Champ Car Dead, Long Live the IRL...

[ECARRILLO]

Hit an Apex;

GREAT VIDEOS, just imagine Danica and others @ Surfers Paradise

[dretceterini]

I would rather that all the Champ car teams came over to the ALMS and raced sports cars...

[81gtv6]

That second vid makes me want to order EuroSport2!!

[ECARRILLO]

We can have another thread for AMLS and Grand Am.........again, one series would be great!

[BlpltGTV]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dretceterini I would rather that all the Champ car teams came over to the ALMS and raced sports cars...

[Bavman25]

No cleveland?? dang

Al

[lowmileage]

Congrats Tony George, you mission was successful.

[geh458]

Forget the IRL, join the DSRL, I did.

DSRL.com : Double Stuf Racing League – Peyton and Eli Manning join the DSRL

[Pat Braden]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ECARRILLO Hit an Apex; GREAT VIDEOS, just imagine Danica and others @ Surfers Paradise

[Hit an Apex]

You guys sure Champ Car is dead? I'm hearing different! It appears it will solider on as one of the owners was the "problem" and has been bought out. This is all grapevine at this point in time.

[alfaspider81]

I think we can all agree that nascar is the pro wrestling of the motoring world. I'll be completely candid with my thoughts regarding nascar. It just a redneck centrifuge and test of bladder control for 5 hours, made for tv to provide exactly what the US population wants, instant action with minimal thought. Really, to my mind, nascar is a microcosm of a great many things that are wrong with our current culture. I could wax philosophical, but I digress...

I'd absolutely love to see ALMS or GrandAm get a real foothold in the eye of the public. It would be nice to be able to wander into a bar on a Sunday afternoon and instead of seeing wreck after wreck be able to see real racing. The other edge of the sword, regarding increased popularity of racing that the average AlfaBBer enjoys would be access. It's great to be able to go to a GrandAm race and wander the garage area, stick your head inside the cars, talk to mechanics & drivers and generally get to see the literal nuts & bolts of the racing. If ALMS or GrandAm became so popular a lot of its charm would be taken away simply by necessity.

Anyway, I'm rambling, it's late and I gotta get some rest :-)

g'night all

[ECARRILLO]

Friday, February 22, 2008
George, series owners sign unification agreement
By Dave Lewandowski
indycar.com
Indy Racing League founder and CEO Tony George and owners of the Champ Car World Series have completed an agreement in principle that will unify major American open-wheel racing for 2008.
Gerald Forsythe, co-owner of Champ Car, signed an agreement in principle Feb. 22 in Chicago, joining his partner, Kevin Kalkhoven. George signed the agreement Feb. 21.
Details of a news conference regarding unification and ancillary questions will be forthcoming. When scheduled, the news conference will be shown live on indycar.com.
"I'm happy for open-wheel racing, its fans, sponsors and teams," George said.
The Indy Racing League, sanctioning body of the IndyCar Series and Indy Pro Series, is poised to absorb teams and potentially '08 race events. George had offered free Honda engine lease programs and free Dallara chassis to teams, plus the incentive of the TEAM (Team Enhancement and Allocation Matrix) program, which pays a minimum $1.2 million to full-season teams.
Indy Racing League officials and IndyCar Series teams have been assisting prospective teams get ramped up for competing under the IndyCar Series banner on a challenging mix of ovals and road/street courses.
"Now the work begins," said Terry Angstadt, president of the Indy Racing League's coommercial division, in a meeting with league personnel shortly after the announcement.
No transition teams are expected to participate in the IndyCar Series' first Open Test of the year at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Feb. 27-28. The test (4-10 p.m. ET both days) is open to the public free of charge, with viewing from the fourth level of the main grandstand. Timing and Scoring will be available on indycar.com. Some teams from the former CCWS might be ready to participate in an Open Test on the Sebring International Raceway road course March 3-6.
"It's great that we've all got together for the future," said Will Power, who is expected to compete for Team Australia in its first year in the IndyCar Series. "This will give the sport a big boost and allow it to grow in many areas. Having one series will put all the best open-wheel drivers in the United States in one series and it's going to be a really tough and exciting field."
There have been two open-wheel racing series in North America since 1996, when the Indy Racing League conducted its first event at Walt Disney World Speedway. On March 11, 1994, George announced plans for an open-wheel racing series -- with the Indianapolis 500 as its cornerstone -- as an alternative to the sanctioning Championship Auto Racing Teams. That series went bankrupt in 2003 and emerged as the Champ Car World Series in 2004.
"This is a huge day for the IndyCar Series and for our sport as a whole, for sure," said Andretti Green Racing co-owner Michael Andretti, a former CART season champion. "Over the years, whether I was in the role of driver, team owner or promoter, I have always wanted a unified sport. That has been my only goal throughout this entire process and I applaud everyone who played a role in making this happen. So many people have worked tirelessly, both publicly and behind the scenes, to get this done. Everyone can now focus on taking the IndyCar Series to new heights for the good of our sport and everyone involved in it."
Andretti's sentiments were shared by competitors, promoters and suppliers to the IndyCar Series.
Said four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt, whose team, A.J. Foyt Racing, has competed in the IndyCar Series since its inception: "I'm glad that they were able to get it done. 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."
Said Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage, whose facility hosts the Bombardier Learjet 550k under the lights June 7: "The fans have won and we have to give Tony George and the Indy Racing League credit for making a generous offer to resolve this issue."
Said Sarah Fisher: "As a driver, I am extremely excited about the unification of open-wheel racing from an opportunity standpoint. This gives us the opportunity to compete against the very best in open-wheel racing. It will combine two great fanbases and grow a different fanbase that has not previously watched us on either side. In addition, there will be less confusion for casual fans and potential sponsors in the future. We have a clear vision with a clear goal and objective as a series moving forward."
Honda, which began CART competition in 1994, moved to the IndyCar Series in 2003. Its Honda Indy V-8 engines, fueled by 100 fuel-grade ethanol, will power all the cars this season.
"We are elated that the sanctioning bodies have elected to combine into a single, cohesive and powerful IndyCar Series," said Erik Berkman, president of Honda Performance Development, the wholly-owned motorsports subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "We welcome the opportunity to provide our Honda Indy V-8 racing engines to all participants in what we believe will instantly be a larger, stronger and even much more competitive field; and we eagerly look forward to what surely will be a very exciting 2008 racing season. Not only is this unification good for all the teams and sanctioning bodies; most importantly, it is great for fans of open-wheel racing, whose loyalties have been divided by two competing racing series."