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Purdue University plans to move its motorsports engineering program to Speedway as part of a multiyear partnership with IndyCar manufacturing partner Dallara.
The agreement, announced Thursday, will see Purdue occupy up to 20,000 square feet at Dallara’s U.S. headquarters at 1201 N. Main St., splitting that space between the engineering program and the Ray Ewry Sports Engineering Center, which focuses on research and learning opportunities for students and athletes enrolled in the university.
The move by Purdue marks the latest in the school’s efforts to branch out across the city in conjunction with a split of IUPUI into Purdue University in Indianapolis and Indiana University Indianapolis on July 1. Other programs are expected to be located near Bottleworks in space leased by High Alpha, as well as others near 16 Tech, along with future buildings on a 28-acre plat at Indiana and West Streets that is currently part of the joint campus.
“In the coming years, all programs at Purdue will find homes throughout our state’s capital city,” Purdue President Mung Chiang said in written remarks. “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.”
Dallara is the world’s largest multinational Italian race car manufacturer and has had a presence in Speedway since 2010, when it opened its Main Street factory, where it develops, tests and produces the chassis and AeroKit components for IndyCar.
“At Dallara, we are committed to innovation and excellence in motorsports engineering,” Dallara CEO Andrea Pontremoli said in a written statement. “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.”
Purdue does not expect to occupy its entire 20,000-square-foot allotment immediately, Dan Hasler, a former Indiana commerce secretary and Lilly executive who is overseeing Purdue’s Indianapolis expansion, told IBJ. Instead, it will occupy a smaller portion and eventually grow into its full footprint.
The facility will give students access to educational labs, study areas, an auditorium, and manufacturing and research areas, as well as to longtime engineers and other personnel involved in Dallara’s development process.
Purdue officials also said they are hopeful the relationship will allow students to build deeper relationships with teams and other entities involved in the motorsports industries.
Hasler said the program, created in 2008, has seen rapid growth in recent years and is on track for its best enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year. He declined to share a specific figure.
The program is the only one of its kind in the United States.
“It’s a flagship, and I think, especially with this move and with the panache that this adds to it and the learning opportunity, we’re going to be able to grow the program exponentially in the next 10 years,” he said.
Terms of the Dallara lease agreement, including length and cost, were not immediately available. The motorsports engineering program is moving into the Dallara building after several years at The Stutz in downtown Indianapolis.
“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. “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.”
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