Champ Car Memories

Including the Indy 500 and all junior series leading up to IndyCar
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Super Aguri
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#91

Post by Super Aguri »

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PTRACER
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#92

Post by PTRACER »

That's not good at all :wow:

ww1ace - I don't think ChampCars are slow at all and as for the races being uneventful, well...F1 races are uneventful. CART was great in the 1990s, wasn't it?
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#93

Post by Cheeveer »

PTRACER wrote:CART was great in the 1990s, wasn't it?
Yes.
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#94

Post by Super Aguri »

Well the CC races in 2007 sure were uneventful.

Expect big news from the IRL camp in the next 72 hours.
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#95

Post by HC »

But the repercussions could come from Laguna Seca, Elkhart Lake, St. Jovite, Canada, Zolder in Belgium, Jerez in Spain and Assen in The Netherlands. None of those tracks would have races in ‘08 in a unified series.

Others figured to lose out in a bankruptcy would be outside contractors. Carl Haas has some $2 million worth of parts for the Panoz chassis, which will be made obsolete because the IRL uses Dallaras. One contractor, Dan D. Jones & Associates, has already filed a lawsuit against Champ Car for non-payment. After the new Panoz cars developed massive fuel leaks and refueling problems during the first three races of 2007, Jones was hired to overhaul and save the fuel systems—which he did. But, according to the suit filed in Indianapolis superior court last week, Jones has never been paid one penny of the $300,000 he’s owed. He’s hired Jim Voyles to try and recoup the money.
As expected CCWS is going for bankruptcy, it's the only way to join IRL and not get lawsuited all over the place. I feel very bad for all the people who will lose a lot of money over it, someone like Carl Haas probably won't feel it too much but I'm sure there are people involved who were counting on a 2008 season and who it will hurt a lot on the financial side (for example Bachelart just invested a lot into new equipment).

Plus there's the emotional side. For my CART was the sport which I grew up with. Since 1996 I've regulary followed it and although in 2007 I many times felt ashamed of the level of amateurism it still feels bad to see it go. Walker not turning up at Sebring will hopefully mean he will be at Homestead this year. As for the others I do hope they will join ASAP. Let's see how this unfolds.
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#96

Post by Shane »

The Way It Is/ More open-wheel blues

by Gordon Kirby

Everyone wanted to know this past week whether IRL and Champ Car really are trying to find a way to come together and bring an end to the bitterly divisive, thirteen-year civil war that has ruined American open-wheel racing. We all hoped it would happen of course, but I'm afraid too much damage has been done and there are too many important details to be resolved, particularly at this late stage with less than two months before the season begins. Then at the end of last week Champ Car issued a brief statement saying the latest talks had failed again.

If Tony George, Honda, Kevin Kalkhoven and Jerry Forsythe had been able to work out an eleventh-hour deal to make a merger happen there would have been a large number of seriously injured entities from spurned Champ Car tracks to drivers whose personal sponsorship deals were based on foreign races. There would also have been a tremendous amount of disgruntlement from the small Champ Car teams who would have had little time or resources to properly prepare themselves to go racing with a new car/engine package and from the smaller IRL teams who would have found themselves blown off by the better Champ Car teams and reduced to roles as even more marginal players. And too, a merger may also have presaged the ultimate destruction of Cosworth, one of racing's most historic and accomplished engine builders--although that sad occurence may yet happen.

In fact, the past few weeks' desperate attempts to bring to the two series together underlines the complete lack of any business plan and the utter incompetence of both groups. Neither of them has any understanding or appreciation for the complexities of motor racing. Nor do they care about the fans who they have treated with such contempt for so many years. Attempting to stitch together a rushed and poorly thought-out merger was bound to result in many mistakes and further invite the rapacious effects of the laws of unintended consequences. And of course, the history of corporate mergers is full of stories of failure.

Will the dilettante's who have destroyed American open-wheel racing find a way to fix the mess they've created? As I've written repeatedly, to achieve their goal they must not only resolve the many, many issues resulting from their thirteen-year civil war, but they must invent a technically interesting, 'green' formula which will attract multiple manufacturers and car builders and will also remake the Indy car as a spectacularly impressive racing machine, distinctly different from NASCAR, that will appeal to both race fans around the world as well as a broader audience.

Thus far, I've heard nothing--absolutely nothing!--from anyone in IRL or Champ Car about how to tackle this big question. I'm afraid the whole lot of them are small thinkers, incapable of making the major decisions required to turn around a failed sport. As I've also written many times, I hope I'm wrong, but everything IRL and Champ Car have done over the past thirteen years tells me I'm right. Their miserable roles in the history of racing are almost assured unless they are able to pry themselves off the floor they've sunk to and surprise us with some brilliant solutions and concepts for the future.
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#97

Post by HC »

Harsh words from Mr. Kirby. Still it looks like I'm the only one who thinks IRL is fantastic. Yes, when the split started I did not watch any IRL. Only in 2004 when I could watch the races live I got interested.

There's only Honda left but with all the best teams present, a mix of road courses and ovals (almost all traditional tracks) and a bunch of good drivers I don't see the problem. It's as competitive as it's ever been and most of the races are great fun to watch. Like I said before, IRL doesn't need CCWS. It's the other way around.
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#98

Post by Shane »

IRL needs something, or else they would not be in the 11th hour trying to get this done. Both series reek of desperation. IRL has no plan for the future, while CC's plan clearly failed. The IRL has tried desperately over the years to become what CART/IndyCar was. That is no longer the answer yet they continue to try. Trying to become what CART used to be might of worked 5-7 years ago. However now it will not work. It will fail to do anything to chip into what NASCAR has become. Hell, even the ALMS is becoming a bigger, stronger, and even better option then American Open Wheel. That says alot considering the fall from grace that the IMSA went threw back in the day.
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#99

Post by Super Aguri »

HC wrote:Harsh words from Mr. Kirby. Still it looks like I'm the only one who thinks IRL is fantastic. Yes, when the split started I did not watch any IRL. Only in 2004 when I could watch the races live I got interested.

There's only Honda left but with all the best teams present, a mix of road courses and ovals (almost all traditional tracks) and a bunch of good drivers I don't see the problem. It's as competitive as it's ever been and most of the races are great fun to watch. Like I said before, IRL doesn't need CCWS. It's the other way around.
Nah, I am a really really big fan of the IRL too.
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#100

Post by JCollins28 »

Staff meeting at the CC North Indy office at 3:00 Today.
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#101

Post by HC »

News from last week, this is what Robert Doornbos said in a Dutch newspaper. I translated it.

Doornbos still favours Minardi, but he says they will have to invest more time into closing the gap to teams like N/H and Forsythe. "Minardi has all the means to win the title, but then they will have to look for a title sponsor. When Minardi can't get more budget I will chose for myself." Robert also talked to other teams, these are PKV, Forsythe and Conquest. Also there's the possibilty of driving in the Indy 500, Robert is talking a lot lately to Arie Sr.
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#102

Post by OSNOF »

I think the game's changed since then. Doornbos may be forced to look elsewhere by default.
ww1ace
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#103

Post by ww1ace »

PTRACER wrote:That's not good at all :wow:

ww1ace - I don't think ChampCars are slow at all and as for the races being uneventful, well...F1 races are uneventful. CART was great in the 1990s, wasn't it?
I understand this, but I watched almost the entire 2007 season, and it was terrible! But anything 2004 and before is really great, great looking cars, and great drivers!
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#104

Post by ww1ace »

Super Aguri wrote:
HC wrote:Harsh words from Mr. Kirby. Still it looks like I'm the only one who thinks IRL is fantastic. Yes, when the split started I did not watch any IRL. Only in 2004 when I could watch the races live I got interested.

There's only Honda left but with all the best teams present, a mix of road courses and ovals (almost all traditional tracks) and a bunch of good drivers I don't see the problem. It's as competitive as it's ever been and most of the races are great fun to watch. Like I said before, IRL doesn't need CCWS. It's the other way around.
Nah, I am a really really big fan of the IRL too.
Yeah, same here, IRL is great and competitive!
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#105

Post by JCollins28 »

HOLD THE PRESS!!!!!


they were just told that 08 WILL roll forward, no BK.

but it does look like PKV, Walker to ICS is for real.

12 cars and highlight shows.....lol what a joke!
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#106

Post by HC »

Honda's Clarke optimistic of merger

By Steven English Tuesday, February 12th 2008, 11:03 GMT

Senior Honda advisor Robert Clarke is optimistic that an agreement on the Indy Racing League's proposed merger with Champ Car will be reached after promising talks were held in Japan yesterday.

IRL officials were hoping to convince the Japanese manufacturer to agree to move the race at its Motegi circuit to another date, to allow the Champ Car round at Long Beach on April 19 to be incorporated into the IRL schedule.

American newspaper the Indianapolis Star today suggested that Honda have accepted one of IRL boss Tony George's suggestions for a rescheduled event, after Clarke told them: "It was a good meeting. I don't see any reason not to be optimistic."

Clarke refused to confirm that any deal had been reached, saying that George must answer the questions.

But the series boss gave no further comment to the Indy Star than "nothing is going to happen quickly, if at all."

George is due back in America later today to discuss the result of the meeting in Japan with other senior IRL and Champ Car officials.

Source: Autosport
Another website is reporting that the meeting was indeed successful.
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