IRL: 1997 chassis allotments

• "Lee A. Driggers"
• MNI - Motorsport News International
• Mon Jul 15 23:23:01 EDT 1996

For Immediate Release

15 G FORCE CARS, 14 DALLARAS 'SPOKEN FOR' IN 1997 IRL SELECTIONS

INDIANAPOLIS, July 15, 1996 -- Indy Racing League car owners selected and
submitted deposits on 15 G Force and 14 Dallara cars to be ready for the
Indy 200 at Walt Disney World in January at a meeting of more than 60 team
and manufacturer representatives this afternoon at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway motel.

Seven development teams were named to test the new chassis/engine
combinations when they become available, matching the G Force and Dallara
machines with Oldsmobile Aurora and Nissan Infiniti Indy 4.0-liter
normally-aspirated engines that will serve as the IRL formula starting Jan. 1.

"I had hoped for the support of these kinds of numbers and I anticipate
more orders happening in time to deliver for Orlando," said Jack Long,
executive director of the IRL. "What we did today isn't a turning point.
It's one more step forward down the road for the IRL. It started with
announcing new rules, new engines and new chassis and now teams are in a
position to buy those chassis."

New and existing teams may order additional cars directly from the
manufacturers for delivery after the initial list of 15 for G Force and 14
for Dallara.

Treadway Racing and Team Menard will serve as development teams for the G
Force/Aurora combination. A.J. Foyt Enterprises and Team Scandia will be the
Dallara/Aurora development teams. Jonathan Byrd Racing will be the G
Force/Infiniti Indy development team and Hemelgarn Racing and Pagan Racing
will be the test teams for the Dallara/Infiniti pairing.

Development teams will each receive one car as "first off the line". Other
teams selected cars based on a formula starting with 1996 IRL point
standings, then those choosing to field two-car efforts, special
circumstance petitioners and new teams, plus another round for existing teams.

Team Scandia selected both types of chassis. It'll receive a development
Dallara, the 10th G Force and the 13th Dallara. Foyt, who won the 1996 IRL
entrant championship and whose driver, Scott Sharp, shared the inaugural
driver title, took a pair of Dallaras. Bradley Motorsports, whose entries
carried Buzz Calkins to a share of the 1996 driver crown, took two G Force cars.

Manufacturer representatives told entrants the cars would be ready for
testing this fall.

"From the first week of August, we'll have two tubs made per week and we
can guarantee a maximum of 30 chassis (available) at Orlando," said Andrea
Toso, one of the four Dallara designers and the supervisor of Dallara's
research and development department.

"From October 1, we'll be delivering approximately one a week to start
with, then two a week," said John Biddlecombe, co-owner of G Force.

The order of delivery for the 29 cars selected today:

Dallara -- 1. A.J. Foyt Enterprises, 2. Team Scandia, 3. Hemelgarn Racing,
4. Pagan Racing, 5. PDM Racing, 6. Team Blueprint, 7. A.J. Foyt Enterprises,
8. Hemelgarn Racing, 9. Team Blueprint, 10. Lyn St. James, 11. Arizona
Racing Services, 12. Pagan Racing, 13. Team Scandia, 14. Hemelgarn Racing.

G Force -- 1. Treadway Racing, 2. Jonathan Byrd Racing, 3. Team Menard, 4.
Bradley Motorsports, 5. Della Penna Motorsports, 6. Cunningham Racing, 7.
ABF Motorsports, 8. Team A to be announced, 9. Team Menard, 10. Team
Scandia, 11. Team B to be announced, 12. Gary Sallee, 13. Bradley
Motorsports, 14. Treadway Racing, 15. Team Menard.

The 1996-97 IRL season begins with the True Value 200 Aug. 18 at New
Hampshire International Speedway, followed by the inaugural race Sept. 15 at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway before the new chassis designs are unveiled at Walt
Disney World.

			...IRL96-12...