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More IRL + Champ news...
I sure hope they kiss and make up...
Champ Car, IRL discussing merger Unification of the feuding rivals would change motor sports and affect racing in Portland Monday, May 15, 2006; PAUL BUKER HOUSTON -- The 10-year feud between Champ Car and the Indy Racing League has crippled open-wheel racing and helped turn NASCAR into a multibillion-dollar industry. But the hostilities could end soon. It appears that Champ Car principal owner Kevin Kalkhoven and IRL founder Tony George are close to announcing unification of the two series -- perhaps later this month at Indianapolis. A merger would be the most significant change in motor sports since creation of the Indy Racing League in 1994 and could add urgency to the debate over auto racing's place in Portland. Kalkhoven and George have tried to keep the discussions private, but merger talk was prevalent during Champ Car's stop in Houston this weekend. When Paul Tracy, one of Champ Car's premier drivers, announced he was signing a five-year extension with Forsythe Racing, the potential merger was part of the discussion. "Potentially, and we all can cross our fingers, there will be a combined championship (in 2007)," Tracy said. "If it happens, it's going to be great for open-wheel racing. And if it happens, I'd like to be part of the landscape." The possible end to the Champ Car-IRL split also was on everybody's mind at Champ Car's season-opening race in Long Beach, Calif., last month. A few weeks earlier, media reports surfaced that Kalkhoven and George had a chance meeting in December at a ski resort and later conferred at an auto show in Paris. A dialogue ensued, and the two men found out they actually enjoyed each other's company. George acknowledged for the first time, at least publically, that he felt a merger would be in the best interests of open-wheel racing. He said conversations and e-mails with Kalkhoven have been ongoing. IRL owners Michael Andretti, Bobby Rahal and Chip Ganassi have spoken with Champ Car officials about the logistics of combining the two series. Kalkhoven and George have discussed who would control a combined series, what the equipment would be, and where the combined series would race. One suggested schedule had 18 races -- 12 ovals, six street or road courses -- while another had 22 races with a more balanced mix. "The very worst thing that could happen for the sport is to merge the two series and have it not work," Kalkhoven told reporters in Houston, trying to be cautious. "If we can get it done in time for next year, that would be great. If it takes a little longer, that would be OK, too." Champ Car (formerly Championship Auto Racing Teams, or CART) was formed by a group of car owners in 1978 over frustrations with the United States Auto Racing Club, which sanctioned American open-wheel racing's premier event, the Indianapolis 500. CART teams continued to run in the Indy 500, however, until Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George announced in 1994 that he was founding his own separate racing series, the Indy Racing League. www.oregonlive.com |
Sweet, they can combine to take 7.5% of motorsports fans in the US. :rofl:
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/mo...s/14586564.htm |
Originally Posted by Balzz,May 17 2006, 08:29 AM
Sweet, they can combine to take 7.5% of motorsports fans in the US. :rofl:
Warren |
Originally Posted by Balzz,May 17 2006, 08:29 AM
Sweet, they can combine to take 7.5% of motorsports fans in the US. :rofl:
NASCAR got 59.5 percent of the votes National Hot Rod Association with 13.4 percent Motorcycle racing with 9.7 percent Formula One with 6.3 percent IndyCar Series with 6.1 percent Champ Car with 1.4 percent Really sad to see just how low F1 is here... |
Agreed, I used to enjoy CART in the early 90s. Sundays were fun..F1 in the morning, CART in the afternoon.
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Originally Posted by Balzz,May 17 2006, 11:27 AM
Agreed, I used to enjoy CART in the early 90s. Sundays were fun..F1 in the morning, CART in the afternoon.
and hopefully CART continue their visits to international circuits |
Originally Posted by s2ksimon,May 17 2006, 11:28 AM
:iagree:
and hopefully CART continue their visits to international circuits And hopefully IRL continue their visits to road courses, because the CART street courses are often lousy races to watch, they are somehow worse than Monaco... |
as long as those guys are turning left AND right with different angles on turns, i'm all for it. nothing's worse than going round and round in circles...
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They better keep racing at the Glen.
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Originally Posted by mingster,May 21 2006, 05:05 PM
as long as those guys are turning left AND right with different angles on turns, i'm all for it. nothing's worse than going round and round in circles...
In many ways, rally stages are the best. Too bad WRC coverage in the US went from some to damn little to none. |
I was watching Speed News last night, and oh my, did they ever rip on IRL qualifying... They basically said the format is old and stupid because there are so few cars basically they are all going to get in, so the whole bump day thisng is no longer valid. If they said it once they said it a dozen time, put Champ and IRL back together, so you have 50 some cars trying to get 30 some spots and then the excitement would be back.
They were just brutal, something like the announcer in the booth says "So Bob, tell us what's exciting down there." Bob replies down from pit lane "Well Jim, there's nothing exciting happening down here." :rofl: |
Originally Posted by mikegarrison,May 21 2006, 10:28 PM
A nice road course is better than an oval which is better than a street circuit.
The only exception being Monaco as in I'll take F1 at Monaco over IRL/Champ on an oval anyday. :D |
Originally Posted by Triple-H,May 22 2006, 05:38 AM
The only exception being Monaco as in I'll take F1 at Monaco over IRL/Champ on an oval anyday. :D
Once upon a time some of these street races used to be good races, but cars have just gotten too fast for the street circuits. |
Yup, that history is part of it, but I have actually seen passing at Monaco, but often enough the Champ cars pass because someone in front of them smack into a concrete barrier and go DNF...
The one venue you forgot to mention is 'the airport runway'. I can't remember what the city was, but I always used to love that Champ race, I mean where else could you see cars charging into Turn One 12 cars wide. :D |
Originally Posted by Triple-H,May 22 2006, 09:41 AM
The one venue you forgot to mention is 'the airport runway'. I can't remember what the city was, but I always used to love that Champ race, I mean where else could you see cars charging into Turn One 12 cars wide. :D
Many road courses are actually old airport runways, at least originally. The difference is that the Cleveland race takes place at an airport that is still being used as an airport. Anyway, I count it as a road course. But the best road courses have significant elevation and camber changes, so the airport-derived ones are often less than spectacular. |
Originally Posted by mikegarrison,May 22 2006, 12:48 PM
Cleveland, I think.
Many road courses are actually old airport runways, at least originally. The difference is that the Cleveland race takes place at an airport that is still being used as an airport. Anyway, I count it as a road course. But the best road courses have significant elevation and camber changes, so the airport-derived ones are often less than spectacular. going into turn one at the drop of the green is incredible...they go like 5 wide into 2 wide....well, at least they try to. the racing line is really only one wide..... :) and the new edmonton race is at an airport too, if i'm not mistaken. |
Here's a little insider info -
Champ and IRL will both be at Indy next year - no matter if they work out their differences or not and combine series or not. You heard it first here. The new Champ 2007 calendar (not officially published anywhere) has left the entire month of May open. Since we already know where the IRL will be in May.... Also, a third party (non-IRL, non-Champ) has been selected to oversee the negotiations. |
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