of the reasons cited by Jay Frye, the president of IndyCar, is that ''It’s also impossible to have 100 of them built by then'', so maybe with so many chassis needing to be built, there could be room for a second chassis manufacturer to step in.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

In the, The Race article I posted on the News and Rumors thread, it says there will be new body work but no new chassis for 2024. One of the reasons cited by Jay Frye, the president of IndyCar, is that ''It’s also impossible to have 100 of them built by then'', so maybe with so many chassis needing to be built, there could be room for a second chassis manufacturer to step in.

That is pretty good reasoning, and exactly what Honda and Chevy say about wanting a 3rd engine manufacturer, it would take pressure off of them and allow better service.