[dalyduo]

IRL-Champ Car merger talks ramp up, but clock ticking

2/19/08
By Gary Graves, USA TODAY
With their season-opening events more than a month away, America's open-wheel racing series still are trying to patch up differences and settle on one series. But until an agreement is reached, both will continue in separate directions.
For example, Champ Car World Series runner-up Justin Wilson was in Chicago being fitted for a seat in his Panoz chassis for Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing, while IRL teams forged on with preparations for next week's testing sessions at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Everybody's plans will change if a deal is finalized to end the 12-year rift between the sanctioning bodies, but so far nobody's phones are ringing with news either way.

"We're actually moving ahead and planning for 2008," said Jim Haskins, general manager for the Grand Prix of Edmonton. "What Champ Car told us (Tuesday) is that it's business as usual. The rumors seem to change by the hour."

While confirmations were hard to come by Tuesday on both sides, the anticipation of something tangible happening was palpable compared to previous false alarms about unification. IRL spokesman Fred Nation said Tuesday that both sides were "inching closer" to a resolution that wouldn't be announced until Thursday at the earliest.

"We are still trading drafts of a (possible) agreement," Nation told The Indianapolis Star. "We are whittling away at the issues, but they have not been eliminated. We're optimistic these things can be resolved but because of the persons involved it's always possible that one of them will decide they don't want to (unify)."

The consensus feeling was of curiosity to see if a generation of disagreement could be resolved within two weeks, or at least in time for Champ Car outfits to migrate to Florida to prepare and compete in the IndyCar Series season opener March 29.

"I know as much as you (the media) do, believe me," IRL and NASCAR team owner Chip Ganassi said. "I just hope it happens. There can't be five people on the planet that don't want it to happen.

"If they were to get back together, I think that's only when the work would begin," Ganassi added. "It's probably like the 1994 baseball strike. The work really begins once you get all of the problems behind you. It would be nice to get all of the issues in one place. Get all of the rulesmakers in one place. Get all of the promoters in one place. Get everybody at one table instead of two. It would certainly end a lot of confusion in the marketplace."

One racing legend optimistic that the break between the rival series may finally be mended.

"I think, God willing, this could be the time," said Mario Andretti, who led previous merger efforts. "This would be the best belated Christmas gift that I'd ever received."

About a half-dozen Champ Car teams appear ready to accept IRL founder and President Tony George's offer of $1.2 million with free cars and engines and jump from the road-based series to the oval-based circuit.

The 10 teams that raced in Champ Car last season spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new race car and chassis that can't be used in the IRL, which has said it would help teams find compatible equipment. Still, many Champ Car teams might not have the financial wherewithal to make the switch.

Neither George nor Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven could be reached for comment Tuesday. Rocketsports team owner Paul Gentilozzi said, "I think the majority of Champ Car teams would cease to exist."

And those who switch won't have it easy.

"The Champ Car teams will be at a huge disadvantage," said Derrick Walker, a Champ Car team owner contemplating a switch to the IRL even if a merger isn't worked out. "It would be a mad scramble. Almost overnight we'd have to adjust to different specs. Still, we need to get this done, even if it means we won't be competitive until 2009."

Gentilozzi said his Rocketsports team will not be among those making a move toward the IRL.

"I can't make the (financial) numbers work," he said. "Plus, I have a Brazilian driver (Enrique Bernoldi) who has never been on ovals, and he's not very interested in doing that."

If a deal is reached this week, the calendar also seems clear for the series to race in Long Beach in April and in Edmonton, Alberta, two Champ Car venues in which race officials were adamant about upholding long-term contracts.

Beyond that, questions remain about whether the IRL will absorb other Champ Car venues this season. Sites such as Surfer's Paradise in Australia and Mexico City are attractive but problematic because they occur more than six weeks after the IndyCar Series finale at Chicagoland Speedway in September.

"We are still awaiting the official announcement from all of the involved parties as to the proposed new structure and its implication with regard to our event here in Long Beach," Grand Prix Association of Long Beach CEO Jim Michaelian said in a statement.

"But we are excited about the prospects for such a merger because it would bring clarity to the world of open-wheel racing."

Nation said George, who is in Orlando, attending a motor sports safety conference, is negotiating with Kalkhoven. Kalkhoven is working on behalf of fellow Champ Car owners Gerald Forsythe, Gentilozzi and Dan Pettit.

Kalkhoven is in London attending to family business, but Gentilozzi confirmed the group has not voted on documents relating to Champ Car's future.

David Higdon, Champ Car's executive vice president of strategic development, said the series is "in the same position (it) was last week. Discussions are being held, but nothing is done," he said.

Both sides have struggled for fans, sponsors and TV ratings since the IRL began competition in 1995, competing against the established CART series. CART later went into bankruptcy and was bought by its current owners.

Most of the previous negotiations broke down over the issue of who would control the merged series.

Most recently, each series lost its top stars — four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais to Formula One and 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner and IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti and three-time IndyCar champion Sam Hornish Jr. to NASCAR.

Contributing: A.J. Perez and Nate Ryan, USA TODAY; Curt Cavin, The Indianapolis Star; The Associated Press