Penske PC-23

Last updated
Penske PC-23
PenskePC23.jpg
Category CART IndyCar
Constructor Penske Cars Ltd
Designer(s) Nigel Bennett
Predecessor Penske PC-22
Successor Penske PC-24
Technical specifications
Chassis Carbon-fiber monocoque
Suspension (front)Pushrod
Suspension (rear)Pushrod
Length190 in (4,826 mm)
Wheelbase 115 in (2,921 mm)
Engine Ilmor Indy V-8
Mercedes-Benz 500I (for Indy 500 only) 3.43  L (3,430  cc; 209  cu in) V-8, vee angle 72 degrees, 2 valves per cylinder, pushrod system single-turbocharged Mid-engined, longitudinally-mounted
Transmission 6-speed manual
Power1,024 hp @ 9,800 rpm (10,500 rpm max.), [1] 550 lb⋅ft (746 N⋅m) torque
Weight1,550  lb (703  kg)
Fuel Mobil and 76 methanol
Lubricants Mobil 1
Tyres Goodyear Eagle Speedway Special Radial 25.5in x 9.5in x 15in (front)
27in x 14.5in x 15in (rear)
Competition history
Notable entrants Penske Racing
Notable drivers2 Emerson Fittipaldi
3 Paul Tracy
31 Al Unser Jr.
Debut 1994 Australian FAI Indycar Grand Prix
Surfers Paradise, Australia
RacesWins Poles
321210
Constructors' Championships1 (CART)
Drivers' Championships1 (CART)

The Penske PC-23 was a highly successful CART racing car that competed in the 1994 IndyCar season with Penske Racing, and in the 1995 IndyCar season with Bettenhausen Motorsports. It was designed by Nigel Bennett, [2] who based its design on the 1993 car, the PC-22, which was a radical departure from the basic concept of the previous Penske cars. The PC-23 was one of the most dominant open-wheel race cars ever developed. It won both the 1994 CART season, and the 1994 Indianapolis 500 with Al Unser Jr., together with Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy scoring 12 wins out of 16 in total, collecting 10 pole positions and 28 podium finishes, [3] in a season that saw Penske also take the Constructor's Cup, and the Manufacturer's Cup with the Ilmor-Mercedes-Benz engine. Nevertheless, the car is mostly known for the controversial pushrod Mercedes-Benz 500I engine, [4] designed and developed for the single race of Indianapolis, exploiting a loophole in different technical rules between the Indy 500 (which was then sanctioned by USAC) and CART sanctioning bodies at that time. [5]

Contents

Overview

The PC-23 was a design evolution of its predecessor, the PC-22, [2] which won the 1993 Indianapolis 500, 8 races over the entire season, and missing the 1993 CART title by only 8 points. [6] The only substantial difference of the new car from it were the smaller rear wings on the short ovals, mandatory by rule changes for the 1994 season, and Team Penske put in a lot of test efforts to minimize the effects of these changes. There were also some modifications on the transmission, but the new car was mostly a progression. Plans to fit the PC-23 with an active suspension system were cancelled due to a ban by CART on such technology. [2] The car and the Ilmor engine were ready for testing by mid-December 1993.

The Indy 500 version of the PC-23, showed a much higher engine cover, required because of the new engine. Other modifications included changes to the input gears of the gearbox, to cope with the lower rpm and higher power and torque the pushrod engine provided. However, the two versions of the gearbox were of the same weight, thus causing no shift in the weight balance. The Mercedes-Benz 500I engine was slightly lighter than the Ilmor Indy V-8, although because of its longer inlets the centre of gravity of the entire engine was higher than that of the 500I, thus changing the overall balance of the car a bit. [2] The development and testing of the 500I engine, at that time called Ilmor 265E, took place in the utmost secrecy because there was a possibility of the turbocharger boost level being changed, or the engine being banned by the Indy 500 sanctioning body. [2]

Racing history

Emerson Fittipaldi driving the PC-23 at the 1994 Indianapolis 500 Fittipaldi indy.jpg
Emerson Fittipaldi driving the PC-23 at the 1994 Indianapolis 500

The PC23 debuted at 1994 Australian FAI Indycar Grand Prix, noted for the sensational debut win of Reynard chassis, [7] [8] qualifying 3rd with Fittipaldi, 5th with Al Unser Jr., and 6th with Tracy. In the race, which was shortened by 10 laps due to darkness, Fittipaldi scored a 2nd place, while Unser and Tracy retired for electrical problems. At Phoenix, the first oval race of the season, the PC23 scored its first win, with Fittipaldi ahead of Al Unser Jr. The season continued with six wins in a row, three for Unser: Long Beach, Indianapolis and Milwaukee, where Penske Racing scored a remarkable 1-2-3 win with Fittipaldi second and Tracy third, a win for Tracy at Detroit, and two wins for Unser at Portland, another 1-2-3 sweep for Penske, and Cleveland. In Toronto however, Unser's engine blew, while Fittipaldi finished 3rd, and Tracy 5th, ending an astonishing streak of seven wins in a row. In Michigan, the entire Penske pack retired, but for the next two races, Mid-Ohio and New Hampshire, the Penskes scored two 1-2-3 wins in a row, with Unser as the winner on both occasions. Unser won also in Vancouver, completing his second row of 3 back to back wins of the season. The Road America was won by then-rising star Jacques Villeneuve, his first in CART racing, while Unser clinched the championship ahead of Fittipaldi. Two final events of the season, Nazareth and Laguna Seca were won by Paul Tracy. Unser, Fittipaldi, and Tracy ended the season at first three places in season standings respectively.

In the 1995, not counting the brief and unfortunate attempt to qualify at Indy 500 with their year-old car, [9] Penske Racing was running with the new PC-24, although with much less success. However, the Bettenhausen Motorsports team used the PC-23 for almost the entire season, with the Indy 500 and Milwaukee as sole exceptions. [10] Bettenhausen driver Stefan Johansson scored points in eight races and finished 13th place in the final standings, with on third place as its best result. In 1996, the PC-23 had one final run, at the inaugural U.S. 500 with Gary Bettenhausen, who crashed out of the race in lap 89, while in the 21st place. [10]

Mercedes-Benz 500I

Mercedes-Benz 500I engine displayed in the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Mercedes-Benz 500I engine rear Mercedes-Benz Museum.jpg
Mercedes-Benz 500I engine displayed in the Mercedes-Benz Museum.

Much to the surprise of competitors, media, and fans, Marlboro Team Penske arrived at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a brand new, secretly-built 209  cid Mercedes-Benz pushrod engine, which was capable of a reported 1000 horsepower. [11] Despite reliability issues with the engine [11] and handling difficulties with the chassis, [12] the three-car Penske team (Unser, Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy) dominated most of the month, and nearly the entire race. This engine used a provision in the rules intended for stock block pushrod engines such as the V6 Buick engines that allowed an extra 650 cm³ and 10  inches (4.9  psi/33.8  kPa) of boost. This extra power (1,024 horsepower, [13] which was up a 150-200 hp advantage over the conventional V-8s. [12] ) allowed the Penskes to run significantly faster, giving them the pole and outside front row on the grid for the 78th Indianapolis 500. Al Unser Jr. and Emerson Fittipaldi dominated the race, eventually lapping the field with 16 laps to go in the 200 lap race when Emerson made contact with a wall coming out of Turn 4, giving Al Unser Jr. the lead and win. The only other driver who finished on the lead lap was rookie Jacques Villeneuve.

In the summer and fall of 1993, [12] Ilmor and Penske engaged in a new engine program. Under complete secrecy, [12] a 209 cid purpose-built, pushrod engine was being developed. [11] Mercedes stepped in near the end of development and paid a fee in order to badge the engine as the Mercedes-Benz 500I. The engine was designed to exploit a perceived "loophole" that existed in USAC's rulebook since 1991. [12] While CART sanctioned the rest of the Indycar season, the Indianapolis 500 itself was conducted by USAC under slightly different rules.

In an effort to appeal to smaller engine-building companies, USAC had permitted "stock-block" pushrod engines (generally defined as single non-OHC units fitted with two valves per cylinder actuated by pushrod and rocker arm). The traditional "stock blocks," saw some limited use in the early 1980s, but became mainstream at Indy starting with the introduction of the Buick V-6 Indy engine. Initially, the stock blocks were required to have some production-based parts. However, in 1991, USAC quietly lifted the requirement, and purpose-built pushrod engines were permitted to be designed for racing at the onset. Attempting to create an equivalency formula, [12] both pushrod engine formats were allowed increased displacement (209.3  cid vs. 161.7), [11] and increased turbocharger boost (55  inHG vs. 45 inHG) [11]

Team Penske mated the engine with the in-house Penske chassis, the PC-23. It was introduced to the public in April, just days before opening day at Indy.

Legacy

The Penske PC-23 at the 1994 Indianapolis 500 Indy 500 1994 Unser and Boesel.jpg
The Penske PC-23 at the 1994 Indianapolis 500

The car in its Indy 500 version caused a considerable uproar at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and in the racing world in general. Subsequently, the PC-23 was recognized as one of the triggers of the CART/IRL split,. [14]

In 2014, author Jade Gurss published a book detailing the efforts to create the PC-23. Called Beast, the book explored what happened in the year leading up to the 1994 Indy-500. [15]

Complete Indy Car World Series results

(key) (Results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrantEngineTyresDriverNo.1234567891011121314151617PointsD.C.
1994 Marlboro Team Penske Ilmor 265D V-8-turbo
Mercedes-Benz 500I V-8-turbo 		G SFR PHX LBH INDY MIL DET POR CLE TOR MCH MDO NHA VAN ROA NAZ LAG
Flag of Brazil.svg Emerson Fittipaldi 2212117222203103393341782nd
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Paul Tracy 3162320233133516222018111523rd
Flag of the United States.svg Al Unser Jr. 31142111101129811122202251st
1995 Bettenhausen Motorsports Mercedes-Benz IC108B V8 t G MIA SFR PHX LBH NAZ INDY MIL DET POR ROA TOR CLE MCH MDO NHA VAN LAG
Flag of Sweden.svg Stefan Johansson 1622172463DNQ12111610148623254146013th
Marlboro Team Penske Mercedes-Benz IC108B V8 t G Flag of Brazil.svg Emerson Fittipaldi 289DNQ- 2NC 2
1996 Bettenhausen Racing Mercedes-Benz IC108B V8 t G MIA RIO SFR LBH NAZ 500 MIL DET POR CLE TOR MCH MDO ROA VAN LAG
Flag of the United States.svg Gary Bettenhausen 2621039th

1 Johansson did qualify a Reynard 94I - Ford XB V8 t.
2 Only the #89 car results are counted. Fittipaldi run entire season with the PC-24 chassis, scoring 67 points and 11th final place.

Chassis Constructors

ChassisTop TeamTop Driver SFR PHX LBH INDY MIL DET POR CLE TOR MCH MDO NHA VAN ROA NAZ LAG PointsRk
Flag of the United States.svg Penske PC-23
Penske PC-22 		Marlboro Team Penske Flag of the United States.svg Al Unser Jr. 21111111381112113131

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Championship Auto Racing Teams</span> Defunct North American open wheel auto racing organization

Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) was a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 1979 to 2003. It sanctioned the PPG Indy Car World Series from 1979 until dissolving after the 2003 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilmor</span> Engineering company

Ilmor is a British independent high-performance motor racing engineering company. It was founded by Mario Illien and Paul Morgan in November 1983. With manufacturing based in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, and maintenance offices in Plymouth, Michigan, the company supplies engines and consultancy to the IndyCar Series and MotoGP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Team Penske</span> American auto racing team

Team Penske is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona, the organization has also competed in various other types of professional racing such as Formula One, Can-Am, Trans Am, and Australia's Supercars Championship. Altogether, Team Penske has earned over 500 victories and over 40 championships in all of auto racing. Team Penske is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske. The team president is Tim Cindric.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Racing</span> American automobile racing team

Patrick Racing was an auto racing team in USAC, CART, Champ Car and the Indy Racing League. Patrick Racing was started by U.E. "Pat" Patrick in the 1970s. The team is best known for winning the Indianapolis 500 on three occasions, and the Indy car title twice. Patrick Racing achieved 45 Indy car wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 Indianapolis 500</span> 79th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 79th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 1995. Sanctioned by USAC, it was part of the 1995 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season. Jacques Villeneuve won in his second start. After dominating the 1994 race and the 1994 IndyCar season, Marlboro Team Penske failed to qualify for the race. Two-time and defending Indy 500 winner Al Unser Jr. and two-time winner Emerson Fittipaldi (bumped) could not get their cars up to speed. A noticeable period of decline followed for the team until 2000 when Gil de Ferran won the CART championship, and subsequently the team returned to Indianapolis in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 Indianapolis 500</span> 78th running of the Indianapolis 500

The 78th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 29, 1994. The race was sanctioned by United States Auto Club (USAC), and was included as race number 4 of 16 of the 1994 PPG IndyCar World Series. For the second year in a row, weather was nary a factor during the month. Only one practice day was lost to rain, and pole day was only partially halted due to scattered showers. Warm, sunny skies greeted race day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 Indianapolis 500</span> 73rd running of the Indianapolis 500

The 73rd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 1989. The race was won by two-time Formula One World Drivers' Champion Emerson Fittipaldi. Fittipaldi's victory made him the first Indianapolis 500 winner from Brazil, the first foreign-born winner of the race since Mario Andretti in 1969, and the first non-American winner since Graham Hill in 1966. Though Fittipaldi started on the front row and dominated much of the race, he found himself running second in the waning laps. Michael Andretti passed Fittipaldi for the lead on lap 154, then led until his engine blew. Al Unser Jr. moved up to second, but trailed Fittipaldi by a big margin. Gambling on fuel mileage, Unser caught up to Fittipaldi after a fortuitous caution period on lap 181, and subsequently took the lead on lap 196.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 Indianapolis 500</span> 72nd running of the Indianapolis 500

The 72nd Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday May 29, 1988. Team Penske dominated the month, sweeping the top three starting positions with Rick Mears winning the pole position, Danny Sullivan at the center of the front row, and Al Unser, Sr. on the outside. Mears set a new track record, becoming the first driver to break the 220 mph barrier in time trials. On race day, the Penske teammates proceeded to lead 192 of the 200 laps, with Rick Mears taking the checkered flag, his third-career Indy 500 victory. The race represented the milestone 50th victory in Championship car racing for owner Roger Penske and Penske Racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 CART PPG Indy Car World Series</span> Sports season

The 1987 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 9th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART. The season consisted of 16 races, and one non-points exhibition event. Bobby Rahal was the national champion, winning his second-consecutive title. The rookie of the year was Fabrizio Barbazza. The 1987 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Al Unser won the Indy 500, his record-tying fourth victory at Indy.

The 1988 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 10th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART. The season consisted of 15 races, and one non-points exhibition event. Danny Sullivan was the national champion, winning for Team Penske. The rookie of the year was John Jones. The 1988 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Rick Mears won the Indy 500, his third victory at Indy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 PPG Indy Car World Series</span> Sports season

The 1995 PPG Indy Car World Series season was the seventeenth in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) era of U.S. American open-wheel car racing. It consisted of 17 races, beginning in Miami, Florida on March 5 and concluding in Monterey, California on September 10. The PPG Indy Car World Series Drivers' Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Jacques Villeneuve. Rookie of the Year was Gil de Ferran. This was the last season before the formation of the Indy Racing League by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner, Tony George, and the last time the United States Auto Club-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 would appear in the Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 PPG Indy Car World Series</span> 16th national championship season of American open wheel racing

The 1994 PPG Indy Car World Series season was the 16th national championship season of American open wheel racing sanctioned by CART under the name "IndyCar". The season consisted of 16 races. Al Unser Jr. was the national champion, his second CART title, and the rookie of the year was Jacques Villeneuve. The 1994 Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned by USAC, but counted towards the CART points championship. Al Unser Jr. won the Indy 500 from the pole position, his second career victory in that event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 U.S. 500</span> Motor car race

The 1996 U.S. 500 was a CART race at the Michigan International Speedway on May 26, 1996. It was the sixth round of the 1996 IndyCar season, and ran on the same day as the 1996 Indianapolis 500, which was the premier event on the 1996 Indy Racing League calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penske PC-22</span>

The Penske PC-22 was a CART Penske Racing car which competed in the 1993 season. It raced in all sixteen events, scoring eight wins, three with Emerson Fittipaldi and five with Paul Tracy. The most remarkable success of the PC-22 was the 1993 Indianapolis 500 win by Fittipaldi, placed 2nd at the end of the season, missing the championship by only 8 points. The car was designed by Nigel Bennett as a radical departure from the basic concept of the previous Penske cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penske PC-20</span>

The Penske PC-20 was a CART Penske Racing car which competed in the 1991 and 1992 seasons. In 1991, it raced in all seventeen events, scoring 3 wins, two with Rick Mears, and one with Emerson Fittipaldi, placed 4th and 5th at the season's end respectively. The most remarkable success of the PC-20 was the 1991 Indianapolis 500 win by Mears, his 4th win at the Brickyard. The car was designed by Nigel Bennett, his 4th for Penske Racing. In 1992, it also raced alongside the Penske PC-21.

The Penske PC-25 was an open-wheel CART racing car that competed in the 1996 IndyCar season with Marlboro Team Penske and Hogan Penske Racing. It was designed by Nigel Bennett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reynard 94I</span> Racing car designed and built by Reynard Racing Cars

The Reynard 94I is an open-wheel racing car designed and built by Reynard Racing Cars that competed in the 1994 and 1995 IndyCar seasons, notable for winning the first CART race it entered. The car continued to be raced in the 1996 and 1996-97 Indy Racing League seasons, and holds the unofficial and official lap records at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilmor-Chevrolet 265-A engine</span> Motor vehicle engine

The Ilmor-Chevrolet 265-A is a turbocharged, 2.65 L (162 cu in), V-8 Indy car racing engine, designed and developed by Ilmor, in partnership with Chevrolet, for use in the CART PPG Indy Car World Series; between 1986 and 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz 500I engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Mercedes-Benz 500I engine is a highly powerful, turbocharged, 3.4-liter, Indy car racing V-8 engine, designed, developed, and built by Ilmor, in partnership with Mercedes-Benz, specifically to compete in the 1994 Indianapolis 500.

The Mercedes-Benz Indy V8 engine, known as the Ilmor 265-D (1994), and later the Mercedes-Benz IC108 (1995-2000), is a powerful, turbocharged, 2.65-liter, Indy car racing V-8 engine, specially designed, developed, and built by Ilmor, in partnership and collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, to compete in the CART series; between 1994 and 2000.

References

  1. ↑ "The Ten Craziest Engines of the Indy 500". 23 May 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mercedosaurus Rex at Indianapolis Park, Part 10: Penske PC23 - a home for the engine". forix.autosport.com.
  3. ↑ "1994 CART PPG IndyCar World Series standings". race-database.com.
  4. ↑ "The Penske-Mercedes PC23-500I". forix.autosport.com.
  5. ↑ Siano, Joseph (1994-05-22). "AUTO RACING; Penske Drives Through Loophole And Into Indianapolis Front Row". The New York Times .
  6. ↑ "1993 CART PPG IndyCar World Series standings". race-database.com.
  7. ↑ "PEOPLE: RICK GORNE". grandprix.com.
  8. ↑ "Andretti and Dad Finish 1st and 3d". The New York Times . 1994-03-21.
  9. ↑ "Part 18: The 1995 '500' - The Mercedosaurus bites its masters after all". forix.autosport.com.
  10. 1 2 "Part 21: PC23's further active career after 1994". forix.autosport.com.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Siano, Joseph (1994-04-18). "AUTO RACING; Penske's Engine Has Opponents Singing Brickyard Blues". The New York Times.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Siano, Joseph (1994-05-22). "AUTO RACING; Penske Drives Through Loophole And Into Indianapolis Front Row". The New York Times.
  13. ↑ "- YouTube". YouTube .
  14. ↑ "Mercedosaurus Rex at Indianapolic Park, Part 23: The loose ends that didn't fit in anywhere else and the epilogue". forix.autosport.com.
  15. ↑ Gurss, Jade (2014). Beast. Octane Press. ISBN   978-1937747336.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.