Why don't the Champ car teams take part in this year's Indy 500?

[luke]

If nearly all the Champ Car teams and drivers take part in this years Indy 500 it would be a giant step IMHO into a brighter future.
I'm sure the most fanatic of fanatic supporters would strongly detest this but I personally would love to see this considering I was too young to remember what the great days were like...
It would be a step closer in terms of unification, (ps this is not a merge topic) it would show that things are possible. Afterall both need as other as much as they need themselves.
I know this year there is the China race in May about a week before but for sure it would be nice to see a strong field of 33 drivers for once and bumping in terms of what it used to be as much as 50 people trying to qualify...
I think KK and TG were thinking about some CC teams taking part, although it is more difficult then ever, but why not? Champ Car no longer has any oval races.
I sure would love to see Wilson, Tracy, Bourdais, Rahal, Power, maybe even Vasser making a last ever apperance...
Champ Car needs more sponsors, racing at Indy would definately help attract more. Plus both series are on the same channels again....
Would be nice to see it happen. I don't know if I speak for myself.....

[Craig]

Running what? I think the new chassis needs some work before it can be used on an oval, especially Indy, and there just isn't going to be the money available to them to lease/buy the new gear to go racing for one weekend. It might be possible for them to run the old chassis but that really is getting silly.

[luke]

Craig I didn't incline they'd use the Panoz...

[Craig]

Originally Posted by luke

Craig I didn't incline they'd use the Panoz...

What do you incline that they use?

[Snrub]

Without the idea of the two series running multiple races together I don't know that CC would want to officially help the Indy500. I'm not saying that some teams wouldn't like to run. However, Newman-Hass said that in 2005 it was a distraction and they weren't pleased by what occured with Junquiera. Forsythe and PKV would be unlikely to attend. The rest of the teams are either very CC oriented or small.

I really think that the idea of the two series running on the same weekends is a good one. For instance, if the IRL ran at Long Beach and another event before the CCs and then CC teams participated at Indy it could make some sense.

As for the idea of running each class of chasis (I know that wasn't luke's intent), that might not be a bad idea. I don't know that the idea of developing an equivilancy formula for the two types of cars to compete on an equal playing field is a bad idea. In the past Indy had a diverse group of cars and engines. ALMS, Grand Am (in particular) and World Challange do a respectable job of making different cars compete evenly. With single engine and chasis manufacturers it would be possible to impose conditions that would make things work. Given the performances at St. Petes the two cars should be fairly close in performance and not require too much tweeking. For instance the CC's might need to bolt on a little balast and throttle back the power a bit. In reality I haven't seen any valid evidence that would contridict the stated design criteria that the CC Panoz be capable of oval racing.

[luke]

IRL cars as they have done in the past. It would be possible to use the IRL Panoz chassis as they use the Panoz Champ Car chassis...

I know the dp 01 is much better looking but both would have such varied performance...

[Craig]

And, as I asked above, how do you suggest they are going to afford to do that? There's barely enough money in either series for a team to run a full season in their 'own' series.

[luke]

In future I won't post what I'd like to see then...

[Craig]

Fair enough, but don't you think that's just a teeny tiny bit childish?

Why don't the Champ car teams take part in this year's Indy 500?

See above for my reply to your question.

[Kieran20]

Originally Posted by Craig

Fair enough, but don't you think that's just a teeny tiny bit childish?



See above for my reply to your question.

erm no, its happened before.

[Craig]

Originally Posted by Kieran20

erm no, its happened before.

Well that was then, and this is now. I'll ask again, where is the money going to come from?

[luke]

Sorry for confusion...

[Craig]

I'm not sure why you posted if you didn't want any feedback on your idea Anyway... what do other people think about Luke's ideas?

[rustyfan]

I'm sure quite a few team owners in Champ Car would like to run at Indy. However, seeing as several teams in Champ Car seemingly just have enough funding to field a team in their own series I don't think it would be much of a benefit for them to set up a one-race IndyCar operation (unless they, of course, would be able to land a major sponsor for the Indy effort alone, like Newman/Haas did with Centrix). So for now they will have to keep doing their street circuit festivals with the occasional road course thrown in that no one watches or cares about while IndyCar will have to keep doing their best to fill 33 spots each year while pretending the Indianapolis 500, the greatest damn race in the world, still has even half the meaning it used to have and the rest of the time doing their ovals with the occasional non-oval thrown in that no one watches or cares about.

Personally I think it's a goddamn shame American open-wheel racing, with all its rich heritage and history dating back nearly a hundred - a hundred! - years, has been degraded to this pathetic little feud that is of gain to no one.

But hey, I'm just a simple fence sitter, so what the hell do I know?

(Sorry for side-tracking the thread ever so slightly, but getting that out of my system sure felt good.)

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by rustyfan

has been degraded to this pathetic little feud that is of gain to no one.

Exactly, the line in the sand was surely drawn many many years ago, maybe they have gone so far beyond it, neither can see the line from where they are now standing. Maybe time for a new line ?

[philneast]

I'm sure Bruno Junqueria must be champing at the bit to get back to the Brickyard after being taken out by an IRL driver several laps down.

[rustyfan]

Originally Posted by philneast

I'm sure Bruno Junqueria must be champing at the bit to get back to the Brickyard after being taken out by an IRL driver several laps down.

So if it had been a Champ Car regular several laps down who took Junqueira out he would have been jumping at the gates to get back? Slow and/or inexperienced drivers getting in the way of faster, more experienced ones is nothing new in any form of motorsport - hell, it's even happened in rallying! - and to try and turn that particular incident into a 'Champ Car vs IRL' one is plain silly.

[Xpunk75]

This is plain and simple and a stupid idea, and I can say this because Luke is one of my best friends. Luke you should know better then to wish for such horrible thing to happen. I never want to see another Champ Car team run in a IRL race ever again.

[Craig]

so what the hell do I know?

I think you know quite a bit Mad isnt it

[climb]

luke: it would be good, but it's virtually impossible to accomplish.

[Snrub]

I don't think this has to be a "stupid" discussion. The vast majority of people on these forums would like to see an amicable resolution to the two series.

I think it is possible for the two series to work together. The idea of each one being a division or league may be the only way to get around the egos and garbage that have prevented this from occuring.

The Junquiera incident IS relevent, because if a team and driver's main goal is to succeed at one thing, doing other things may jepordize the main goal.

[luke]

As said it is very difficult realistically to happen what with costs etc and other problems, but I missed the glory 'Indy Car' days something I miss alot when I watch either Champ Car or IRL today and dig into my achrive of classic Champ car/CART races, such as the old Indy 500s etc...
Champ Car teams and IRL teams and drivers conbined would make the Indy 500 event much better in nearly every way. I can't see a bad thing. That's just what I'd like to see and it would also show a possible future unification is the slightest possible.
I know this idea isn't very popular amongst many of my forum friends and i can see why but at the end of the day it's true both need other to be a success.
But after what happened to Junquiera and other problems in the past I'm sure the Indy 500 isn't on CC teams number 1 minds...

And Xpunk I'm feeling you..

[icemachine]

I see no reason why the DP-01 couldn't run on Ovals, especially being as Cosworth-Pi could adjust the engine management as required, and Panoz could surely come up with an aero package to make it all work.

The only difficulty is inflexible leadership, until thats solved, this is all pie in the sky.

[courageous]

Champ car teams have done indy many times in the past few years & I always hoped/thought it would help reunification - the results show otherwise...

[Dudley]

As Philneast implies, the reason is simple, last time they tried, some amateur **** who shouldn't have been allowed near the car destroyed the season and possibly the career of one of their top drivers.