Wonder what happened to this........maybe Ferrari F1 troubles crashed it
By the end of August we’ll know whether Alfa Romeo has chosen to give its American comeback a bit more glance by competing in the IndyCar competition. It sure looks like it as the American Racer Magazine has claimed this to be the case. Australian magnate Kevin Kalkhoven who currently owns Cosworth (formerly Ford) – the company which is responsible for engines and consorts in the IndyCar – has hinted upon delivering a new kind of engine for the competition. An engine from a manufacturer who has been absent for very long, so says Kalkhoven. This immediately caused every American to think of Alfa Romeo, even though talks would be ongoing with a second manufacturer as well. The participation of a third (motor) brand is already certain for 2015, which is also the year when the DTM will kick off in the US. Perhaps Alfa Romeo sees it big…
A major stumbling stone might be that – as of 2015 – competing manufacturers in the IndyCar must take care of the rebuild themselves; something that’s not over with in a short matter of time. The already competing brands Honda and Chevrolet are nearly finished with their development already, which begs the question; can Alfa Romeo possibly get their car ready in time? The chassis in the IndyCar will still be coming from the Italian firm Dallara. Alfa Romeo was closely involved with this company from Parma for the development of their 4C, which then again makes the Biscione’s return all the more reasonable. Kalkhoven claims a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is what we’ll hear by the end of August. There might be a return after a brief adventure in 1989, ’90 and ’91. Much like Alfa’s commercial failure with their road cars in the US though, it all boiled down to nothing back then. But Fiat clearly didn’t forget about the IndyCar, as a return was already spoken about back in 2008. Since they took over Chrysler in 2009, Marchionne has mentioned a comeback in (American) motor sports many times already.