The BAT Project — enter the fifth contender

(Originally posted by Steph to Planet-IRL.com.)

Just when we thought we were looking at all available options for the 2012 iteration of an IndyCar, Racecar Engineering reports that another group is about to enter the ring.

The BAT Project is headed by Bruce Ashmore, Alan Mertens and Tim Wardrop (hence the acronym).  On first read, they’re saying all the right things:  they want to build within a 30-mile radius of Indianapolis, they’ve spoken with Dr. Terry Trammell and others about safety issues, and they’ve already done extensive aerodynamic work to stabilize air flow and allow the cars to run closer together.  The article also mentions that the wheels are protected from interlocking, however, which suggests that two or four wheels may be partially enclosed, an issue that’s created contention in some of the other designs on the table, especially the DeltaWing.

At any rate, stop the presses — this argument’s not over yet.  Planet-IRL will provide further details as soon as they become available.