The RACER Mailbag, May 6

Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to mailbag@racer.com. We love hearing your comments and opinions, but letters that include a question are more likely to be published. Questions received after 3pm ET each Monday will be saved for the following week.

Q: I found myself in a rabbit hole of watching highlights of IndyCar from the early 2010s, and it brought back a memory of Lotus being the third engine manufacturer when IndyCar went with the DW12 chassis. I remember Lotus was racing everywhere at that time in sports cars, Formula 1, and I think even showing a detuned customer F1 car on British Top Gear. But then Lotus left as quickly as it arrived onto the scene. 

I found out some of the teams that started with a Lotus engine switched manufacturers before the year ended, and the Lotus Evora GTE car was not all that great in ALMS. What are your recollections of Lotus' brief foray in motorsport during that period? 

Brandon Karsten 

MARSHALL PRUETT: Painful. Just painful. I chronicled the whole thing from start to finish in 2012. It started with former Lotus boss Dany Bahar commissioning the IndyCar project on what appeared to be a whim, then supporting it with a whimsical budget, which the Judd family and their awesome Engine Developments firm in the UK tried to turn into something real, but were unsuccessful in doing so because…you sure as hell don’t go up against the financial might of General Motors and Honda with the equivalent of a Kickstarter campaign.

The Judds, because they’re hardcore racers, and part-time miracle workers, fashioned a handful of engines for four teams to use, and watched as Bryan Herta Autosport, Dragon Racing, and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing found ways to divorce themselves from the Lotus debacle before the halfway point of the 2012 season. Poor Simona De Silvestro and her HVM Racing team weren’t as fortunate and were stuck with the orphaned program until the final race.

The dreadfully underdeveloped motors exploded with great regularity and were in a class of their own at the Indy 500 – the Indy Lights class, effectively – which caused IndyCar to craft a pre-race plan where the few Lotus-powered runners left, including Jean Alesi in a one-off entry with Fan Force United (no, seriously, it was a team), were allowed to take the start and then pull in and retire, all because they were so dangerously slow.

Jean Alesi. Lotus. Two great names that even the Force couldn't provide the chance they deserved together at Indy. Andy Lyons/Getty Images

It was devastating for all of the teams in some capacity. Dreyer & Reinbold was done as a full-timer halfway through 2013. Dragon lasted through 2013 and was gone. HVM morphed into KV Racing the following year and was gone at the end of 2013. Herta survived, but barely so, before consolidating his entry with Andretti in 2016 and hasn’t been in IndyCar as a standalone entrant since.

Q: You have Rush, Ford v Ferrari.. When do we get our Zanardi movie? Not the news to hear to start the month of May but damn, Zanardi could drive and the world will miss him. I hope he’s doing donuts in heaven.

Not that Stefan Johansson. 

MP: Had the same thought as well. Got a text from a producer friend who also had the idea. Hoping to talk with him this month at Indy and see what’s possible.  

Q: Given the sad news of Alex Zanardi's passing, it feels right to say a few words about the Pineapple.

From a fan's perspective, for someone with such a short career, he left a huge and indelible mark on the sport and its fans. I didn't know Alex and never had the pleasure of meeting him, but he was able to do something that few rarely can do. He transcended television, made you feel like you knew him and liked/loved him, and was a source of inspiration. I think that is his greatest gift. He earned the opportunity through his race craft and results, but his story, drive and passion for life resonated with so many.

While the loss of life is always sad, I am feeling a unique sadness with his passing, which is rare for someone you've never met (Dan Wheldon and Robin Miller are the only others in IndyCar I can say that about). So, if I am feeling that way, I know those who have met him, knew him, and were friends with him are devastated. I feel absolutely gutted for his family, his wife, son, and all those who knew him.

Beyond Zanardi as a person, his mark on multiple sports will forever remain. Besides the wins and championships, I remember in the mid-'90s, as a kid, finding his commercial about failing his driving test amusing and fun. His victory donuts… no one has done them like him. And, you can never tell the story of Laguna Seca without his pass. His comeback from his 2001 accident is the stuff of legend. Taking up hand cycling and going to the Olympics. When I read it, I knew he'd win gold, because that was who he was.

The only regret I have, as a fan, is that I wish we had the chance to see him run the 500 and that his F1 career was more successful.   

All of that to say, Alex has a story that will live forever and for those who knew him, my heartfelt condolences. 

Henry

MP: Amen, brother.  

Q: In order to fix the what some may deem as lackluster on-track action witnessed at road and street courses, how difficult and expensive would it be for IndyCar to offer a "patch" in the form of DRS for the 2028 season? Can’t have the series losing long overdue momentum due to boring racing.

I heard a new prototype Dallara IR-28 is waiting to be released. Can you share any description or nuggets in terms of what to expect from an aesthetic perspective? In my opinion it should look like a PC-27 with a modular halo/aeroscreen. Halo for twisters, screen for ovals .

Yung Jah ATL Trap King ATL zone 6 

MP: The "patch" would involve a complete aerodynamic redesign of a mostly completed car, so it would be very difficult. And time consuming, which would likely push the car’s debut back to 2029. And very expensive. Those who’ve seen it have said it looks good. Some have said they really like it. I’m waiting for the first person to tell me they love it.