Reunited and it Feels So Good: IRL/Champ Car Deal Could be Done
After years of separation and weeks of negotiating, it looks as if the deal to reunite America’s open wheel racing factions, Champ Car and the Indy Racing League, is complete.
According to reports, negotiations ended successfully last night, with at least five Champ Cart teams taking up IRL boss Tony George (pictured) on his offer of free cars and engines, plus $1.2 million for any team willing to run the full IRL season.
Current information tells us that the Newman/Haas/Lanigan, PKV, and Forsythe teams are all likely to enter IRL with two cars apiece. Teams Walker, Conquest, and Dale Coyne Racing will most likely field one entry, while the fates of Minardi Team USA, and Rocketsports are still unclear. The Pacific Coast Mototsports team has indicated that is will jump series and formula, with a move to the American Le Mans Series.
The biggest hold up in the negotiations seems to have been the crossed dates of Champ Car’s round at Long Beach and IRL’s race at Motegi during the weekend of April 19-20. It is believed the Motegi date has been moved to later in the summer.
The new schedule is said to be up to 19 races for this season, with more road courses possible for next year.
Refusing to completely confirm the reunification talk yet, Tony George would only say, "While it is true that I continue to believe we're at the threshold of something long-overdue, we have not yet stepped across it."
+ Autosport: IRL/Champ Car deal reportedly done
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Comments
Mike B
What's so good about it? R.I.P. CART/Champ Car. This is a huge loss for open wheel racing. I guess I'll have to wait for the next Gurney, with a White Paper.
If this was good for open wheel racing, George wouldn't have had to buy victory.
Seyth Miersma
I disagree. I think that Champ Car’s continued efforts to soldier on alone would have spelled real death for the series, perhaps both series eventually. The North American market needs the strength, and fans of both IRL and CART, to have a chance to make a dent in the racing consciousness here.
This is a good/needed move.
Mike B
I could have accepted it better if Champ Car would have just died. It's as good as dead to me, and just closing up shop would have been more dignified. That's from an enthusiast standpoint; I realize jobs are at stake, and for that I accept it.
Also, I disagree with your assesment that this will garner the support of both Champ Car and IRL fans. I will not follow the new series, end of story. There may be other Champ Car fans who feel the same way. If there are racing fans that will enjoy the new combined series, more power to them; they're better people than me. For me, though, the options for professional open wheel racing just got that much more narrow.
Hopefully we won't see a similar merger of ALMS and Grand Am, for sports cars.
mg5904
This is no merger, this is a dissolution or acquisition. We are getting a butt-ugly, dangerous disaster of a car that looks like an anime version of Pinocchio and sounds painfully like a farting bee. Good thing we don't get the Cosworth turbo or the newer and safer Elan DP01. Just how much slower were those Dallaras at Sebring than the DP01? 4 Seconds? Great. Slow, dangerous, hideous and painful to the ears. Say goodbye to Assen, Laguna, Cleveland, Jerez etc.
So how have those indy 500 ratings been going the past 5 years? And how many cars were you starting this year with this season? 13? 16 if you close your eyes and wish real hard?
Was it worth it tony? Congratulations. Over a decade and how many dollars, injuries and careers later you finally have control.
At least there is ALMS and WRC.
REPORT: IRL-Champ Car unification a done deal | Auto Sources
[...] [Sources: SpeedTV.com via Autosport and Winding Road] [...]
BobG
Have to agree with mg5904 about the car. How many Champ Car cars have gotten frequent flier miles like the IRL crap cars? Those things are obviously unsafe!
It would also be very sad to see some of the tracks disappear, not that they've been easy to watch lately any way as its been so hard to find the coverage.
You have to hand it to Tony George for his wonderful decision to split the series. I felt that it was heading this way when Penske bolted to IRL. That was sad as a precursor of what was to come. The losers win.
Winding Road » Archive » Done Deal: Champ Car and IRL Merger
[...] two warring sides of U.S. open-wheel racing have finally, and officially, come together, as a deal has been signed to unify Champ Car and the Indy Racing [...]
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