Merger Imminent?

[StuiE]

I will be extremly happy if this happens, I haven't properly watched a Champcar of IRL race (other than the 500) for a couple of years, this is what we've all been waiting for a long long time.

[indycool]

Hard to say. TG's quote in there would indicate the fat lady is walking on to the stage but hasn't reached the microphone quite yet.

The Gold Coast Bulletin at Surfers has had a couple "hesitation columns" recently about that race, so who knows?

[Craig]

No idea when I last saw a race in full on TV but went to the race in Houston last year and swore I'd never go again until they merged. Planning on going to the Gold Coast Indy race this year so I'm praying these guys will be on the bill along with the V8s...

[Red Bulldog]

This reports Tracy has had a seat fitting for Indy
http://racing.auto123.com/en/racing/...py?artid=94713

[f1manoz]

Great news. A merger was needed as neither was looking great for 2008.

Nice big grid, lots of drivers and teams. It'll take time for everyone to adjust to the new series, and it will take time (a couple of seasons) to really sort out the calendar, cars etc but finally there is peace.

Hopefully the past 12 years can be quietly swept under the rug or something eh... although lessons should be learned from it...

[Koulle]

It sounds very encouraging but I wouldn't get too excited until there's an offical announcement.

[gttouring]

as a "spec" series it won't take too long to sort out.
2 seasons is too long IMHO
i think you'll see the NHL and forsythe boys make strides early on..
honda will help
and dallara will too i am sure
they don't want the series to fall flat

[Stefvh]

They must be at pace for the Indy500

[billiaml]

Looks like I'm joinin' this party kinda late -- considerin we're @ page 16. My initial reaction is another rumor. Almost like a rite of spring these past couple years. But who knows. It may happen this time.

While I'm not sure what made the parties involved change their minds, I'm generally in favor of the idea. From a business survival standpoint as well as a fan of the competition.

Can't say I'm a Honda fan, though. Really. My dad worked @ Ford for 30-somthing years, so I'm not allowed (lol). And it looks like they'll be using Honda power. I also prefer the looks of the Panoz chassis over the Dallara. Something about the ridge down the center of the car of the Dallara that cheapens the appearance for me. I suppose there's a aerodynamic point to it. Or maybe it makes the chassis a little more rigid? Whatever. All I really care about is that they're racing

[icemachine]

Guess we'll know sooner rather than later

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...44/1247/SPORTS

The four owners of the Champ Car World Series could decide the fate of the Indianapolis-based series today, but one of them offered a word of caution.


Paul Gentilozzi doesn’t expect to see very many, if any, Champ Car teams in the Indy Racing League this season.

“I don’t know of a Champ Car team that is a go,” Gentilozzi said today. “(One owner) told me he’d run (the Indianapolis 500), but he will not run the season.”

Said Gentilozzi of moving his Rocketsports team to the IRL: “I can’t make the numbers work.”

Gentilozzi said his Brazilian driver and sponsor aren’t interested in oval-track racing, which is the cornerstone of the IRL.

Gentilozzi said Champ Car’s owners have a document in their possession to vote on, and a decision could come as early as today. Bankruptcy is among the options they could consider. Gentilozzi did not discuss the document’s details, but it likely centers on bankruptcy of the series they purchased in 2004.

[Fish_Flake]

Paul Gentilozzi doesn't have a history of being the voice of consensus among Champ Car owners, so I'll believe what he says when I see it. With that in mind, I'm willing to jump on the merger bandwagon now.

[Mekola]

If to the best of American open wheelers is the demise of Champ Cars in favour of IRL, in the promotionals the best should be the otherwise, that is the demise of Indy Pro Series in favour to enforce Toyota Atlantics.

[Mekola]

Originally Posted by gttouring

as a "spec" series it won't take too long to sort out.

If they want success, IRL shouldn't be a spec-series anymore.
Bring Panoz in to design the DP02 or a modified DP01 to enter in the IRL scheme.

[Stefvh]

IRL is a spec series de facto, not by the rules.

[BootsOntheSide]

Modifying a car to run on ovals would be a tricky job - sorting out parities to make these two very different cars equal on ovals and road/street tracks almost impossible within months. The only alternative to only using the Dallara is to have a seperate road-course sub-championship, with Panoz and Dallara cars ballasted to create a close match.

[nycuk]

Three words - over the moon.

[Sodemo]

Wow, im pleased.

The merger of IRL and Champcars and the death of HD-DVD all in one day.

Two good decisions (in the long term) I actually think HD-DVD was the slightly better format on balance, but thats another thread.

[JHamilton]

Sooo...we're adding a handful of cars to an awful schedule with an extremely old and ugly chassis. Sweet? A lot of great drivers and teams are now reunited to compete, but I don't think the demise of American OW is over yet.

[duke_toaster]

Yeah, Panoz could build an IRL spec car or actually just start making them again as they made them a few years ago. As for engines, I'd like to see Cosworth make engines for the new series but I think the engines are actually spec.

[Hazza]

Did anyone else hear this in their head when they heard the news?

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

[Knowlesy]

No.

[Hazza]

:P

Autosport tells us that...

Newman/Haas/Lanigan, PKV, and Forsythe are expected to enter the IRL with two cars each, while Walker, Conquest, and Dale Coyne Racing are likely to field one each. The futures of Minardi Team USA and Rocketsports are unknown, and Pacific Coast Motorsports are believed to be heading for the American Le Mans Series.

Champ Car veteran Paul Tracy will fly to Indianapolis for a seat fitting later this week, before heading to Homestead for the first IRL test of the season on February 27-28.

"We're going to have to thrash to make it to Homestead," he told SpeedTV. "We don't have any experience with those Dallaras so we're going to need all the practice we can get. But this s definitely the best thing that can happen for open-wheel racing."

It appears that an agreement has been reached on one sticking point in the deal: the date clash between the Champ Car round at Long Beach and the IRL race at Motegi on the April 19-20 weekend. The Motegi date is believed to have been rescheduled for later in the summer.

Champ Car's race at Edmonton, Canada, which draws the series' biggest crowd is likely to be confirmed in the IRL schedule, as well as a non-championship race at Surfer's Paradise, Australia. That brings the schedule to 19 races this year, with more road course events likely to be considered for 2009.

But Indy boss Tony George still refused to confirm a deal on Monday evening, telling SpeedTV: "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."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/65213

[Thundersports]

Will they still be coming to Europe?

[BootsOntheSide]

No, Europe was a dumb idea all along. It already failed once, and trying again with road courses in coutnries with minor racing following wasn't going to solve that. Trying to be F1-junior was part of why ChampCar failed more dramatically than the IRL.

[mac]

Originally Posted by Craig

No idea when I last saw a race in full on TV but went to the race in Houston last year and swore I'd never go again until they merged. Planning on going to the Gold Coast Indy race this year so I'm praying these guys will be on the bill along with the V8s...

Me too. If these two get together and Surfers Paradise is not on the agenda, I will be verging on mortified.