Racecar Appearance: Serious Attention-Grabber, Or Afterthought?

In the post-unification IndyCar Series, fans of the former Champ Car World Series such as myself certainly had plenty of legitimate complaints: The Dallara IRL cars aren't as safe, the Honda engines aren't as powerful as the Cosworth turbos, the IRL teams have an unfair advantage...

Well, we all know that the above will be dealt with in 2011, so our voices were heard loud and clear. We should be glad they listened and are working toward solutions.

But it seems we're not...

Mixed into all those legitimate complaints, was one minor issue which caused the most controversy...

"Those Dallaras are HIDEOUS!!!" "That cockpit bump looks like a giant wart!"

"That DP01 was a hideous pile of Eurotrash!" "Champ Car was trying to copy F1!"

Am I the only Champ Car fan who finds this argument to be one of the most moronic there has ever been?

I'll say it right now: I will believe that Champ Car had the better-looking car for most of the war until the day I die: the 2000-2002 G-Force (especially in short oval trim) was the only IRL car that this fan thinks looked better than any given Champ Car.

But on the other hand, I can see why some people would prefer the Dallara. As with all IRL car, its certainly not a sleek design, but to my eye it doesn't look too bad in road course/short oval configuration. If the airbox didn't stick up so high, I might actually rate it equal to the DP01 in the looks department.

But...WHY are we arguing this to begin with? There are two reasons the Dallara was used in the unified series: The Panoz DP01 had no oval configuration, and there was absolutely NO way to provide enough DP01s to all the teams in time for the season to begin.

Were it not for these issues, the DP01 would have been the better option, simply due to its lower cost to operate compared to the Dallara.

But why are so many people getting so vocal about the look? Sure, its the only thing still completely unknown about the 2011-spec IRL cars, but even so it makes little sense to me.

You can argue that you need a good-looking car to draw in casual fans, but look at the Daytona Prototypes. Quite possibly some of the ugliest racecars ever made, but the Rolex Sports Car Series gets a big enough draw to keep going.

Why is this? It's because despite the hideousness of the DPs, they produce some EXCELLENT racing action. I prefer the Le Mans Prototypes for my sports prototype fix, but I'm certainly never BORED when I see the Daytona Prototypes in action.

So why should we complain about the Dallaras, which look infinitely better than the DPs?

The simple fact is, we shouldn't. The announcements regarding progress in the 2011 IRL formula and the performance of the Champ Car teams have silenced most of the complaints from Champ Car fans.

The ones who are left are really just a bunch of crybabies who aren't happy without something to complain about. They're trying to bait the diehard pre-unification IRL fans into a flamewar by attacking the only thing they have left to attack.

And all too often, IRL fans are quick to take the bait.

The simple fact is, the look of a racecar is the LEAST important thing to worry about, both when watching and designing the cars. Safety first, then performance (in a straight line AND corners), and hope the finished package looks good.

The Daytona Prototypes exemplify this approach brilliantly: They're excellent cars that produce excellent racing and are extremely safe. They just happen to be ugly as sin.

But it's certainly not driving too many people away from the Rolex Sports Car Series.