Could Audi make a move into IndyCar? - MotorSportsTalk

Audi may be making a bigger impact on North American motorsports in the near future, with the IZOD IndyCar Series possibly figuring into their plans.

According to a Gary Watkins-penned piece in Autosport, supplying engines in IndyCar is a possibility for the German manufacturer, as well as projects involving the Daytona Prototype class of the upcoming United SportsCar Racing series and the North American version of the DTM touring car series (which is expected to begin in 2015 or 2016).

“Another opportunity would be IndyCar, which I think is still very popular and the Indy 500 is an outstanding race,” said Wolfgang Durheimer, Audi’s new leader of research and development, in the interview.

Audi had been mentioned in the past as a possible engine builder for IndyCar before the current engine cycle began in 2012 with Chevrolet, Honda and Lotus on board. Lotus has since exited the series, leaving Chevy and Honda as the current suppliers.

The “4-Rings” are well-known for their triumphs in rallying and sports car racing. Audi has won eight of the last ten 24 Hours of Le Mans and won last year’s race with a hybrid-electric version of its R18 machine. In addition, its car in GRAND-AM, the R8, was victorious in this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.

As for the potential project in USCR, which will debut in 2014 after the merger of GRAND-AM and the American Le Mans Series, Durheimer indicated his preference for the Prototype class because of the importance of overall wins.

“Class wins [with the R8] are nice, but at the end of the day you have to win the race,” he said.

An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”