The lasting legacy of Reynard’s IndyCar revolution

The successful arrival into Indycars 30 years ago of a British constructor had ripple effects that were felt for years to come, as it proved a disruptive force in US open-wheel racing

Engineering

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IndyCar’s duopoly had been briefly upended in 1992 by Galmer winning the Indianapolis 500 with Al Unser Jr and Galles Racing. But following a decision by Rick Galles to cancel the Galmer programme, the old order was restored in 1993. If you wanted to win, you had to have a Lola or a Penske chassis.

Yet that all changed with Reynard’s arrival in 1994. Six podiums was a modest return from its maiden year, but three of those were wins – including the debut victory that had become the constructor’s calling card. The upstart’s instant impact had longer-term significance too.

In this article

James Newbold

IndyCar

Michael Andretti

Jimmy Vasser

Adrian Fernandez

Chip Ganassi Racing

Galles Racing

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Author James Newbold

James Newbold is Autosport's Plus Editor, responsible for coordinating website feature content.

In a sign of things to come, having completed his Politics and International Relations degree at the University of East Anglia in 2015, he left his graduation ceremony early to catch the last train to Brussels for the following day's Spa 24 Hours.

After a period as a freelancer, he joined the Autosport staff in 2018 and won the Motorsport UK young journalist of the year award. He initially edited Autosport magazine's Performance and Engineering supplements before joining the website team in his current role in 2020.

A keen enthusiast of anything that can be categorised unusual or niche, he enjoys unearthing little-known stories across all branches of motorsport, but has spent most of his career covering sportscars and is a regular part of the Le Mans 24 Hours reporting team.

He lives with his wife and children in Plymouth, England.