Champ Cars & Indy Racing League Merger

[Omathisen]

The reality is that the series have to get together to survive. Unfortunately. One problem is that the people who will be in charge - Tony George, Roger Penske, Honda execs., etc. - are the same ones that for reasons of ego and greed caused the split and the ongoing civil war in the first place.
Now we have to watch Dallaras go round and round. . . Even the old Lolas and Reynards with their turbocharged engines were more fun to watch (and faster) than the Dallaras with their Honda engines (and what happened to Toyota and Chevy).
Also, noted today that the Indianapolis Star today said that IRL's most recognizable driver is Dannicka Patrick. . . .
Champ Car used to attract retired FI drivers and would also feed young drivers to FI.
Due to egos and greed, we have lost a lot, including tracks, and in my case, we lost Nazareth, Loudon, Montreal and now Cleveland -- all tracks we have been going to regularly. We also traveled to Road America for Champ Car and Las Vegas and even had tickets for Phoenix (last fall).
Having followed Champ Car racing since the early 60s, I have seriously mixed emotions. Champ Car racing used to be on the level of FI -- drivers even got points for the 500. Jack Brabham, Jimmy Clark and Graham Hill would race. Now, the focus is on a fashion model driver, according to Indianapolis Star. . .
Maybe time will heal.

[Silverback51]

Originally Posted by Omathisen

The reality is that the series have to get together to survive. Unfortunately. One problem is that the people who will be in charge - Tony George, Roger Penske, Honda execs., etc. - are the same ones that for reasons of ego and greed caused the split and the ongoing civil war in the first place.
Now we have to watch Dallaras go round and round. . . Even the old Lolas and Reynards with their turbocharged engines were more fun to watch (and faster) than the Dallaras with their Honda engines (and what happened to Toyota and Chevy).
Also, noted today that the Indianapolis Star today said that IRL's most recognizable driver is Dannicka Patrick. . . .
Champ Car used to attract retired FI drivers and would also feed young drivers to FI.
Due to egos and greed, we have lost a lot, including tracks, and in my case, we lost Nazareth, Loudon, Montreal and now Cleveland -- all tracks we have been going to regularly. We also traveled to Road America for Champ Car and Las Vegas and even had tickets for Phoenix (last fall).
Having followed Champ Car racing since the early 60s, I have seriously mixed emotions. Champ Car racing used to be on the level of FI -- drivers even got points for the 500. Jack Brabham, Jimmy Clark and Graham Hill would race. Now, the focus is on a fashion model driver, according to Indianapolis Star. . .
Maybe time will heal.

I agree. It's a shame that Tony George won. If it wasn't for him controlling Indy, the IRL would not have lasted as long as the XFL football league.

[Don]

Not the same as Dale JR's web site:

The Official Site of Danica Patrick

[Don]

Source: MotorSports.com

John Andretti on open-wheel unification
Andretti Comments on Open Wheel Unification

Archdale, N.C. (February 22, 2008) -- Veteran racer John Andretti has competed in both CART and IRL events throughout his career. His career first started in the series formerly known as CART, now Champ Car, before moving to NASCAR. Andretti returned to open wheel last season to compete in the Indianapolis 500, an event sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. Andretti comments on the recent speculation of the unification of the two open wheel series.

John Andretti, former CART winner, NASCAR Sprint Cup winner and Indianapolis 500 winner:

What do you know or have heard about the unification of open wheel racing?

"I've talked to a few people that are somewhat in the know, or really in the know. I don't even know if it's been announced yet, but the idea and the feeling is that if it hasn't been, it's forthcoming. I think everything is really, really close. It will basically be IRL cars. It will be the IRL Series, but it will include some of the venues of Champ car, so some of the teams will obviously switch over. I assume some will dissolve. I think the process is short, though, because they have a Homestead test coming up and they've got racing to get started. There are cars available. I think there's been so much to take into account, but it's no longer November, December or January. We're right on the heel s of the first race."

Will this be a good step for open wheel racing?

"Right now, it's no different than if NASCAR had a competing series at the highest level. You sit there and talk about if there should be an east and a west series, and set it up like the conferences. Racing is different than football. You want to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte, all of them go head to head every week. You don't want to see them once a year or at the end of the season. That's the difference. We can do that because we have forty-three competitors, forty-three teams every weekend. Then we even have a race to get into that forty-three, so from that standpoint, that's probably the best comparison. That's what will happen -- you'll be bringing people in that fans recognize from both series as great drivers and solid organization team-wise. Yeah, I think it will make everything stronger."

What are your feelings if it happens?

"I thought that years ago when CART was being sold off that the judge made the best decision he could, but I think if you take all of the circumstances into account, this could have been resolved then. Tony (George) could have played hardball in my opinion and he didn't. He's always played fair. This could have happened a long time ago, but it's better to happen now than to keep whittling on. As time passed, that was everyone's excuse. I think the IRL has great racing. It's exciting. Some of those oval races like Texas are just unbelievable. I think the series is now going to have a lot of road racing again, some street racing; it's going to have a lot of diversity. It's going to look like back when Mario, Michael and myself raced and have that same sort of feel which I think is very positive."

-credit: Breaking Limits

Discuss this article in the Motorsport.com Forums channel: IRL CHAMPCAR

[Omathisen]

Tonight, on Windtunnel (9p.m.), it will be interesting to see who (all?) will claim to have saved open wheel racing. Most likely the people who killed it in the first place. They should run for office. . . .

[Don]

FYI:

Source: MotorSports.com

Series statement on open-wheel unification
Racing series ALMS
Date 2008-02-22
AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES ISSUES STATEMENT REGARDING OPEN WHEEL UNIFICATION

"IMSA and the American Le Mans Series have been monitoring the talks between the owners of the Champ Car World Series and the Indy Racing League very closely. We have enjoyed good relations with both. However, instability in the business of auto racing is bad for everyone concerned. We hope that the events of recent days lead to a more stable situation; one where teams, promoters, sponsors and fans can invest their time and money back into the sport. Ultimately this would be the best resolution for all of us, including the American Le Mans Series.

"For 2008 we have six of our twelve races slated to be shared with the two open wheel racing series, three with CCWS and three with the IRL. We have been asked by many to speculate on how this transition will affect these events, and other aspects of our business, including the four development series that we are proud to sanction. Many details have yet to be worked out, so it is simply too soon to know all of these answers, and we do not think it is productive to speculate. However, we believe that it will affect our participation in the events very little. We have run successful events at many of these venues with and without the open wheel series. We are currently working on the promotion of all twelve of our events, and will continue to do so. We have a growing series with incredible drivers, teams, manufacturers and sponsors, a stable relationship with the event promoters and with the television broadcasters, and we look forward to displaying our great racing, at all of the venues on our schedule.

"Finally, we look forward to working with the combined open wheel series, to continuing to promote the sport of auto racing and to serving our fans."

Tim Mayer
Chief Operating Officer, International Motor Sports Association & American Le Mans Series

-credit: alms

Discuss this article in the Motorsport.com Forums channel: ALMS

[Don]

From AutoWeek.com

The Indy Racing League and Champ Car World Series have scheduled a press conference for Wednesday, Feb. 27, to discuss the unification of the two groups into one open-wheel racing series.

Speakers at the press conference will be IRL founder Tony George and Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven. The event is set to begin at 12:15 p.m. at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.

People can see the press conference streamed live at IndyCar.com. The event will also be broadcast by ESPNnews and Speed Channel.

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