By A.J. Perez, USA TODAY
February 21, 2008
A couple signatures is all that's keeping the IRL and Champ Car apart.
IRL founder Tony George and Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven are meeting Thursday afternoon in Indianapolis and according to a Champ Car spokesman are expected to sign a deal that would end the 12-year rift between in American open-wheel racing.
"Our expectations are that they will cover the final points of the agreement and, if all goes well, they will be prepared to make an announcement on Friday," said Champ Car spokesman David Higdon.
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 will essentially be absorbed by the IRL, a series created by George that began competition in 1996. The two split the fanbase and fought for sponsors, drivers and teams.
Neither flourished, although the IRL has been on the upswing in recent years anchored by the Indy 500 and the popularity of Danica Patrick.
Before the proposed agreement, Champ Car was set to begin its season April 29 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.
Obviously, those who would take the deal see it as a winning proposition.
"I believe it would be a stronger series again with a lot of solid events," said Eric Bachelart, a former open-wheel driver and now owner of Conquest Racing in the Champ Car series.
"What the IRL has is a good package, with the Indianapolis 500 and some other things that will help attract sponsors. There will be lots of cars, lots of teams. A good show."
Like everyone else involved, though, Bachelart was waiting to hear a confirmation that the deal is done.
"I'm ready to move any time soon and enter two cars in the IRL," Bachelart said. "I believe this is the best option to go that way. And, with Champ Car, it has lost a lot of credibility at this point."
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.
Other Champ Car teams expected to make the move include series powerhouse Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, which has won four straight series championships, Kalkhoven, Pettit and former CART champion Jimmy Vasser's PKV team, Forsythe Championship Racing, Derrick Walker Racing and Dale Coyne Racing. Several others could also be part of the deal.