IndyCar’s next era is officially underway. The all-new IR-28 that will become the spec car for the series in 2028 has completed its first official track test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.
Alexander Rossi was the first behind the wheel and came away impressed with the Dallara-designed vehicle.
“First of all, before you even drive it, when you sit in it, the cockpit ergonomics and design is um substantially better. It’s It’s a car where you don’t feel as many vibrations,” Rossi said. “All in all, it’s been incredibly smooth and it’s it’s a joy to drive so far.
Unlike the DW-12 it replaces, the car was designed from the start with IndyCar’s aeroscreen safety device integrated into it and a cockpit layout with new controls including electronic roll bar adjustments, instead of the mechanical levers currently used.
“Purely from a visual standpoint, this car is beautiful to look at. Safety wise, it’s a huge step forward and certainly it’s going to be a step in performance as well,” Rossi said.
The chassis is also optimized for the new 2.4-liter turbocharged V6-based hybrid powertrain formula that is in development at Chevrolet and Honda, but the test was focused on the chassis and the car equipped with a generic Ilmor 2.4-liter turbocharged V6 without the hybrid electric motor or battery. Ballast was added to bring the car up to its expected weight, which will be approximately 100 pounds less than the DW-12. Nevertheless, Rossi ran some laps that got within around three seconds of the IndyCar record at the circuit in less than ideal conditions.
IndyCar is targeting 760 hp from the V6, which will be augmented by 100 hp boosts from the hybrid system’s electric motor, and enough speed to set records at every track including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s oval.
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