Purdue motorsports program in Indianapolis partners with Dallara

INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue University’s nationally renowned motorsports engineering program in Indianapolis has a new home with an internationally recognized motorsports manufacturer. On Thursday (May 23), Purdue announced an innovative partnership with Dallara, the largest multinational Italian race car manufacturer, to house its motorsports program at Dallara’s U.S. headquarters in Speedway, Indiana.

Just steps from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the most iconic and celebrated venue in motorsports, the new facility will house space for classrooms, hands-on training and diagnostic testing for Boilermaker students studying in the only ABET-accredited motorsports engineering undergraduate program in the country. Many Purdue graduates from the program in Indianapolis have gone on to careers with motorsports manufacturers like Dallara, as well as in series such as IndyCar, the International Motorsports Association (IMSA) and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), many of which have teams headquartered in central Indiana. 

“Totality of Purdue to the totality of Indianapolis: That’s our pledge as the Indianapolis part of Purdue’s main campus officially launches on July 1,” said Purdue President Mung Chiang. “In the coming years, all programs at Purdue will find homes throughout our state’s capital city. Today’s announcement carries a special excitement for the partnership and the location, as Purdue is excited to partner with Dallara right outside the world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway to enhance the motorsports engineering program, with the perfect timing of Indy 500 right ahead. Indy is speedy, and Dallara-Purdue is firing on all cylinders.”

“At Dallara, we are committed to innovation and excellence in motorsports engineering,” said Dallara CEO Andrea Pontremoli. “Partnering with Purdue University’s esteemed program and being situated near the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway allows us to directly engage with the next generation of engineers. We are excited to collaborate with Purdue professors and students, providing them with unparalleled experiential learning opportunities and helping to shape the future of motorsports.”

Created in 2008, the motorsports engineering program in Indianapolis is one of a kind in preparing Purdue students to pursue motorsports careers in the heart of the racing capital of the world. Boilermaker students build an all-encompassing understanding of vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, systems engineering, performance engineering and design, applying their proficiency to find real-world solutions. The curriculum is created with direct insight from industry professionals guiding the program to assist in the development of the technical skill required by the industry. 

“There is no better place for this program to be than the epicenter of the motorsports universe,” said Chris Finch, a Purdue mechanical engineering professor who has led the motorsports engineering program in Indianapolis since 2014 and has decades of experience as a race engineer in IndyCar and IMSA. “We are thrilled to partner with Dallara, whose reputation is unparalleled in the industry, and can’t wait to take advantage of the incredible opportunities that this new facility provides our students and program.” 

Dallara is a story of passion, talent, tenacity and continual enthusiasm. Dallara was founded in 1972 by Giampaolo Dallara in Varano de’ Melegari. Over five decades, Dallara has designed, built and supported some of the world’s most competitive race cars.

Dallara USA is at the center of the North American motorsports and technology industry. In deciding to base its operations in Speedway, Dallara further enhanced Indiana’s reputation as the world’s center of the industry. Dallara has been the official and sole chassis supplier of the NTT Data IndyCar Series since 2012, the same year its U.S. headquarters opened. Dallara is also the sole chassis supplier for the Indy NXT Series (IndyCar) and designed the Next Gen car (Gen-7) for the NASCAR Cup Series. In IMSA, Dallara manufactured the Cadillac Daytona Prototype International car before launching the Grand Touring Prototype class with the Cadillac and BMW LeMans Daytona Hypercar, a sports prototype race car, in 2023. Along with the company’s motorsports efforts and activities, Dallara also has diversified into aerospace and defense sectors over the years, leveraging its motorsport-derived expertise to provide innovative solutions.

Dallara’s U.S. headquarters will also be home to the Ray Ewry Sports Engineering Center (RESEC). Named in honor of a record-setting Olympian and Purdue College of Engineering graduate Ray Ewry, the center is a joint effort between the College of Engineering and Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics and reflects Ewry’s passion for both sports and engineering. It advances research and learning opportunities to athletes and students alike. The three priorities of RESEC are the integrity of competition, the health and safety of participants, and the engagement of the audience. Technology bridges the gap between each priority, and engineering and data science lie at the center of all three. With innovative approaches to these priorities, Purdue can meet the growing demand for a richer sports experience for all in the heart of Indianapolis, where motorsports and Olympic, professional and collegiate sports all have a major presence and impact.

Besides its motorsports efforts on the track, Dallara has focused on the classroom, led by its Dallara Academy in Italy. The facility is filled with educational labs for schools, dedicated space for university studies, and an auditorium for conferences and meetings. Students get to experience the laws of physics that are applied in the design and development of race cars and get involved in activities inspired by design and production, with particular attention to the use of composite materials, aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics.

The motorsports industry plays a huge role in the state of Indiana, where hundreds of employers and thousands of jobs that exceed the state’s average wage are located. Five of Dallara USA’s seven full-time engineers are graduates of the Purdue engineering programs in Indianapolis, and the company is one of the leaders of an industry that generates a $2 billion economic impact for the state each year, according to the Indiana Economic Development Corp.

About Purdue University in Indianapolis

Purdue University in Indianapolis is a new, fully integrated extension of the West Lafayette campus, expanding the academic rigor and accessible excellence that Purdue is known for to central Indiana. As the state’s only public top 10 university, most trusted university and most innovative university, Purdue is focused and committed to strengthening its presence in Indiana’s industrial and technological center. Purdue University in Indianapolis will create an innovative, STEM-based collegiate experience by connecting future-ready Purdue students and faculty in Indianapolis to local businesses to accelerate Indiana’s STEM pipeline and tech ecosystem, fueling impact for our region and the world. Realignment of the existing IUPUI partnership will be completed by the start of the fall semester in 2024. Learn more about Purdue’s latest giant leap at https://www.purdue.edu/campuses/indianapolis/