Storm Clouds Gathering?

With the recent news out of the VW/Audi camp that they will most likely not persue an IndyCar engine program, the options left on the table for the 2012 spec change are Honda and/or Fiat. I have not been able to find any news on how things are prgressing over at Fiat, but there is potentially troubling news comming from the folks at Honda.

When the spec-change talks first began, it was understood that both four and six cylinder turbo-charged engines were under consideration. ESPN.com is reporting that Honda has been pushing for the six cylider option all along, and has no interest in building a four cylinder powerplant. 

Meanwhile, the as-of-yet top secrect 'Delta Wing' chassis being designed by Ganassi Racing's Ben Bowlby, which has the enthusiastic support of most of the team owners, is reportedly being designed specifically with a four cylinder engine in mind.

This would seem to make the next generation Dallara chassis (see my story from Nov 10, here: http://www.f1network.net/main/s599/st151494.htm) the 'safe' option for IRL president of competition Brain Barnhardt to choose in order to keep Honda in the series.

Unless he is truely open to the idea of multipule chassis/engine options - provided that Fiat is still interested in IndyCar.

It is his appearance of 'dithering' over the hard by necessary final decisions - and the fear that he will not give the Bowlby car a fair chance to prove itself in testing before he 'kills' it - that has increasingly brought Barnhardt under fire from team bosses, parts manufacturers and motorsports journalists. It is the fear of IndyCar continuing on in it's current 'spec series by default' state that has lead one fan group to start on on-line petition (here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/firebrianbarnhart/) calling for his removal.

Better keep your umbrella handy: Things could get quite stormy in the next few months.