CHASSIS 016

Initially driven by Graham Rahal throughout the 2009 IndyCar Series, Dallara-Honda IR-05

chassis number 016 displayed its competitiveness at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on its first outing at the track. On 9 May, the pole day, Rahal wheeled the car around the Brickyard at 223.954 mph to take the inside spot on the second row. The chassis competed at six additional events that year, scoring top-10 finishes at Edmonton and Rahal’s home track, Mid-Ohio.

Later, the car competed in the 2010 season with Japan’s Hideki Mutoh behind the wheel with limited success, but fortunes would change for chassis 016 once Newman/Haas veteran Oriol Servià returned for the 2011 season. The Spaniard achieved a top-five finish at Long Beach in the car and followed up the result by qualifying on the front row of the 95th running of the Indianapolis 500. He converted this position into a respectable 6th place finish, Newman/Haas Racing’s best result at the track since 2004.

Servià went on to achieve a podium finish at Milwaukee and another top-10 at Mid-Ohio. Furthering the car’s knack for oval racing, the final outing for chassis 016 occurred at the ill-fated championship race at Las Vegas, where a 2nd-place starting position would have surely provided a wonderful opportunity had tragedy not struck on lap 11, ending the race early.

THE DALLARA IR-05

A development of the IR-03 introduced in 2003, the IR-05 retained the former’s carbon fiber monocoque construction and double-wishbone pull-rod-actuated suspension but introduced a number of aerodynamic developments and safety improvements. Initially capable of housing Toyota and Chevrolet dual-overhead-camshaft V-8 engines, Honda became the sole engine supplier to the IndyCar season in 2006 and would retain this monopoly until 2012.

In 2008, the Dallara chassis was updated once again and received paddle-actuated gear changers on the steering wheel. This chassis is presently equipped with a Honda show engine.