Let’s Make It Official: AVL RACETECH and the ECR INDYCAR Team Sign Technical Partnership Agreement

Graz, Austria / Indianapolis, USA, February 2026 – AVL RACETECH and the ECR (Ed Carpenter Racing) INDYCAR Team have entered into an official technical partnership. Building on a collaboration that began in 2021, the alliance now moves into a new phase with an expanded scope. AVL RACETECH will be the Official Dynamic Vehicle Simulation Partner of the Team. 

The partnership strengthens ECR’s engineering capabilities through the increased use of AVL’s advanced vehicle dynamics simulation technologies within the highly competitive NTT INDYCAR SERIES. At the core of the cooperation is AVL VSM™ RACE, AVL RACETECH’s fully dynamic vehicle simulation platform. The software enables ECR to evaluate setup concepts for upcoming races in a precise, data-driven virtual environment. By leveraging AVL’s cloud computing capabilities, large volumes of laps can be simulated within a very short time – a crucial advantage given the tight NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule and limited preparation windows between events. Early virtual validation of setup decisions allows the team to increase efficiency and focus track time on performance execution.

Based in Indianapolis, ECR first entered the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2012 and made an immediate impact by winning the season finale in its debut year. Since then, the team has secured multiple race victories and established itself as a competitive presence in the series, highlighted by strong performances at the Indianapolis 500, including multiple pole positions. For the 2026 season, ECR fields a strong lineup with Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi in the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet and race winner Christian Rasmussen in the No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet, alongside team owner Ed Carpenter for the Indianapolis 500.

The NTT INDYCAR Series is the premier open-wheel championship in North America and presents one of the most technically demanding environments in global motorsport. From high-speed ovals with steep banking to unforgiving street circuits and traditional road courses, teams must master vastly different setups within extremely tight preparation windows. In such a competitive paddock, extracting performance requires advanced tools, precise preparation, and continuous development.

Ed Carpenter, CEO, ECR INDYCAR Team:

“Partnering with AVL RACETECH strengthens every part of our program. Their expertise gives us tools to push deeper, innovate faster, and elevate the performance standard we expect at ECR.” 

Matt Barnes, Vice President of Competition, ECR INDYCAR Team:

“Partnering with AVL RACETECH gives us access to world class simulation and development tools that elevate every aspect of our engineering program. Their expertise aligns perfectly with our commitment to continuous improvement, and together we’re unlocking performance gains that will make a real difference on track.”

Ellen LOHR, Director Motorsport, AVL List GmbH:

“INDYCAR represents one of the most demanding environments in global open-wheel racing. The fact that we are now transforming our collaboration with ECR into an official partnership underscores the mutual trust between us. Together, we want to achieve measurable performance advantages on the track with state-of-the-art vehicle simulation.”

Michael Peinsitt, Team Leader Racing, AVL List GmbH:

“With AVL VSM™ RACE, we offer ECR a precise, fully dynamic simulation environment to validate setup decisions based on high quality simulation data, and to make development processes more efficient. Especially considering the huge variety of tracks INDYCAR races on, demanding vastly different setups, and the very limited track time, this is a clear competitive advantage.”