As a follow-on to last week’s post, Swift Engineering has released pictures of their two submissions for the 2012 IndyCar.  James has the low-down, including picutred, over at 16th and Georgetown.  My initial reactions were: I don’t know how I feel about the batmobile, but I am a *HUGE* fan of the exposed engine bay.

Lola has yet to release pictures, but they have released the following:

Lola offers IRL Board a total solutions package

Lola USA today reveals;

After months of consultation, design evaluation and business planning, Lola has presented to the IRL Board an innovative and commercially viable proposal for the next generation of Indy Car.

At the heart of Lola’s presentation to the IRL Board was a carefully considered modern dual body style approach. This concept will provide two ready to race aero performance balanced Indycars that could compete even safer side by side and very close behind one another on all circuits. This would provide a unique focus for drivers, teams and fans alike without technical compromise or advantage and in addition would accommodate a dual engine supply situation if required.

The proposed Lola Indycar for 2012 focuses on several key areas. These are safety, efficiency, engine adaptability, weight reduction (proposed 1380lbs v current 1540lbs), pleasing aesthetics with good sponsor exposure and a concentrated evaluation on significantly improving overtaking.

As part of the rigorous technical studies by Lola engineers, an entire range of futuristic concept cars were explored. While these proved technically interesting and on the wish list of the special projects team, some of these options will be deferred, but retained, as a next iteration option. Lola supported University projects that are now using recycled materials continues to be of great interest.

Quotes:

Lola Executive Chairman, Martin Birrane

“Lola’s history in US racing stretches back to 1965 and includes three Indy 500 wins, Can Am, Sports Car and Champ Car title successes. It is upon this framework of heritage combined today with Lola’s state of the art technical capabilities that ensures the company continues to be perfectly positioned to enter a new era and add another chapter to this already fascinating and inspiring partnership.”

Lola Cars Managing Director, Robin Brundle

“We have worked closely and methodically to understand the needs of the IRL Board, the fans and the teams while remaining aligned and sensitive to the challenging commercial needs of all stakeholders. For Lola it is also very important that the fans enjoy the cars and receive a great spectacle both trackside and on TV.”

Freak out, children.  There is finally progress on the 2012 car front.  You can see these cars EXCLUSIVELY here…and here…and here…and here…

Just joking with my fellow bloggers over at Circle-K…err…Planet-IRL on that one.

Rachel Nichols (not the one with red hair, but one with pink hair…no word on sleeve tattoos), an engineer from the legendary Hiro Matsushita ’s Swift Engineering, says that their rendition of the 2012 car will be released next week.

Delta Wing has already stated they’ll be out at the Chicago auto show.

The final bit to the puzzle is Lola.  Hopefully, they’ll just release this picture

and say they’ll bring it to modern safety standards.  That’d win my vote.

The boys over at Furious Wedge have their 24+ Hour Blogathon started up.  Be sure and check it out, including a guest post by yours truly.

Tony George has "suspended operations" on Vision Racing.  It ain’t dead yet, but it’s hardly on life support at this point.

Simple fact of the matter is that the one time I had interaction with him, he was actually one of the nicest, most down-to-earth people I’ve never met.  People will rail one way or the other on his legacy.  I’m not here to make a stance on it, and honestly, I don’t hold an opinion one way or another.  I never have.

I didn’t really follow anything but the 500 for five or six years after 1996.  It had nothing to do with Tony George, but rather the untimely death of Scott Brayton.  When I got back heavily into racing, all I wanted was unification of some sort, but I enjoyed both series.  A few quick glances at internet message boards are enough to disgust you on split politics, even to this day.  Thus, I never held anything about the split against him.

My thoughts and prayers go to the team members particularly.  The Georges will be ok.  The staff will probably have a harder time of it.  I’d only really ever had any interaction with Pat Caporali, and even then only over email, but she was probably one of the hardest working PR folk in racing.  The team was practically revolutionary in terms of fan involvement.  They practically invented Twitter. 

Sadly, this may be the last chance, however, that I get to photoshop Tony George. 

Without Vision, a man is blind.

Work out on the street is that the position of IRL CEO has been offered to Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri from The Sopranos.

OK, actually it has supposedly been offered to Randy Bernard of the Professional Bull Riders, but man.  Look at those wings!  This dude would make Mitt Romney blush and Grandpa Munster jealous!

I saw this interview from 2008, where it mentions that PBR, at least at that time, had a sponsorship revenue of around $24 million dollars. It’d be interesting to see where IndyCar is relative to that, and if bulls are cheaper to maintain than the Dallara.

Now, if Robin Miller gets his wish, Brian Barnhart can be replaced by the guitarist from the E Street Band.