INDYCAR: 2018 aero kit test set for Mid-Ohio

The Verizon IndyCar Series will use next week's test at the Mid-Ohio road course to capture some important data that will be used to shape its next aero kit.

The July 21 test, where most IndyCar teams will prepare for the July 31 Mid-Ohio IndyCar race, will include a secondary test where Chip Ganassi Racing's Tony Kanaan and Ed Carpenter Racing's Josef Newgarden work directly with the series to try a variety of predetermined aero kit configurations.

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"We were asked to be part of the test and to bring an extra car for Tony, but that's about all I can say," CGR managing director Mike Hull told RACER.

The two entries have been added to the test strictly for IndyCar's use, and both drivers will be asked to lap the 2.3-mile circuit and provide feedback on a list of changes and configurations aimed at developing a new single-spec aero kit for 2018. It's believed the Chevy-powered DW12s will undergo numerous changes to the 2016 Chevy aero kit during the test, rather than try brand-new aero components.

The inspiration for IndyCar's aero test is said to be more of a philosophical exercise than a traditional data-driven outing. Among the larger questions facing IndyCar's competition department, one involves whether a wholesale rethink on its current state of extreme downforce is required. Associated with that question is whether the 2018 spec aero kits should then produce more, less, or the same amount of downforce in use today. The third question to answer is where the majority of that downforce should be generated on the car.

With those three items identified, the series will start by having its two teams run at various downforce levels during the test.

Some within the paddock have called for IndyCar to abandon the current all-time high for downforce that aero kits from Chevy and Honda have produced. And with the prevailing wisdom that most passing takes place on the straights and under braking, rather than in the corners, racing with giant downforce figures at tracks like Mid-Ohio and Long Beach does little to improve the spectacle offered to fans.

Part of IndyCar's efforts at the July 21 test will be to prove or disprove that theory by having multiple cars run together to determine if it improves or hinders passing.

IndyCar will also ask Kanaan and Newgarden to test with increasing amounts of downforce shifted from the top of their Dallara DW12s to the underwing.

Like the belief that racing will be improved by vastly reducing the number of wings, winglets, and general protrusions on the topside of the cars (that produce turbulent air), it has not been tested on the DW12.

By peeling downforce from the top and moving more of it to the bottom, the series will be able to prove or disprove the theory with its spec chassis.

The series will have gigabytes of data at its disposal after the test, but the most valuable information will come from Kanaan and Newgarden. If they feel the cars can be driven with a significant drop in downforce, and passing can be improved by moving downforce production toward the bottom of the car, the series would have a lot to consider before commissioning a company to create the 2018 aero kit. It would likely result in a significant change in the look of the DW12, as well.

It's just a single-day test at this point, and more could follow, but July 21 could have a major impact on the visuals of tomorrow's Indy car.