GETTING A BOOST; INDYCAR WANTS TURBOCHARGED ENGINES IN 2011.(News)(Indy Racing League)

TURBOCHARGED ENgines will return to IndyCar racing when the next wave of equipment is introduced in 2011, although series officials are not ready to say whether the new powerplants will feature four or six cylinders. A decision is to be made after Indy Racing League officials hold their next roundtable meeting with industry leaders Sept. 16-17 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"We're down to two [options], and at this time, both of them include turbos, said IRL competition president Brian Barnhart. "One of them even includes double turbos, so turbos are looking good.

The IndyCar Series has used normally aspirated V8s since 1997, its first year without the CART equipment of the day. Turbos were a staple of CART and its successor, the Champ Car World Series, which folded last winter. Today's engines produce more than 650 hp; 750 hp appears to be the goal.

The IRL's first meeting with potential engine manufacturers brought more than a dozen companies to the discussion (Competition, July 7). Barnhart expects no more than "three or four to be involved when the new configuration hits the track, but Honda, the league's only current supplier, would be happy to have competition. Barnhart thinks the process will deliver just that.

"At this level [of discussion], it certainly seems encouraging, he said. "But remember, we're talking to the technical side of these companies, not the business side or the board of ...