The new Dallara IL-15 Indy Lights chassis is officially revealed at IMS - MotorSportsTalk

On Thursday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the new Dallara IL-15 chassis for the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires series was revealed.

If you’re a fan or ardent follower of the Indy Lights series, it might be hard for you to believe this day is really here, too. But it is.

The new IL-15 chassis replaces the Dallara that has been on the Indy Lights grid since the series’ relaunch in 2002; next season, 2015, marks 30 seasons since the first year of Indy Lights in 1986.

Delayed several times as the Indy Lights series went through a change in operation – while it still falls under the INDYCAR umbrella, the operations are now done by Andersen Promotions (was announced last July in Toronto), Dallara was picked as the new chassis partner, a rendering was unveiled in November, AER was confirmed as engine supplier, and today, the future has officially arrived.

Several key partners – Andersen Promotions’ Dan Andersen, project leader Tony Cotman and Dallara CEO Andrea Pontremoli – among others were all on hand for Thursday’s reveal.

Here’s the technical details:

DALLARA IL-15 CHASSIS
Top Speed: 200 mph
Design: Carbon chassis and bodywork
Weight: 1400 pounds
Length: 192 inches
Width: 76 inches
Transmission: 6-speed semi-automatic

AER-P63 ENGINE
Engine: 2.0 liter, turbocharged four-cylinder
Horsepower: 450 HP plus 50 HP Push-to-Pass
Design: All aluminum
Weight: 230 pounds dry crated
Features: Carbon plenum, carbon inlet runner and trumpets and “drive-by-wire” throttle control
Electronics: AER with full active-knock control, ignition-angle learning, advanced boost control and
integrated gear-shift strategies

TIRES Slick/rain tires co-branded COOPER/INDYLIGHTS as manufactured by Cooper Tires

WHEELS Patented Motegi aluminum wheels with techno-mesh design

ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS
• Cosworth looms, data logger, dash, display and sensors
• Dynamic dampers
• Life Racing paddle-shift kit
• Tilton carbon clutch
• PFC brakes

Note: 2014 carryover items include gearbox internals (including ratios), dampers and springs

Another bit of news that came out of the announcement was that the 2015 Indy Lights champion will be confirmed for three 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series races, including the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Tristan Vautier and Conor Daly will handle the majority of the testing, which officially begins August 5 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, just after the Verizon IndyCar Series race there on August 3. A shakedown in Italy will occur July 15.

Here’s three more studio shot pictures of the car, released by Andersen Promotions/Indy Lights.

I spoke with Andersen, Cotman, AER’s Rob Dyson, Vautier, and Pro Mazda points leader Spencer Pigot after the announcement. Full analysis on the new car will follow later this week on MotorSportsTalk.

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It took four attempts for Kyle Larson to win his first High Limit Sprint Car Series race in the series he co-owns with brother-in-law Brad Sweet, but once he found victory lane, he has been undefeated with his win at Eagle (Nebraska) Raceway. For the second week, Abreu led early only to fall prey to Larson.

The win was Larson’s third straight victory and the fifth consecutive top-five, giving him a perfect sweep of the season after finishing 10th in last year’s inaugural race at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Indiana.

Larson started third behind Abreu and Brent Marks but was embroiled in a fierce battle with Anthony Macri for third during the first dozen laps. Larson slipped by Macri in traffic until a red flag waved for a flip by Lachlan McHugh.

Meanwhile at the front of the pack, Marks retook the lead from Abreu on Lap 18. Larson followed one lap later and then caution waved again. Tyler Courtney lost power and fell to 24th after starting eighth.

Marks scooted away on the restart but tragedy struck in Lap 26. Leading the race, Marks hit a pothole in Turn 1, bicycled and then flipped, handing the lead to Larson.

Abreu caught Larson again during the final laps and in a reprise of their battle at Tri-City Speedway, the two threw sliders at one another for several laps until Larson built some separation and ran away to the checkers.

𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧. 𝗪𝗔𝗦. 𝗘𝗣𝗜𝗖.@EagleRaceway went above and beyond in their return to the main stage with the High Limit Sprint Car Series tonight!

pic.twitter.com/H3XKQEOpg6

— High Limit Racing (@HighLimitRacing) June 7, 2023

“I didn’t feel like my pace in [Turns] 1 & 2 slowed down a ton,” Larson said from victory lane. “I missed it once there and then I saw his nose in 3 & 4. I didn’t know if he nailed the bottom that well behind me and I think he might have slid me in the next corner, so he was definitely on the top.

“I was nervous to move up there because my car was really pogoing up in the entry of 1. I got up just in time, made a few mistakes and he threw a couple more sliders at me but he was just a little too far back and I was able to squirt around him. Then I really had to commit to hitting my marks – back my effort down a bit to avoid mistakes.”

After leading early, Abreu fell back as far as sixth, but faith in his car kept hope alive.

“I just needed to do a few things a few laps before I did and fix some angles, then my car got a whole lot better,” Abreu said. “I’m thankful for this team; they do an amazing job. They don’t give up on me. I know my car is going to be there right at the end of these races, so it’s just the discipline of being patient.”

For Abreu, it was his third near-miss this season. He was leading at Lakeside in the 2023 opener until a tire went flat in the closing laps and he lost the lead to Larson late in the Tri-City Speedway race. Abreu has finished sixth or better in his last three High Limit races with each result being progressively better until his pair of runner-up results.

Third-place finisher Scelzi was the hard charger, advancing from 17th.

“I had a very specific plan; don’t go near [the hole in Turn 1],” Scelzi said. “It worked out. No one wanted to start on the top. I think I gained a couple of rows there on the choose cone and ran the middle, which seemed to be better than right around the bottom.”

Michael “Buddy” Kofoid in fourth and Macri rounded out the top five.

World of Outlaws star and former NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne was one of 41 entrants, but he was not among the 26 starters. He failed to advance to the Main after finishing eighth in the B Main and seventh in his heat.

Feature Results

A Feature (40 Laps): 1. 57-Kyle Larson[4]; 2. 24-Rico Abreu[1]; 3. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[17]; 4. 71-Michael Kofoid[5]; 5. 39M-Anthony Macri[3]; 6. 9-Chase Randall[9]; 7. 26-Zeb Wise[14]; 8. 1X-Jake Bubak[15]; 9. 8-Aaron Reutzel[10]; 10. 14D-Corey Day[18]; 11. 11-Cory Eliason[12]; 12. 5T-Ryan Timms[11]; 13. 88-Austin McCarl[13]; 14. 21H-Brady Bacon[22]; 15. 48-Danny Dietrich[16]; 16. 7S-Robbie Price[19]; 17. 21-Brian Brown[23]; 18. 22-Riley Goodno[26]; 19. 52-Blake Hahn[25]; 20. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[21]; 21. 3J-Dusty Zomer[6]; 22. 14-Cole Macedo[7]; 23. 19-Brent Marks[2]; 24. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[8]; 25. 25-Lachlan McHugh[20]; 26. 53-Jack Dover[24]

2023 High Limit Sprint Car Series

Race 1: Giovanni Scelzi wins at Lakeside Speedway
Race2: Anthony Macri wins at 34 Raceway
Race 3: Kyle Larson wins at Wayne County Speedway
Race 4: Kyle Larson wins at Tri-City Speedway

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