Dallara DW12
The Dallara DW12 (formally named the Dallara IR-12) is an open-wheel formula racing car developed and produced by Italian manufacturer Dallara for use in the IndyCar Series. It was developed for use in the 2012 IndyCar Series season, replacing the aging Dallara IR-05 chassis and scheduled to be used until the 2026 season before being replaced by planned Dallara IR-27 from 2027 season onwards. The chassis is named after Dan Wheldon, who was the car's test driver, and who was killed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 16, 2011, the final race of the previous IR-05.
Josef Newgarden and Takuma Sato driving DW12s at the 2021 Indianapolis 500 | |
| Category | IndyCar Series |
|---|---|
| Constructor | Dallara |
| Designer(s) | Tony Cotman Luca Pignacca Sam Garrett Andrea Toso |
| Predecessor | Dallara IR-05 |
| Successor | Dallara IR-27 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Chassis | Carbon fiber monocoque with honeycomb kevlar structure |
| Suspension (front) | Double A-arm, pushrod, with third spring and anti-roll bar |
| Suspension (rear) | As front |
| Length | 201.7 in (5,123 mm) on road/street course, short ovals; 197.33 in (5,012 mm) on 1.5-mile intermediate ovals, superspeedways and Indianapolis 500 (Mk. III) |
| Width | 75.5 in (1,918 mm) minimum (Road/Street), 75.75 in (1,924 mm) minimum (Ovals), 76.5 in (1,943 mm) maximum (measured outside rim to rim) |
| Height | 40 in (1,016 mm) |
| Axle track | Max. 76.3 in (1,938 mm) |
| Wheelbase | 117.5–121.5 in (2,984–3,086 mm) adjustable |
| Engine | Chevrolet Indy V6 (2012-present), Honda HI24TT (2012-present) and Lotus Indy V6 (2012) 2.2 L (134 cu in) V6 90° with 4-stroke piston Otto cycle with efficient combustion process and greater emission engine burning single (Honda in 2012-2013)/twin-turbocharged (supplied by BorgWarner), mid-engined, longitudinally-mounted |
| Transmission | Xtrac #1011 6-speed AGS (Assisted Gearchange System) sequential semi-automatic paddle-shift + 1 reverse |
| Battery | Braille ML7Ti 12 volts |
| Power | 575 hp (429 kW) on speedways, 625 hp (466 kW) on 1.5-mile ovals, 675 hp (503 kW) on short ovals and road/street courses + 60 hp (45 kW) on push-to-pass |
| Weight | 1,650 lb (748 kg) on 1.5-mile speedways, superspeedways and Indianapolis 500; 1,680 lb (762 kg) on short ovals; 1,690 lb (767 kg) road and street courses (including additional of aeroscreen) |
| Fuel | E85 (85% ethanol + 15% gasoline) (2012-2022): Sunoco (2012-2018) Speedway (2019-2022) 100% renewable E85 (85% ethanol + 15% biofuel): Shell (2023-) |
| Lubricants | Pennzoil (rest of IndyCar Series teams), Ridgeline Lubricants (Chip Ganassi Racing) and Lucas Oil (Arrow McLaren) |
| Brakes | Brembo (2012-2016) later PFC (2017-present) carbon discs and pads. Brembo (2012-2017) later PFC ZR90 (2018-present) 4-piston (all oval races)/6-piston (road/street course races) calipers |
| Tyres | Firestone Firehawk dry slick and treaded wet tires O.Z. Racing and BBS wheels |
| Clutch | AP Racing CP8153-DE03-SN 3-plate carbon with steel housing |
| Competition history | |
| Notable entrants | All IndyCar Series Teams |
| Notable drivers | All IndyCar Series Drivers |
| Debut | 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg |
Starting in 2012, the series moved to using a common chassis supplied by Dallara. Using a single supplier to supply chassis was introduced as a cost control method, and IndyCar has negotiated a fixed cost of $349,000 per chassis. The new specification of chassis also improved safety, the most obvious feature being the partial enclosure around the rear wheels.
This chassis is intended to support multiple aerodynamic kits, but the introduction of these was delayed until 2015, with Honda and Chevrolet supplying the alternatives to the Dallara package.
On October 18, 2011, Italian manufacturer Dallara confirmed that the 2012 series car would be named after the late IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon (DW12) in honor of his work testing the car before his death two days prior at Las Vegas. The new front section is designed to prevent similar single-seater crashes such as the one that killed Wheldon. The nomenclature is similar to that of the old Formula One team Ligier, whose cars were labeled JSxx in memory of French F1 driver Jo Schlesser after his death at the 1968 French Grand Prix.
As of 2024, Dallara DW12 remains the longest-serving IndyCar Series chassis usage since 2012 season despite facelifted twice in 2015 and 2018.