Champ Cars & Indy Racing League Merger

[Don]

Source: AutoWeek Feb 8th:

The off-again, on-again talks between the Indy Racing League and Champ Car World Series appear to be on again in an 11th-hour attempt to unify the two series for 2008.

IRL officials confirmed on Friday (Feb. 8) that league chairman Tony George and two of his top associates, along with Robert Clarke, the former head of Honda Performance Development, will fly to Motegi, Japan, this weekend to meet with Motegi track officials. Their pitch: Moving the April 19 Motegi race so that this year's Long Beach Grand Prix can be added to the IndyCar Series schedule.

Long Beach, which has been on Champ Car's schedule since 1984, is set to host its race April 20. The Long Beach promoter has a contract with the California city to stage the event and says the date is not changeable. Honda owns the Motegi track, which explains Clarke's presence on the trip with George.

The Motegi/Long Beach situation is just one of the key issues yet to be resolved, but George's willingness to fly 13 hours from Indianapolis to Japan indicates he is dedicated to finding a solution.

There are several things that must be accounted for before the two series can become one.

Champ Car has a handful of contracts with race promoters that need to be resolved. George said he's willing to add as many of those races to the IRL's 2008 schedule as possible. Date conflicts with existing IRL races are part of the obstacles, he said.

George and Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven insist an agreement is not yet in place, but it appears the settling of the schedules could go a long way toward assisting that.

George still says that the deadline has passed for Champ Car teams to get free cars and engines from the IRL, even if they can prove they have enough sponsorship to operate them. But that offer might reappear if a deal is reached.

The IndyCar Series' first open test is set for Feb. 27-28 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. IRL President Brian Barnhart said it would take "about a week" for a Champ Car team to prepare its car to participate in the session. Those cars would come from teams already in the IRL.


AutoWeek | Updated: 02/08/08, 12:40 pm et

Article URL: Champ Car, Indy Racing League working on truce - AutoWeek Magazine

[Sharroll Celby]

This is a good thing. I hope they succeed.

[Ron61]

If they don't get together I don't see how they can survive much longer. The just don't draw the crowds with the split and the cost of racing is going up as fast as the economy is going down.

Ron

[Don]

USA Today Feb 12:

Race is against time in open-wheel merger talks
By A.J. Perez, USA TODAY

As talks continue to end the split in American open-wheel racing between the Indy Racing League and Champ Car World Series, at least one team might not wait for an accord.

Longtime Champ Car owner Derrick Walker said he's considering taking his two-car operation to the IndyCar Series, a move that would leave Champ Car with as few as 15 confirmed cars if an agreement isn't reached in the coming days to end the 12-year rift between the two Indy-style racing series.

"We're just a small company who is trying to sell our wares, which for us is getting sponsors and going racing," said Walker, who is in discussion to keep his drivers (Will Power and Simon Pagenaud) and main sponsor (Aussie Vineyards) on board if he makes the transition. "That's our business. So we had to look at the IRL and look at the Indy 500, which we thought had a comeback year in 2007."

Walker, however, said he hopes he doesn't have to pick sides, something race fans, drivers and teams have done since the IRL made its debut in 1996. Many within open-wheel racing were cautiously optimistic Sunday that a deal could be worked out before the 2008 season that would merge both organizations under the IRL umbrella.

"Certainly, this is the closest the two organizations have been to finding a way to unify the sport," IRL spokesman Fred Nation said. "Unfortunately, time is short."


IRL founder Tony George and other series officials met with Honda executives in Japan on Monday in hopes of clearing the first major hurdle toward reunification: moving the date of the race at Twin Ring Motegi, the Japanese track owned by Honda.

Champ Car's season-opening Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 20, the USA's biggest open-wheel event outside the Indianapolis 500, takes place the same weekend as Motegi. The LBGP receives clearance from the city to run on its streets a year in advance, making a date change impractical.

"I sure wouldn't want to be the person or entity that stands in the way (of a merger)," said Bobby Rahal, an IRL team owner and Indy 500 winner. "If all that's in the way is moving Motegi to the fall, I sure hope (Honda officials) can see how a merger would benefit everybody."

Moving Motegi's date is just the first step. Merging the rest of the schedule and getting Champ Car teams the IRL's engine and chassis package would need to be worked out quickly since the IRL opens its season March 29.

"When I see it, I'll believe it," Rahal said. "We've been down this road so many times."

[Ron61]

Don,

I just don't see either series surviving much longer. They don't draw many people to the races, the leadership just seems to want to fight, and drivers are going to NASCAR as fast as they can. But NASCAR isn't going to save them if they don't get their own mess straightened up and start gaining back fans. I saw a report on last season and NASCAR lost a huge amount of fan appeal and many sponsors are looking for other things to put their money into. Now we have Sprint Cup and I can't even remember the name of the old Bush Series. And in another year or so of their stupid rules and lack of racing, Sprint will most likely leave. The LeMans series and other types are gaining more and more now.

Ron

[Joe Wicked]

Ron,
It is the Nationwide Series.

The Sprint Cup is because Sprint bought Nextel, and are slowly phasing out the Nextel name. First it was Sprint and Nextel toegether, but the 2 really were 2 complete different services. Then Nextel was an option that you could get from Sprint, Do you want Sprint or Nextel service? Really still seperate. Then it was Nextel by Sprint. Nothing more than a service you could get depending on your phone capabilities. Kinda like the power vision vs regular vision. Now, I don't even see Nextel advertised any more, but it is still offered. This is just the next step in phasing out the name completely. I think that Nextel sponsored the series as a last ditch effort to keep in business, but it was already too late.