IndyCar’s new 2.4-liter V6 engine, due to debut in 2024, has undergone its first track tests using the Formula 1 circuit layout at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. According to IndyCar, the engine was not tested in its final configuration as development is still ongoing, not least because manufacturers are still working on integrating the hybrid system.
Both Chevrolet and Honda ran at the speedway, with Rob Buckner, Chevrolet engineering program manager for IndyCar, commenting, “We’ve had a very successful and productive three days with the new engine. This was a big milestone as we have progressed from initial concept of the 2.4-liter design a few years ago and running extensively on the dyno, to installing the engine into a car and now the landmark event of turning our first laps at the Indianapolis road course.
“We are incredibly appreciative of all the men and women at Chevrolet Performance and our partners at Ilmor for their commitment to a highly successful on-track debut for the 2.4-liter engine platform. We could race this engine tomorrow, which is the highest praise possible for a new engine. Special thanks to Team Penske for quickly building a reliable and safe test car, along with Josef Newgarden and Will Power for looking after our prototype engine with first-rate feedback.”