RLL building new Indy 500 car for Sato after test crash

Takuma Sato entered last week’s Indy Open Test with a brand-new Dallara DW12 chassis purchased for his return to the Indianapolis 500 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and when the two-time Indy winner heads back to the Speedway in May, he’ll have another brand-new No. 75 Honda waiting for him in RLL’s garages.

Sato’s big crash during Thursday’s high-boost session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway did a considerable amount of damage to the car, but there were no visible signs of terminal harm to the DW12 tub — the driver safety cell — that struck the Turn 1 wall with more than 90Gs of force.

Upon the car’s return to RLL’s nearby shop and a full post-crash teardown, the No. 75 was revealed to have suffered structural damage that requires the assembly of a new car for Sato, who posted the fastest no-tow lap of 232.565mph at the test just prior to the incident.

RLL president Jay Frye told RACER a new tub has been purchased and retrieved from Dallara USA’s base in Speedway, Indiana, and the build of Sato’s replacement car is in progress. Practice for the Indy 500, where the new No. 75 is expected to turn its first laps, begins on Tuesday, May 13.