alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

Open-wheel series unify; IRL to absorb at least six Champ Car teams



Indy Car racing has finally gotten together. The Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series signed a deal Friday to unify the two American open-wheel circuits, bringing them under the umbrella of the IRL.
"I'm glad that they were able to get it done," said A.J. Foyt, the first four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. "It'll eliminate the confusion for the race fans and the sponsors because there'll be just one type of car and one type of motor and everyone will be running together. May the best team win."
After 12 years of bitter rivalry that confused fans, promoted apathy and nearly buried the sport, Champ Car agreed to cease operations, giving the surviving IRL the opportunity to rebuild open-wheel's lost prestige.
The deal, which has been in the works for about two weeks, was announced Friday in Indianapolis, where both series have their headquarters.
A statement was released, saying, "Owners of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League completed an agreement in principle Friday that will unify the sport for 2008.
"Gerald Forsythe, co-owner of Champ Car, signed an agreement in principle in Chicago, joining his partner Kevin Kalkhoven and Indy Racing League founder and CEO Tony George who had signed late Thursday in Indianapolis."



More at: http://cbs.sportsline.com/autoracing/story/10661100/1

What does this means to you? The loss of open wheel racing at many of your favorite road courses.

GULAMAN

I'm very torn about this. while re-unifying open wheel racing seems like what we have been waiting for, the huge problem for me is that it's happening on the IRL's terms. I've been a fan of CART/CCWS since the early 90s, and love the chassis, engine, and most importantly, the great road courses that have produced so many good battles over the years.
my understanding of this 'unification' is that the Panoz/Cosworth package is going bye-bye and that only the IRL eyesore crapwagons will be going forward. worse, only 3 of CCWS's races will be folded into the new series. gone are the great road courses like Portland, Laguna Seca, Toronto (well, technically street course), Mexico City, Cleveland, Road America. however, all of the IRL's horrible oval races are *staying*. WTF! F**k Tony George!
While CCWS was not in great shape financially over the past few years, I still enjoyed the product they put out, attending races like Vancouver, Portland, San Jose, Laguna Seca, Vegas, and Long Beach. I just wish they could've continued to build on their product, and leave FTG on the other side of the fence to wallow in his own excrement. At the same time, I can't wholly fault the CCWS teams for their decision to try a deal with the devil; losing millions of $$ can't be fun.

rotarygod

The biggest mistake was spearating them in the first place. I prefer the Champ Cars to the IRL. I wish they'd go back to the says of multiple chassis and engine combinations. That's what racing was all about. I don't like the modern American way of race car thinking which states all one car all one engine and leave it up to the driver. I do see the argument for this but reak racing isn't only about who's the best driver but who can create the best combination of parts within the scope of the rules. This is what makes ALMS so exciting. I don't want it to be all about driver only. That just leads to predictable outcomes with certain people being more consistent than others.

I don't like the IRL cars themselves as much as the Champ Cars. IRL uses naturally aspirated engines that make about 100 less hp than the Champ Cars which use turbocharged engines. The turbo is now dead in American racing and that's a sad day. The Pinnacle of American open wheel was the early 90's before the split. That's when cars looked their best, variety was high, and they were their fastest. Now it's basically turning into open wheel NASCAR. This is the open wheel equivalent of Walmart in the racing world.

I didn't like IRL because it was mostly oval racing. It was only oval racing for a while. This is boring. Oval track is not real racing. It's a venue for the untalented to compete for the money of a supportive trailer part. Now with them joining back up, I wonder what the race schedule will be like? Will it be half ovals and half road courses? We'll see I guess. For open wheel racing to be exciting, they need to limit the ovals to no more than 2 races. Indianapolis and Milwaukee. The rest can stay NASCAR. With anymore than 2 oval races in a year, the series will still fall. The allure of open wheel racing is their cornering ability. Imagine F1 on nothing but ovals. It would suck!

I think reunification is a good thing in some ways but in other ways it's bad. The mistake was over a decade ago and it's just too late to fix it to restore it to it's grandeur.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

The problem is, IRL's farm system is made up of oval track series. They say they still want to continue the F Atlantic series because it is too good to lose. But, are they going to start running that on ovals again? I know the series Director Vicky O'Conner. Her husband used to run in the S2000 class in SCCA Nats. I also know Jim Swintal, chief starter for ChampCar. We used to work corners together at the races back in the 80's. I think the starter position was a part time (fun) job for him and he will go back to his regular gig.

wisconsinben

+1

Tony George can

TownDrunk

+2

FTG, FIRL... I guess I'll only watch F1 now.

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

my understanding is only THREE road courses will be retained, and the rest will follow IRL's original schedule.

in effect, it's less of a merger than a forced takeover by Tony George and his go round-n-round racing league

a bittersweet day for open wheel racing in north america...

Huhwha

Open wheel in the U.S. has been dead since the split. This won't help. At least they are keeping Mid-Ohio, for now. I can go watch the mayhem in person.

peterlemonjello

Hopefully, FTG will get it right in '09 and later. He needs to pick up more of the champ car tracks and use something closer to the Panoz DP-01 and cossie turbos in the future. I'd like a few ovals in the schedule but definitely more road and street circuits.

wisconsinben

That's my plan! At least F1 still places SOME emphasis on technology...not ALL on driver ability.

wisconsinben

You have just described what used to be the CART series! Again, further proof that TG is single-handedly ruining open wheel racing.

rotarygod

Too late. With Champ Car being the series folded in and not the other way around, open wheel racing in the US is officially dead.

climacus

The current IRL crapwagon chassis is due for replacement after 2009. The new one will hopefully be more sophisticated. Also turbo has not been ruled out.

Formula Atlantic are rumored to have been sold to Don Panoz to run alongside ALMS.

I don't think TG is married to the idea of running ovals. Ultimately he just want to become the American Bernie Ecclestone. If street circuits and road courses lend more legitimacy and profits to his series, he will follow the money. I think IRL will eventually become very CART like, since open-wheel oval racing obviously is not working (they had to give the tickets away and still people didn't show up).

The unification is a good thing in the sense that the field is now much larger, and will hopefully draw a bigger TV audience. It was painful watching CART withering away in the past 3 years with no TV package.

foxman

It's merge or die, the latter being a less desirable alternative.

Clavius

I think they'll stick to Ovals soley cause of the damn Nascar mentality. If it works for them why not us right? Hopefully they will realize a good mix of Road and Oval will garner the best audience, that and a sweet TV deal if they sell themselves correctly. I'd sell myself as Open Wheel Nascar, yeah I know we all hate the big monster they have become but hell you can't say that they havent done everything in their power to promote themselves.

But guess we'll just have to wait and see.. guess I'll try my best to watch Dave Dispain on Wind Tunnel this coming Sunday.. should definatly be interesting.

lesper4

iTrader: (3)

personally i have always liked IRL and i do like ovals as well. i think this well help the sport. i never watched much champ car racing as it was. most of the analysist think this is good as well. dont they.

rotarygod

Forsythe Racing is going to close down now as an indirect result of all of this. They are out of money.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/65366

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

There is suppose to be a press confrence today, by T.G. & K.K., around 12:30(?) EST to update the public on what is going on. Look for news reports this PM for updates.

Phil's 8

iTrader: (3)

Personally TG is not my favorite person and oval racing is less interesting than watching the traffic on the freeway. I prefer road and street courses and could not believe that the IRL would abandon them all. Long Beach was Champ Cars big money maker and could still be for the IRL. I would think that TG would act responsibly and like a good business man and adopt the road /street courses that were profitable. It comes down to that it is still a business and bleeding money can't be in his best interest on the empty seated oval tracks.

I truly hope that the Atlantic Series will be picked up by someone.

Bootleg

i've had no love for TG since the talks with Bernie over the USGP broke down shortly after the race. i don't understand how someone who has no clue what's best for american racing can hold the position he holds. seriously, he let 120 million in profits for the city of Indy go because he didn't want to cough up another 5 million to hold the race. TG is a douche bag.

lesper4

iTrader: (3)

Yeah but IRL had oval and road courses last year. does anyone have the proposed schedule for 09. (total number of ovals and road races?)

Phil's 8

iTrader: (3)

With no love lost for TG, we ony heard the one side, TG wanted assurances that what happen previously could never happen again and Bernie would not commit. F1 is so expensive and demanding that even Vegas has second thoughts about wanting it.

lesper4

iTrader: (3)

i just read that article about forsythe racing, thats a lot of good drivers that have no ride now.

rotarygod

The Houston Grand Prix has been cancelled for this year as a result. Not even the ALMS cars are coming now and those are really the only ones I care about. This sucks. Now I have to wait to see if they can actually work something out for '09. If If ever meet Tony George someone is going to have to bail me out of jail afterwards!

Phil's 8

iTrader: (3)

Introduced to him once, you know how some people look like arrogant a** h@%*s, he not only looks the part he is one. But then with his money I'm sure he does not care.