How many years does Champcar have left?

[indycool]

It's either done by series agreement or tech specs.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Roninho

Not sure about this but anyway:
Isn't it normal practice when a serie makes an agreement with a chassis manufacturer that allows them to enter a car that this car cannot be used in other series? So if an irl-dallara would be entered in a champcar race dallara would not be allowed to supply spare parts.

Would make sense imo from the standpoint of a serie. Let's say you've created the new gp2-serie, invested in it and it's looking like becoming a succes with great fields, and now A1GP says: gp2-teams take your gp2 car and race in our serie, and we pay $1 million in purses each race (or whatever). That would kill of gp2 quite fast.

Don't know if any agreement exists.

Dallara is in the business of selling race cars. They also supply the world series by renault car which is a competitor of GP2.

Hypothetically, if such an agreement did exist and teams did want to race some champcar races and the irl blocked it, I think public relations wise the irl would take a hit. Most casual fans want a merger, so if the irl tried to stop it, it would completely out tony george as an obstructionist and there could be backlash.

Still just a rumor, but if true I'm for it, if only to stir the pot rather than another year of the status quo.

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by Craig

For as long as someone is prepared to bankroll it.

The best opportunity for open wheel racing to bounce back in the US is for one or the other series to shut up shop. They're too proud/too stupid to merge. Judging on the current state of play then this has to be Champcar, surely?

Of course the question remains - is this too late. The answer, probably.

I totally agree, since the split it has never worked..

[indycool]

The Panoz and Dallara both meet specs at Indy, although Panoz hasn't had any new customers for its IRL car for quite awhile. The DP-01 doesn't meet specs in the IRL. Neither the Dallara nor the IRL Panoz meets specs in CC.

[cptkablamo]

Would it be such a stupid thing if (either Champ Car or IRL, I think I may take the CIRCL option) CIRCL were to ring up say Sony, Panasonic, or other big consumer goods brands and say, if you let us put your brand on our car for free as a title sponsor for what 2 years...
so you will have 2 years free title sponsorship of a car in CIRCL,
all we want back is for you to use that car and driver in your advertising on TV, magazines and catalogues...so you get free exposure and we get some brand recognition...then at the end of the two years, hopefully some companies are willing to pay for sponsorship.
yeah they might lose a bit of money but its not like they are making money in the first place.

Could such an idea work (I know they would never take it up) or am I in dreamland???

[cptkablamo]

Originally Posted by indycool

The Panoz and Dallara both meet specs at Indy, although Panoz hasn't had any new customers for its IRL car for quite awhile. The DP-01 doesn't meet specs in the IRL. Neither the Dallara nor the IRL Panoz meets specs in CC.

If they did decide to come together in such an agreement, you could use parity to make them the same (although I would think that the Panoz would not be suitable for oval use, I could be wrong)...

[indycool]

Nope....never even been tested and there isn't even a kit for it.

[stradlin21]

Going back to the original TOPIC after it was diverted by the usual....

My own personal opinion is that Champ Car will struggle to make 2009

It's only real big star has left, another lesser star is arguing over his contract with a series owner and the top Brit is still not signed to anyone

Added to that, the schedule and organisation is appauling and the major players that are running the show keep falling out

I think 2008 may well be the final showing for Champ Car

Sorry to say it but I believe so, remember, this is my OWN opinion, please do not throw your toys at me....

[Dutton]

What if the toy is being thrown at you for your opinion?

CC...I don't know how many years it has left...I will go so far as to say I think it will exist, in some form or another, in 2009. Beyond that, I do not know. All I know is that I will be buying the "director" stuff once more, and I intend on going up to Edmonton for the GP (unless it has been canceled for 2009, thus I would seem quite the wiener for not knowing?).

I have tried to suggest this in the past in various situations (some ten-tenths, some not), but the notion is for CC to accept its current scenario as to be a support series. It would be rather immense if they could tie in with NASCAR events, but this seems less than likely.

Other than that, surely they could tie in some "lesser" events? I went to see ALMS at Mosport in 2007, for example, and I am going to go again. Yes, the ALMS thing was neat, but, ultimately, I am going there because the place is intense. I went last year because ALMS was the largest thing there: last year, had Mosport offered both at different dates, then I would have picked CC over ALMS.

Put the ALMS and CC together when possible. Put CC and NASCAR together when possible. Pit CC and IRL together when possible. Put CC and Rolex togther when possible.

Any pretentious thoughts CC may (or may not?) have need to be hurled asunder. IMO, tagging on with "greater" series is about the only option that remains.

[JohnSSC]

The problem with that, Dutton, is that CIRCL bills itself as the premier open wheel series. That suggests a "top dog" sort of thing and it becomes a bit of a quandry to explain why you are tagging along with series X.

Now that is not to say I think it a bad idea that CIRCL partners with ALMS/Grand Am/World of Outlaws as it would be great exposure - it just creates some marketing/perception problems. As if CIRCL needs more of them.

I think somebody needs to pick up the merger ball and run with it before CC drops out of the CIRCL equation.

[Craig]

Merge or die. Or die and leave one series. Either way...

The best thing, surely, would be for the two series to become one. Run on a series of ovals - maybe supporting the standalone Nascar Nationwide Series races - and street and road courses sharing the billing with Grand Am/ALMS/whatever. That is the only possibility for any return of open wheel racing to the US. But do it fast. It may even prove necessary to allow Nascar to buy in to the merged series in order to avoid them exerting their power over the circuits in order to kill the series off.

I honestly don't expect too many people who are attending for the Nationwide, Grand Am or ALMS races to attend the open wheel race but some will. And, more importantly, it will allow the costs associated with putting the race infrastructure in place to be reduce when spread betwen the two race organisers.