Dallara Welcomed to Speedway's Main Street

With a parade of two-seat IndyCar Series cars led by Dallara Automobili founder Gianpaulo Dallara, the town of Speedway, Ind., welcomed its newest neighbor to town on Nov. 16.

Dignitaries representing the Town of Speedway, the State of Indiana, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar and Dallara officially broke ground at a site on Speedway’s Main Street to mark the beginning of construction of a $7 million factory and engineering center that will be Dallara’s first facility outside of its home in Parma, Italy.

“It’s a great day for the Town of Speedway and the State of Indiana, but it also a great day for INDYCAR,” said INDYCAR Chief Executive Officer Randy Bernard, who joined the Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, Indianapolis 500 winners Al Unser Jr. and Bobby Rahal and IZOD IndyCar Series drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay and Graham Rahal in throwing a shovel in the ground.

“This is the culmination of a process that we began in March to find the next car that will define our sport. Through that process we chose the Dallara Safety Cell to be the base of the new car and Mr. Dallara has been a great partner every step of the way.

“Just like as this facility will position the Town of Speedway for future growth, we feel like the Dallara Safety Cell that is produced here will invigorate the motorsports industry.”

The Speedway Redevelopment Commission, which is in the midst of a $10 million reconstruction of the town's Main Street, is demolishing an old industrial office building to make way for the new 100,000-square-foot building to house Dallara and the related Indy Racing Experience, which operates the two-seat IndyCar Series cars that run at IZOD IndyCar Series events as well as serving as Dallara’s U.S. distributor.

The goal is for the building is to be complete in time for Dallara to produce the IndyCar Safety Cell – the next generation IZOD IndyCar Series chassis that will be used beginning in 2012.

Dallara and partners was selected in July to design and build the cars -- not including the engines -- for all the INDYCAR race teams.  But the company’s founder aims to do more in Speedway than just build race cars.

“A company can’t survive by doing only one type of car,” Dallara said. “Our goal is to not only have the factory to build the new car and even the new Indy Light (car) but also to have a facility to use the next generation simulator that we are developing in Italy. We also hope to have a program for student at Indiana University who want to be an engineer in motorsports.”