 | |||||||
| Category | CART IndyCar | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Penske Cars Ltd | ||||||
| Designer(s) | Nigel Bennett | ||||||
| Predecessor | Penske PC-22 | ||||||
| Successor | Penske PC-24 | ||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||
| Chassis | Carbon-fiber monocoque | ||||||
| Suspension (front) | Pushrod | ||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Pushrod | ||||||
| Length | 190 in (4,826 mm) | ||||||
| Wheelbase | 115 in (2,921 mm) | ||||||
| Engine | Ilmor Indy V-8 Mercedes-Benz 500I (for Indy 500 only) 3.43 L (3,430 cc; 209 cu in) V-8, vee angle 72 degrees, 2 valves per cylinder, pushrod system single-turbocharged Mid-engined, longitudinally-mounted | ||||||
| Transmission | 6-speed manual | ||||||
| Power | 1,024 hp @ 9,800 rpm (10,500 rpm max.),[1] 550 lb⋅ft (746 N⋅m) torque | ||||||
| Weight | 1,550 lb (703 kg) | ||||||
| Fuel | Mobil and 76 methanol | ||||||
| Lubricants | Mobil 1 | ||||||
| Tyres | Goodyear Eagle Speedway Special Radial 25.5in x 9.5in x 15in (front) 27in x 14.5in x 15in (rear) | ||||||
| Competition history | |||||||
| Notable entrants | Penske Racing | ||||||
| Notable drivers | 2 Emerson Fittipaldi 3 Paul Tracy 31 Al Unser Jr. | ||||||
| Debut | 1994 Australian FAI Indycar Grand Prix Surfers Paradise, Australia | ||||||
| |||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 1 (CART) | ||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 1 (CART) | ||||||
The Penske PC-23 was a highly successful CART racing car that competed in the 1994 IndyCar season with Penske Racing, and in the 1995 IndyCar season with Bettenhausen Motorsports. It was designed by Nigel Bennett,[2] who based its design on the 1993 car, the PC-22, which was a radical departure from the basic concept of the previous Penske cars. The PC-23 was one of the most dominant open-wheel race cars ever developed. It won both the 1994 CART season, and the 1994 Indianapolis 500 with Al Unser Jr., together with Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy scoring 12 wins out of 16 in total, collecting 10 pole positions and 28 podium finishes,[3] in a season that saw Penske also take the Constructor's Cup, and the Manufacturer's Cup with the Ilmor-Mercedes-Benz engine. Nevertheless, the car is mostly known for the controversial pushrod Mercedes-Benz 500I engine,[4] designed and developed for the single race of Indianapolis, exploiting a loophole in different technical rules between the Indy 500 (which was then sanctioned by USAC) and CART sanctioning bodies at that time.[5]
- ^ "The Ten Craziest Engines of the Indy 500". 23 May 2014.
- ^ "Mercedosaurus Rex at Indianapolis Park, Part 10: Penske PC23 - a home for the engine". forix.autosport.com.
- ^ "1994 CART PPG IndyCar World Series standings". race-database.com.
- ^ "The Penske-Mercedes PC23-500I". forix.autosport.com.
- ^ Siano, Joseph (1994-05-22). "AUTO RACING; Penske Drives Through Loophole And Into Indianapolis Front Row". The New York Times.