Why Choose Indy: How Dallara Landed in Speedway, Indiana
Dallara has been around since 1972, when Giampaolo Dallara (who had previously worked at Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Maserati) decided to take his engineering experience and launch his own company aimed at designing, building, and supporting some of the world’s most competitive race cars. From the humble garage he built behind his house in northern Italy that exploded into a world-renowned company, what led Dallara to open a factory in the heart of Speedway, Indiana?
After years of crafting the chassis for winning IndyCar teams, Dallara was chosen as the official chassis provider for the NTT IndyCar series in 2012. This decision drove Dallara to invest in a footprint just a stone’s throw from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
With its North American headquarters in Indianapolis, Dallara can support all of its IndyCar teams right where they work, live, and race. They have now grown their motorsport activities, becoming the sole chassis supplier for the Indy NXT Series as well as launching a joint venture with Cadillac to design and manufacture an LMP2 car—which became the Cadillac DPi that raced in the IMSA Series. Dallara also designed the NextGen-7 car for the NASCAR CUP SERIES. Along with their motorsport activities, Dallara has diversified their clients and expanded into the aerospace and defense industries.
Embedded in Indianapolis Culture
Dallara wanted to ensure that their relationship with the city grows stronger and that they continually expand their involvement in the local business, technology, and education communities. In deciding to base their operations in Speedway, Dallara further enhanced Indiana’s reputation as the Racing Capital of the World.
Dallara is especially proud to have a strong strategic partnership with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, which has helped play a significant role in the company’s in Indiana. They are also members of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Indy Chamber. This allows Dallara to access various seminars and training sessions, as well as the Indiana INTERNnet initiative managed by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Indiana INTERNnet helps connect companies with available internships to young talent in Indiana high schools, colleges, and universities.
Dallara USA has also consolidated their partnership with the School of Engineering and Technology at Indiana University Indianapolis and the STARTedUP Foundation, publicly recognizing their local and global partnership in education, ecosystem expansion, and innovation. The STARTedUP Foundation teaches students how to learn through innovation and entrepreneurship, while building a life of purpose. Since July 2022, six of their Innovate WithIN alumni and two high school educators from the Indiana Innovation Fellowship have represented the State of Indiana as they travel to Italy for week-long innovation immersion experiences.
Crafting Carbon Fiber
One of the main purposes of Dallara’s Speedway factory is to create carbon fiber parts for not only motorsports teams but also aeronautical purposes. With dedicated craftspeople forming, cutting, and sealing a variety of lightweight and extremely strong components, there is always something happening at their Speedway facility.
Composite materials are fabrics made with carbon fiber or other synthetic reinforcement that have been impregnated with resin. This resin solidifies if it undergoes a particular pressure and heat treatment. If the design is correct, the pieces made of these composite materials are much lighter, stiffer and more resistant than those produced in metallic materials, such as steel or aluminum. Carbon fiber parts are now essential components in many modern automotive and aerospace manufacturing projects.
Simulating Success
The Dallara USA Driving simulator is one of only three simulators in the world. The first was developed in partnership with Ferrari in 2010 at the historic factory in Maranello, Italy. A second simulator quickly followed and was delivered to Dallara Automobili in 2011. This simulator is primarily used as a development tool for the Dallara Group’s various motorsport projects and in consulting with major sports car manufacturers. Lastly, the third simulator found its home in Dallara’s Speedway facility in 2014, creating a state-of-the-art hub for all North American manufacturing developments and driver training.
The Dallara Driving Simulator is the most precise simulator dedicated to professional racing drivers and engineers. This tool helps drivers learn the ins and outs of new tracks and cars with similar, if not better, results than in real-world testing.
Using such a precise simulator gives the drivers and engineers precious data without the cost, complexity, and unpredictability of real-world testing sessions. As it operates in a controlled environment, the simulator can imitate infinite real-life scenarios and situations, giving teams complete control over all testing parameters. The simulator’s tire thermal model lets drivers prepare hypothetical race setups based on tire degradation, track characteristics, and weather conditions. Any change can be made instantly via its proprietary user interface, specifically designed for speed, ease of use, and data security.
Creativity, Ingenuity, and Design at Dallara Indy
In addition to its world-class chassis and IndyCar components, Dallara USA is world-renowned for their innovative technology and advancements in aerodynamics. Thanks to the leadership and expertise of Giampaolo Dallara, the company has developed exceptional skills in the aeronautics field, including all aspects of research, studies, calculations, and experimentation.
The iconic Dallara wind tunnel, featuring a closed circuit and a moving belt, uses advanced data measurement tools, visualization techniques, and an automated control and movement system to model aerodynamics. The models used in the wind tunnel are brought to life with high resolution and vivid attention to detail thanks to he specialized rapid prototyping department that has been part of the company for almost 20 years. Expert model makers and specific laser technologies guarantee the maximum assembly precision of each component, while dedicated software for data analysis ensures continuous efficiency and flexibility for their engineers.
Building the Supercar of Tomorrow
Dallara has refined all of these core competencies to create one of the world’s foremost supercars—the EXP. The EXP is built for true racing enthusiasts and is perfect for performing on private tracks. With Putnam Park less than an hour away from Indianapolis, it’s the ideal race track to see what the EXP can do. With an emphasis on power and weight, Dallara’s engineers and designers have streamlined the vehicle, even doing away with the doors to improve performance. In fact, with a weight of 890 kg and a downforce of over 1,200 kg at top speed, the EXP would be technically capable of driving upside down!
Getting the most out of the EXP’s potential requires the diligence and dedication of Dallara’s support and mechanics teams, who have honed their craft over the years. With Indianapolis’s vast experience in all things motorsports, there’s always an expert close by to help you get the most out of your performance machine. Plus, with educational opportunities like Ivy Tech’s Automotive Technology Center close at hand, there is guaranteed to be a new generation of mechanics ready to take on tomorrow’s supercars!
