Hammering out ‘blended’ series in final stages

The two have gone head to head for drivers, sponsors and TV ratings, generally losing out on all counts.

By JENNA FRYER

ASSOCIATED PRESS

A deal that would unify America’s two open-wheel racing series under the IRL umbrella entered the final stages Thursday.

Talks have centered on a proposal in which some teams from the Champ Car World Series would blend into the Indy Racing League’s IndyCar Series. The unification would become one series known as the IndyCar Series, Champ Car spokesman David Higdon said.

“We’re closer than we’ve ever been,” Higdon said. “Many of us remain hopeful that it will be completed today and we will be talking about a unified open wheel series tomorrow.”

IRL spokesman Fred Nation said there are “four issues they will try to hammer out by the end of the night.” He did not identify the issues.

Champ Car series co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven was en route to Indianapolis to meet with IRL founder and Indianapolis Speedway owner Tony George, according to Higdon. Kalkhoven had been in England on family business.

Since the IRL began competing with what was then the established CART series in 1996, the two have gone head to head for drivers, teams, fans, sponsors and TV ratings, generally losing out on all counts.

Things have only gotten worse for both sides in the face of the current U.S. economic woes.

Before the proposed agreement, Champ Car was set to begin its season April 20 at Long Beach, Calif., with no more than 17 cars. The IndyCar Series was in danger of starting its season March 29 at Homestead, Fla., with as few as 16.

With the deal apparently nearing completion, it appeared Wednesday between six and 10 cars from the Champ Car side would take the offer from George of a free Honda engine lease program, free Dallara chassis and $1.2 million in team incentives.

Several Champ Car teams are not expected to take George’s offer because, even with the engines, cars and incentives, it would take an additional $2 million or more to compete in the IRL. The teams that don’t have the sponsorship or backing to continue will either close down or move to sports car racing, which is less costly.

CART went into bankruptcy in January 2004 and was bought by Kalkhoven, Gerald Forsythe and Paul Gentilozzi, all team owners in what is now Champ Car. They have since added Dan Pettit, another team owner, as a partner.

Led by Kalkhoven and Forsythe, Champ Car decided to abandon the traditional open-wheel ovals and focus its efforts on city street races, hoping the carnival atmosphere surrounding these events would assure success, and on racing outside the U.S., away from the IRL.

It worked, to a point. Champ Car’s most successful events are the street, airport or road races in Long Beach, Edmonton, Toronto, Australia and Mexico City. And most of the races outside the U.S., including several events in Europe, did make money.

Overall, the series made little impact in America, its home base.

The impending deal is expected to include Long Beach, Edmonton and Australia in 2008, with negotiations for several other current Champ Car events to be added to the IRL schedule in 2009, likely including Toronto and Mexico City.

The unification and addition of the three races would give the IRL a solid 19-race schedule for 2008. Nation said the organization would then take “a clean sheet of paper” in building its 2009 schedule.