Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers might be despatched to mailbag@racer.com. We love listening to your feedback and opinions, however letters that embody a query usually tend to be revealed. Questions acquired after 3pm ET every Monday will likely be saved for the next week.
Q: Blackbird 66 Mk.1: The place do you voice or register your help for this design?
John Schira
MARSHALL PRUETT: Assist=registered.
Q: I wished to reply to the Blackbird 66 article. What a breath of recent air! What a show of sanity! Lastly somebody pointing in an clever path!
iRacing and Dallara did one thing alongside these strains in the course of the Covid period in designing and activating the Dallara iR-01 as a design train and subsequent use within the iRacing service. Its a fictional automobile, has outrageous specs and takes particular expertise to drive at its restrict. Although its of downforce DNA, the salient level is that as a challenge, it was simply precisely the type of first step that’s postulated on this article.
I bear in mind Dallara/iRacing saying that the ultimate design was accomplished as a working set of drawings and specs that could possibly be used as-is to construct the automobile in actual life, ought to somebody provide some cash. It is nonetheless energetic on iRacing as we speak, if you happen to wished a peek.
That nexus of Dallara / iRacing / iR-01 is likely to be one level to discover alongside the highway to furthering the Blackbird 66 as a actuality.
Greg Smith
MP: The argument to peel all downforce from downforce vehicles is an outdated one, and there’s some splendidly romantic historical past of Indy vehicles – the Fifties and early Sixties Roadsters period, particularly – the place zero downforce, lengthy wheelbases, decently highly effective four-cylinder Offy engines, and tall and thin tires made for nice racing and the modest use of drifting to navigate the corners.
Throughout the completely different areas that made the vehicles what they have been, the tall/skinny tires, which have been on the leading edge of information and expertise, enabled the drifting.
The unsaid half within the superior Blackbird 66 piece can be the outdated counter argument to taking wings and downforce off of as we speak’s Indy vehicles, and that’s what occurs within the corners. The ’66 would weigh nothing and have 1000 horsepower, which is a dream. It might speed up like a Prime Gasoline dragster at Indy, at Lengthy Seaside, and many others. And would crawl like a turtle – in comparison with as we speak’s downforce vehicles – by the corners.
The absence of downforce means braking zones are considerably prolonged, so straights grow to be shorter with regard to acceleration. Sure, the automobile is a missile in a straight line, however has no downforce to gradual the factor, so say howdy to leaping off the throttle looooong earlier than the nook arrives.
And with no downforce to hold that missile-like velocity by the sharper turns, you’re at a low velocity and needing to rely solely on mechanical grip to get by the corners. And that could possibly be enjoyable, offered a tire producer needs to go away from the whole lot they do as we speak with comparatively low-profile sidewalls.
The final time we had superior drifty open-wheelers was in F1 within the Nineteen Seventies (till Lotus introduced floor results and large downforce into the sport). The vehicles have been very mild, had 500ish horsepower, and in addition had wings – usually very giant wings – and the rear tires have been very large. However in addition they stood tall – had large sidewall profiles – and regarded and behaved like balloons. With the downforce serving to to maintain the vehicles below management, they could possibly be pushed sideways within the slower and medium-speed corners; all hail the nice Gilles Villeneuve, who made his identify because the world’s preeminent F1 drifter.
So, sure, if a Firestone or one other model wished to wind the clock again 50 years with tire sizing and development, I’m positive you would replicate the Villeneuve approach with the ’66. It’s additionally price noting that whereas the drifting was cool, the vehicles weren’t notably quick in these corners, so if trendy followers are good with the ’66 behaving like a dragster on the Indy 500 between the corners and seeing a steep drop in velocity as soon as they get near the corners and softly pedal by them, this might work.
For many who are all in regards to the velocity – the visible velocity and seeing Indy vehicles do greater than go quick in a straight line – there’s a priority. I’d like to see this automobile come to life. I’ll be the primary man there to assist construct it and crew on the factor. I simply don’t need of us to get misplaced within the romanticism of all of it with out acknowledging that 20-inch-wide rear tires aren’t a cure-all for the corners.
Doing 275 mph from Flip 4 to Flip 1 at Indy can be mind-blowing for drivers and followers to expertise. Seeing drivers hammer the brakes quickly after the Begin/End line and limp by Flip 1 at 175mph? That’s the half I battle with.
Work out a compromise on tires to permit drifting, and possibly that’s the magic repair that brings the ’66 idea to its full potential. One thing must tie the straights and corners collectively so it isn’t a case of explosive velocity adopted by deploying the parachute, again and again.
In any other case, the all-fun on the straights and comparatively-slow-as-hell in every single place else feels off.
Hildebrand’s Blackbird 66 idea was an prompt hit with readers. Picture by Patrick Faulwetter
Q: Please, please, please, somebody construct a racing collection primarily based on JR Hildebrand’s Blackbird 66 Mk.1. As a a lifelong fan of non-wing dash vehicles on dust, there is no such thing as a purer type of racing than over-powered vehicles scrabbling for traction. Seeing Hildebrand’s (and Gurney’s) vehicles in motion can be magical.
Ned Smith
MP: Amen.
Q: I used to be enthused to learn Hildebrand’s piece on the Blackbird. I’ve thought for years that eradicating or, no less than proscribing, wings and downforce would enhance racing in a number of methods, together with permitting vehicles to extra simply comply with and go and permit a bigger vary of driving types to be aggressive. If braking distances enhance, I feel that will additionally make for higher racing. Most of us don’t drive vehicles with big wings or different downforce-producing units, so issues is likely to be extra intuitive as properly. Arguably, energy unit traits grow to be extra essential, so maybe it might enhance producer curiosity. If IndyCar have been to go on this path, it might present an apparent differentiation from F1 and negate the notion that they’re a lesser class.
What are your opinions?
Would possibly a discount in aerodynamics enable lesser-funded groups nearer to their well-funded opponents? How would you count on the sanctioning our bodies, groups and drivers to react? Or have they already? How would one construction a conversion schedule if the strategy have been accepted?
Jack
MP: I like the idea, with the questions raised above as the one caveats. Additionally, it’s wonderful how in another way an idea is acquired when it doesn’t appear to be an grownup toy.
My late buddy and hero Dan Gurney, who JR cites because the inspiration for the Blackbird 66, was centrally concerned with the DeltaWing design created by Ben Bowlby, and like JR’s automobile, its core idea was certainly one of excessive efficiency by an absence of massive aero and a deep dedication to excessive drag discount.
The DeltaWing made downforce, in fact, however solely sufficient to nook with the most effective of its rivals. The place the ’66 differs most is using a raging engine; the DeltaWing went the Colin Chapman route with lightweighting as one other core tenet; it had a tiny and bespoke four-cylinder turbo from Ray Mallock Restricted within the again and wasn’t trying to go full-rocket just like the ’66.
Typically, no, decreasing issues does nothing to assist smaller groups draw nearer to greater groups. The transient intervals the place the enjoying discipline is barely leveled is when a brand-new system is launched. And that’s as a result of zeroing of time and information between all groups with that new system. As soon as the larger/higher/wealthier groups have sufficient time to study and grasp the vehicles, which occurs at a sooner price for them, they draw back from the smaller groups. Additionally they are likely to have a head begin on the training course of since they’ve extra individuals, and more cash, and extra experience. You’ll get a small group or two that may overachieve and produce some early surprises, however it doesn’t final.
The article is every week outdated, so I wouldn’t count on a enjoyable and superior idea to make a significant impression on how IndyCar, or F1, or another open-wheel collection goes about its planning for the longer term. F1 has a brand new system on the way in which for 2026 and IndyCar is properly down the highway on its new automobile for 2028.
Bowlby and Chip Ganassi constructed a DeltaWing prototype (it was a present automobile, to be correct, not a functioning automobile), introduced it to the Speedway in the course of the month of Could, and put it on show on the base of the Pagoda in 2010. It had loads of onlookers, various (myself included) who beloved the novel strategy to what the subsequent Indy automobile could possibly be (whereas acknowledging its likeness to the Ace and Gary-mobile from SNL’s Ambiguously Homosexual Duo cartoons), and it was summarily rejected by IndyCar.
If the ’66 goes to have an opportunity in the actual world, it must be constructed and run and demonstrated as one thing wonderful to undertake by sanctioning our bodies, which remains to be unlikely to occur since F1 and IndyCar want to do their very own factor, or for a rich lover of racing to put money into and type a brand new racing collection utilizing the ’66 system.
Q: I’ve talked about this earlier than, however it looks as if this advertising and marketing concept can have some legs now. With FOX being an IndyCar accomplice now, how about IndyCar use a few of that leverage to place a present automobile or two at each NFL stadium? QR code on the vehicles with the IndyCar schedule, in addition to ticket shopping for alternative for the closest race or the five hundred. Looks as if a pure to me.
Vincent Martinez, South Pasadena, CA
MP: It’s an important concept that turns into possible at the beginning of the 2027 NFL season.
Till then, groups will likely be utilizing their Dallara DW12s to race, and as soon as the season finale occurs in late August/early September of ’27, you’ll have 100-plus DW12s with no goal and no important worth, which makes blanketing the nation with Indy vehicles for promotional functions an possibility. Who pays for all the ongoing transportation, organising, and activations from occasion to occasion? That half wants a solution.
For many groups proper now, they’ve no less than one present automobile, however these are typically in use at sponsor capabilities and whatnot all through the offseason. Once we hit the offseason in 2027, proper because the NFL season is beginning, there will likely be fleets of DW12s that may be deployed to each NFL stadium, school soccer stadiums for FOX’s Saturday video games, MLB parks as baseball’s season winds down, and anyplace else FOX Sports activities could have its cameras.
Q: I learn a notice revealed to elucidate what Ed Carpenter Automobile Components means. Ed Carpenter has a enterprise that makes particular elements just for his IndyCar race vehicles, not for public gross sales. It didn’t make clear precisely what meaning. I assume it means the corporate has designers and fabricators in-house who design elements to switch the unique bodywork offered by Dallara to enhance aerodynamics.
A number of the different groups do the identical sort of fabrications (I imagine RRL, Andretti, Penske, Ganassi have functionality to make {custom} parts to achieve small benefits in velocity). There should be guidelines established by IndyCar and possibly Dallara for security causes concerning the boundaries in changing sure parts. Neither company would need to undergo the unhealthy press created by a substitute element failure leading to harm to anybody on the scene of a crash.
My query is, what are the constraints for making and utilizing custom-made replacements that will embody suspension parts?
T. Grimes
MP: When writing in to quote and reference one thing, it helps to share a hyperlink to no matter it’s, since there’s no context as to whether this ‘notice’ was posted yesterday or 10 years in the past. I couldn’t discover it through Google, as properly.
I’ve no information of ECR beginning a second enterprise to make IndyCar elements for its important enterprise. Each group has a machine store and composites store to deal with the manufacturing or restore of no matter is required associated to their vehicles and help tools.
Relying on the yr and period, groups have been allowed to make a number of the parts on their Indy vehicles, after which we now have the present state of affairs the place groups should not allowed to make most issues for his or her Dallara DW12s, together with suspensions, with exception for anti-roll bars.
Q: To recommend another for IMSA’s FCY in response to the concerns of the King of Lower Ellsworthia, why not simply retains the pits closed for FCYs? I do know, the groups love the flexibility to pit, however the issue of those longer FCYs is the big delays as a result of shuffling of the vehicles and lessons.
So, screw ‘em. Maintain the pits closed. In the event you want emergency service, these guidelines apply. In any other case, you’ll be able to pit when it goes inexperienced. It’s honest for all of the opponents, and eliminates a minimal of two laps (and possibly extra) for each FCY process.
Is it much less of a visible spectacle? Possibly. However I’ll commerce the mayhem of a full pit battle for additional inexperienced flag operating each time.
Additionally, for reshuffling vehicles, in Tremendous GT I bear in mind the collection parking the GT500 class on the principle straight, then letting the GT300 class go them and are available round in order that the grid could possibly be reshuffled in a single lap. IMSA may do the identical. After which in the event that they wished to care for lapped automobile wave-arounds as properly, after the GTP class parks on the principle straight, make the GTD lessons park on the again straight, after which the wave-around vehicles can simply cycle to the again of their respective lessons. Then restart the lessons in sequence and so they can all be part of up as a re-formed and sorted discipline inside a single lap. Or is that too bold?
Duncan, Ottawa
MP: I’ve had the identical thought on closing the pits and making everybody pit when it goes inexperienced. One thing to contemplate on why IMSA doesn’t do that’s the measurement of its vehicles – particularly the lengthy and large prototypes – and the dimensions of the pit bins they’ve to make use of are most races, which is within the vary of 19-20 toes lengthy. Some occasions have longer bins within the 22-foot vary, however these are rarities.
Why does this matter? We get right into a severe numbers drawback every time there’s three or 4 lessons competing and the entry checklist is 35 to 50-plus vehicles deep.
We see how excruciatingly tight issues might be at many IndyCar races with 27 vehicles with a whole lot of steering lock to get out and in of the pit bins. Double that quantity of vehicles, and with fenders, you don’t get the acute steering angles to play with like open-wheelers, and that’s a recipe for lots of issues entering into and out of pit bins with a whole discipline of IMSA GTP/P2/GTD Professional/GTD vehicles pitting on the identical time, and locations a whole lot of crew members on the lane and within the cramped areas vehicles use to navigate their approach out and in of the stalls.
In order that’s why they break up the lessons and keep away from jamming everybody in collectively and threat groups dropping a number of time, to not point out having an enormous mass of humanity on the lane. I do know it was carried out this fashion prior to now and folk managed. Figuring out how the whole lot is so tightly regulated as we speak with minimal pit cease instances and managed refueling instances, the place no one is keen to give up a fraction of a second – which is completely different from the mindset when everyone pitted on the identical time – I perceive why it’s carried out this fashion.
Q: Any rumblings with regard to Honda’s relationship with IndyCar? There was a degree earlier this yr the place it was the dominant story in IndyCar. I’m hoping it’s factor that we haven’t heard a peep of current.
Will Zoeller
MP: After I final requested about two weeks in the past, Honda was nonetheless evaluating. As I continuously must remind myself, we additionally haven’t heard from Chevy on its formal dedication to produce engines past 2026.
Watch this area. Matt Fraver/Penske Leisure
Q: Following the letter final week in regards to the IMSA yellow flag state of affairs, I’ve a query. When there’s a state of affairs the place there’s a FCY, why cannot the tempo automobile merely choose up the chief and the others maintain station behind the chief as they run? And if the chief, or anybody else for instance, decides to pit in the course of the FCY, then they arrive out the place they arrive out, and that’s the place they keep.
If the chief pits, the tempo automobile merely picks up the subsequent automobile behind it, even when it’s a lapped GT automobile, for instance. Chances are high they might field, too. Then when the mess is cleaned up, we go racing – no losing time aligning the lessons.
They race anyplace from a dash to 24 hours coping with class racing, so they need to be capable to cope with restarts all blended up. They’re single file restarts anyway, so it shouldn’t be that troublesome to do. Hoping they discover a answer.
Dan
MP: To each ‘why can’t they’ query, my speedy response is, ‘They will in the event that they need to.’
There’s no motive they will’t do what you recommend or others recommend. It’s a matter of whether or not they like the concept or need to change from no matter they’re doing proper now on no matter subject.
Q: I used to be watching a report about Dan Wheldon’s accident, and the feedback raised a query about his entry in Las Vegas, given the problem of beginning final, and many others.
The query that arose is whether or not he was the one driver to just accept the problem, and if there have been different names thought-about?
Relating to the 2026 season, do not you assume it might be excellent for Rahal LLR to promote its constitution for No.30 and put money into the opposite two vehicles, or since they misplaced the IMSA program, can they now focus extra on IndyCar once more?
Emerson Czerkawski, São Paulo, Brazil
MP: There have been others being thought-about, together with Travis Pastrana. RLL’s sports activities automobile group has gained extra races during the last 17 years than its IndyCar program, in order that facet of the home is one thing to carry onto and discover a new producer to rent as its manufacturing facility group.
The No. 30 had its worst season up to now, and there have been rumors of the group trying to promote its constitution, however these are false. The group is testing Mick Schumacher on Monday on the IMS highway course. Graham Rahal and Louis Foster have multi-year offers and are locked in for 2026. The one motive to check Schumacher is to see if he likes the automobile and would need to be part of Rahal and Foster subsequent yr. Mentioned one other approach, if the group was trying to eliminate the third automobile, it might serve no goal to spend cash on operating Schumacher.
With that in thoughts, it’s clear to me that RLL is looking for a driver who will restore what it misplaced when Christian Lundgaard departed for Arrow McLaren. Axing the third automobile solely is smart if it could possibly’t discover somebody to deliver it ahead within the discipline.
Q: Are the IndyCar groups allowed to mix-match tire compounds? For instance, put two arduous compound tires within the again and two softs within the entrance? Or put two gentle compounds on the left facet of the automobile and hards on the proper? And even higher, put a tough compound on the entrance proper and softs on the opposite three? Please advise.
Bob Grey, Canoga Park CA.
MP: They don’t seem to be.
Q: Will the low season strikes put Andretti again into the combination? With the technical alliance between Andretti and Coyne deliver VeeKay again into the fold?
Dino, New Hanover, PA
MP: Thus far, it’s dropping Nathan O’Rouke from the No. 26 timing stand in favor of a shop-based engineering function, so within the short-term, no, I can’t see how that makes the group stronger. He’s probably the greatest race engineers within the collection, and will definitely assist the group in no matter function they create for him, however I wouldn’t count on it to have a direct impression. It’s only a query of timing and when O’Rourke’s revised contributions will likely be felt.
Identical for Rob Edwards, who holds onto his group management function till the top of the yr after which shifts to an overarching chief efficiency officer place that covers all of TWG Motorsports’ program, apart from F1. He’ll be new to that function and defining its scope on the identical time, so like O’Rourke, it’s arduous to say a direct uplift will likely be skilled in IndyCar.
Ron Ruzewski, who’ll take over from Edwards in January, is the one particular person whose change I count on to have an prompt affect. He’s arriving from Staff Penske the place his title was managing director, and that’s the identical title held by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Mike Hull, which speaks to how essential Ruzewski was to Penske’s success. He’s been given the title of group principal at Andretti, which is only a completely different identify for what he was doing at Penske.
His deep race engineering background and technical director-level stature at Penske will likely be a brand new side for the chief of Andretti’s IndyCar program, in order that’s a achieve, after which you may have the plain half, which is understanding Penske’s playbook in and out. All of the methods Penske prepares its vehicles for the Indy 500 and does no matter it does to be particular in every single place else is within the reminiscence banks of the particular person in control of Andretti’s three-car effort, which incorporates Will Energy, who Ruzewski labored intently with at Penske.
The one draw back is Ruzewski’s on gardening depart till the top of the yr. If he was capable of plug himself into Andretti as we speak, there can be a bigger alternative to form its offseason engineering R&D program and another areas he sees as needing enter. Beginning on January 1 will push that timeline again, however sure, the group needs to be extra aggressive with him in the home.
VeeKay is off to Juncos Hollinger Racing.
That is the smile of a driver who is aware of he has a journey for subsequent yr. Chris Owens/Penske Leisure
Q: I’ve adopted the Cadillac F1 information and the announcement of drivers. The half that I have never heard something about is Herta the take a look at driver.
Is he lined as much as a F2 group for subsequent season? Are any of the present groups to having him with them or is there going to be a brand new group for him to drive for?
Michael Kraemer
CHRIS MEDLAND: The final info I had was that the group was not but totally confirmed, however there was a shortlist of three. Drivers should deliver price range to a seat in F2, so there was a suggestion that maybe a number of the numbers being quoted have been inflated, resulting in it taking a bit of longer to finalize.
It will likely be an current group as there is no such thing as a announcement of a brand new group getting into F2 subsequent yr, or a present one being bought/rebranded (although it could possibly occur at brief discover). I imagine the vast majority of groups have been very fascinated about operating Colton, however some have been additionally barely cautious of the elevated scrutiny and stress that might come alongside that.
Q: Colton Herta hasn’t introduced which F2 group he’s driving for subsequent yr, which goes to have a huge impact on expectations, however what does yr in F2 appear to be for Colton subsequent yr?
On one hand Herta is much more skilled at racing in a excessive stage in comparison with the typical F2 driver, however on the opposite he has much less expertise on the tracks in comparison with virtually everybody else within the discipline.
Is it sensible for him to be a title contender?
Will, Indy
CM: Truthfully, no, I don’t assume it’s sensible for him to be a title contender. That’s not right down to an absence of expertise, however expertise in comparison with those that will likely be preventing for a title. You’re proper that the group he finally ends up with will play a significant function – you want the tools to be dependable and to have good engineers round you – however I personally would view subsequent yr as a studying season for Colton to achieve observe expertise and get to know the automobile and atmosphere once more.
Then I’d count on him to be preventing for the title the next season, earlier than trying to step as much as F1 in 2028. That may enable Cadillac to seek out its toes, too, and the expertise of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez to actually assist with the group’s improvement earlier than contemplating any modifications to the line-up.
Q: The subsequent set of F1 guidelines appear to be getting increasingly destructive publicity (even with, I think about, F1 placing stress on drivers to restrict any destructive commentary to the press). However wanting ahead to the next set of rules, is it time for F1 to be much less prescriptive?
For instance, with the success of the associated fee cap, may this be expanded to engine producers too, however they’re then given freedom on engine measurement and sort? Then groups would have extra notable strengths and weaknesses. We may see V12s and V8s vs smaller turbo V6s. With a strict value cap, groups gained’t be allowed uncontrolled spending and improvement.
For the general automobile, scale back the minimal weight to 550kg, for instance. It won’t be attainable to succeed in that weight, but when groups should go the strict crash assessments then groups can develop a lot smaller lighter vehicles or ones which are barely bigger (however nonetheless smaller than present technology).
Lastly, may there be extra testing choices, if groups need to do testing then there’s an related value and so they should additionally sacrifice wind tunnel and CFD improvement time. This opens up completely different methods and many others.
It will by no means occur however can be good to have extra open guidelines and vehicles which are identifiable to a group even when they’re painted black. (Last level: Can the FIA power groups to have the vehicles in gloss/chrome end? The matte colours and quantity of carbon makes the schemes a lot duller).
Richard, UK
CM: I do love the concept of freedom for engine producers, and it has been mentioned prior to now, however the concern is one sort of engine would emerge because the dominant one, and both you’d should develop the identical measurement, or pull out of the game if that wasn’t in step with a producer’s wider strategy. The one technique to realistically keep away from that taking place can be by Stability of Efficiency (BoP), and as prescriptive as F1 has grow to be, that’s one thing it isn’t eager on.
You’re additionally proper Richard that 2022 did see the vehicles grow to be extra prescriptive than prior to now, however that was to each try to encourage nearer racing and restrict how a lot a automobile was influenced by soiled air. You won’t imagine it, however each have been achieved – all the grid is repeatedly coated by lower than a second over a qualifying lap – however in creating a better discipline, there aren’t the efficiency differentials that result in overtaking.
With out these, then a smaller quantity of soiled air has a much bigger impression, as a result of the vehicles are already intently matched. For instance, if you happen to misplaced 0.5s per lap operating behind one other automobile 5 years in the past, however had a 1.0s per lap benefit, you’d have a greater likelihood of overtaking. Whereas now, if you happen to lose 0.25s per lap behind one other automobile, however solely have a 0.5s per lap benefit, the tempo benefit just isn’t large enough to make a transfer.
Selection in automobile design and engine specs would create greater differentials to permit extra overtaking, however that will additionally open up the potential for much more races the place there are large gaps between vehicles.
It’s at all times going to be imperfect whether or not you go for the extra prescriptive route or much less, however the place I completely agree with you is that the vehicles needs to be smaller. Very merely, that offers them extra room to race in on current tracks, which positively wouldn’t harm.
In your remaining level, technically the FIA may do this in the event that they wished – they might write it into the rules! Which I feel was form of prompt at one level, within the type of mandating a share of the automobile that couldn’t be carbon. However making it simpler for groups to fulfill the load restrict would even have a useful impression on liveries.
THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, October 8, 2014
Q: Final week in the course of the press convention for the Japanese GP, all of the drivers have been requested what probably the most highly effective automobile they’d pushed by age 17. Sebastian Vettel talked about that he examined a Champ Automobile at that age. This could put it round 2004 or ’05. I’ve by no means heard something about this take a look at, so do you may have any details about the place it was and who he was testing for
Artem, Kitchener, ON
ROBIN MILLER: He was the Method BMW champion and earned a take a look at in Derrick Walker’s Champ Automobile at Homestead’s infield course. Right here’s a quote from Walker: “He was bloody spectacular and I instructed any person ‘That child could possibly be Method 1 champ some day.’” Good name, D.W
