INDYCAR has announced two new Dallara-designed components for its DW12 chassis: Structural pieces for the sides of the monocoque and brake disc guards that will be mandatory at oval tracks.
The monocoque pieces are designed to reduce the possibility of the car rotating upon side impact. They'll be attached at the driver's shoulder height and will not be visible outside of the car.
Following some practice incidents at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last May that saw cars tipping on their sides after hitting the wall, Dallara made modifications to the car's underwing to help keep the cars on the ground. Further changes were made to the underwing prior to the 2012 season finale at Auto Club Speedway.
In a statement from INDYCAR, Dallara R&D head Andrea Toso said that the new "Side Impact Structure" pieces are complimentary to those changes.
"In order to further reduce the risk of tilt, we needed to get a more even distribution of crash resistance from top to bottom," he said. "This is the purpose of the Side Impact Structure."
As for the brake disc guards, those are more heat-resistant than the 2012 version. According to INDYCAR vice president of technology Will Phillips, the guards are being made mandatory on ovals "to ensure there is no aerodynamic advantage of running the old versus new type."
The guards will be optional on road and street circuits.
