2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season

2010 Indycar World Championship season

The **2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season** was the 11th season of the Indycar World Championship, and the top level of the 98th season of American open wheel racing. The season's premier event was the 98th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

The season marked the beginning of the second generation of Indycar World Championship regulations, with the series moving from the outdated IR-00 chassis platform, to the brand new IR-10 chassis platform, both built and supplied by the Italian builder, Dallara.

Stephanie Porter-Kelley entered the season as the defending Indycar World Driver's Champion, having won her first world title the year before, while her team, Polaris Motorsports, entered as the defending Indycar World Team's Champion, also for the first time. The season was marked by a shift in racing styles presented by the new regulations, which saw Zoe Sharp win her first Indycar World Driver's Championship for Obsidian Racing Team. Oval races were received as being faster, more thrilling, but seemingly more dangerous, while road course events during the season seemed to be unpredictable due to the tire strategies employed by the series' sole tire supplier, Firestone. As a whole, the season was well received by fans, and by pundits worldwide as a step forward for the United States' only World Championship series in motor racing.

## Background

The 2010 season brought about wholesale changes to the IndyCar landscape, with the introduction of new regulations across the board that would be in effect for the next ten years. The North American Motor Racing Association (NAMRA) ratified these new regulations, labeled by many as the second generation, in October 2008.

### Chassis

Dallara would be entrusted to replace the IR-00 chassis with a new model for 2010. The IR-00 chassis platform had become stagnant in development in the three years prior to its replacement, with many drivers stating the car no longer felt as safe as it needed to be, and comments adding that it looked dated and too simplistic. Dallara, in turn, created the IR-10 platform, which featured many changes from its predecesor. The IR-10 was wider, and longer, than the IR-00, with the cockpit being widened to allow the drivers more comfort inside of the cockpit, as well as implement more safety features around the drivers. The car was also heavier, with the IR-10 weighing in at 1,550 pounds (703 kilograms) before including the engine, while the IR-00 weighed substantially less, weighing at 1,325 pounds (601 kilograms) without an engine. The weight increase was compensated for on road courses with increased downforce across the board, with the front of the car featuring a redesigned and more complex front wing, while the rear wing was also enlarged and tuned to provide more downforce.

One safety feature included into the IR-10 platform was the addition of wheel guards at the rear of the car, which attached to the rear wing when the car was in oval spec. The wheel guards were added as a measure to prevent cars from climbing over each other in the case of high speed accidents, similar to the accident that claimed the life of Arimoto Tokutaro the year before. Reception was mixed before the season, with some claiming the wheel guards ruined the look of the car. But, as the season began, the wheel guards became important for creating the closer oval racing that ended up receiving near universal praise, with the wheel guards creating a larger hole in the air to facilitate drafting and pseudo-pack racing.

### Engine Formula

Beginning with the 2010 season, the engine formula would also change, with the older, naturally aspirated V8 engines being replaced by turbocharged V6 engines. The new engine formula would produce a maximum of 725 brake horsepower on road courses, and short oval events, while superspeedway events would continue to be capped at 525 brake horsepower on the grounds of safety. The change to the turbocharged V6 engines also made the series more fuel efficient, without reducing the speeds of the cars, with the series overall picking up around 2 seconds of pace on road course events when compared to 2009.

## Teams and Drivers

The following teams andr drivers competed in at least one event of the 2010 season. **(R)** denotes 2010 Rookie of the Year contenders. All entries used Firestone tires.

## Calendar

The 2010 IndyCar Series calendar was ratified by the North American Motor Racing Association (NAMRA), and the Federation International Course d'Artificielle (FICA) on 1 December 2009. The series would be contested over 20 races, across a span of permanent road courses, temporary street circuits, and ovals of various sizes. The series would visit Canada, as well as Japan, and Australia as its international events.