INDYCAR: Honda gets aero relief

IndyCar has decided to grant Honda's request to try and catch up in the aero kit wars but boss Mark Miles says it's more about what's good for the series than simply trying to level the playing field.

Following wind tunnel comparisons between the Honda of Graham Rahal and the Chevrolet of champion Scott Dixon, IndyCar determined there was enough of a chasm to enforce aero kit Rule 9.3, which allows relief to either manufacturer if the competitive balance is thought to be detrimental to the series.

"We believe the situation created major issues for our Honda teams, which were under pressure from their sponsors and shareholders," said Miles in response to inquiries from RACER about the status of Honda's appeal. "So we thought it was important to give them a chance to catch up because it was best for the overall health of IndyCar."

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The president and CEO of Hulman & Company and IndyCar said the full-scale tests conducted at Windshear in Charlotte clearly showed a discrepancy.

"We concluded the Honda aero kits on short ovals, road courses and street circuits were not competitive with Chevrolet. But there was no aero kit competitive disadvantage in the superspeedway configuration.

"The next step is that Honda has to present to us the parts they'd like us to consider and then we'll take those parts back to the wind tunnel. Then we will examine the data and determine what changes we might approve. This gives Honda a chance to close the gap before we go into the next year of aero kit competition."

Asked if Honda had given IndyCar an ultimatum since it's yet to re-sign its lease agreement, Miles said: "No, I never felt like there was a gun to our head. And I think they are ready to move forward and extend our engine lease agreement without knowing how the 2015 situation will finally be addressed."

During the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season, Chevy-powered teams captured 10 of 16 races, led 80 percent of the laps and won every pole position in addition to taking the first three spots in the point standings and seven of the top 10.

Miles was asked how General Motors took the news.

"They may not agree with everything but I think they understand the importance of this situation and appreciate that we are working to communicate openly with both manufacturers and to enforce our rules fairly.

"We just have to make sure we manage the regulations so this doesn't turn into an unfair advantage for Honda and the competition between Honda and Chevy in 2016 continues to enthrall our fans."