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IRL: Chassis, Engines, and Drivers remaining competitive in the IRL

22 January 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
INDAINAPOLIS: The Dallara and G Force chassis along with the Oldsmobile Aurora and Nissan Infiniti engines made their Indy Racing League debuts at Walt Disney World Speedway on Jan. 25, 1997. The year 2000 is upon us, and so is the Indy Racing Leagues annual season opener - the Delphi Indy 200 at Walt Disney World Speedway - on Jan. 29 at the 1-mile tri-oval situated just inside the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. Teams competing in the race will use newly designed chassis from Dallara, G Force and Riley & Scott as well as new 3.5-liter engines from Aurora and Infiniti.

Its time to take a quick look back at how these racing machines and their powerplants fared over the initial three-year period of participation. Both the chassis and engines were developed for introduction at the 1997 Orlando race after turbo-charged Indy cars were used for the first five races of the new league.

Engine-wise, the Aurora pushed the winning car throughout the 29 races the 4.0-liter, normally aspirated motor was used. But in the first Orlando race under the new regulations, Eddie Cheever Jr. won the rain-shortened event with an Aurora, while Mike Groff placed second with an Infiniti.

Cheever also used a G Force chassis that day, as did the next two finishers. Scott Sharp brought the first Dallara home in fourth. Then in the next race in the desert at Phoenix, Jim Guthrie was a stunning winner driving a Dallara.

That season G Force won five races, Dallara three. It switched to 8-3 favoring Dallara in 1998, and it was Dallara by a 7-3 count in 1999. The overall total goes to Dallara, 18-11.

Arie Luyendyk won the 1997 Indy 500 with a G Force, but Cheever and Kenny Brack have taken the last two with Dallara chassis.

Both Italian company Dallara and English firm G Force now consider building Indy Racing cars the primary part of their business. Dallara has built 73 chassis over the past three seasons.

At the Delphi Indy 200, there will be 12 G Force chassis, 12 Dallaras and two Riley & Scotts. Riley & Scott is based in Indianapolis, but the chassis are being constructed at the Reynard shop in England.

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.