An update to IndyCar’s spec Universal Aero Kit 18 bodywork appeared during the February 26-27 test at Sebring International Raceway that will get used at every road and street course race.
Designed for sessions and races that are run in the rain, the installation of LED light strips into the trailing edges of the rear wing endplates has been done to give trailing drivers more visual cues to follow while dealing with the spray coming off the cars.
The updated endplates produced by chassis maker Dallara are in response to the experiences described by drivers where the central spar on the aeroscreen’s halo has partially obscured the LED rain light on the rear attentuators.
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To make it easier to see each other in a downpour, each Dallara DW12 chassis heads to Round 1 at St. Petersburg with the rear wing endplate LEDs and those on the attenuator crash structure to ensure following drivers have bright lights high and low to track.
At present, there are no plans for the new LEDs to do more than serve as rain lights when IndyCar introduces its energy recover system this summer. In some hybrid racing series, LEDs in the rear wing end plates are activated when energy harvesting takes place.
The previous non-LED rear wing end plates have been approved for ongoing use at the high-downforce short ovals on IndyCar’s calendar; the series doesn’t run in the rain on the ovals.