racer2c
05-23-06, 12:06 AM
The Big News out of Indianapolis this week is that there will be no big news. Or at least not the news those in the open-wheel world were hoping to receive.
The lingering reports that a merger of the Champ Car and Indy Racing League (IRL) circuit may be announced on the eve of Sunday's Indy 500 were, at the very least, premature. There will be no letter-of-intent announcement between the two groups.
Progress is still being made in talks between officials of the two groups. There was a meeting as recently as May 11 and Indy and IRL owner/operator Tony George and Champ Car president Kevin Kalkhoven will meet again this week to continue merger talks. Kalkhoven will attend the Indy 500 as George's guest.
Sources say discussions have projected to the point that they are discussing what a merged circuit would look like the number of events, how many oval and street races there would be, a target number of race teams and whether there would be multiple engine makers.
At the same time, Michael Andretti has told people he's seriously considering a return to Champ Car in 2007 if there is no merger.
Link (http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_3850317)
Talk around Indianapolis Motor Speedway this month has been of a unification announcement Friday -- Carburetion Day for the Indy 500. It might be the perfect setting, but George and Kalkhoven say it won't happen -- not yet anyway.
"Slowly, but surely, we are starting to share ideas about open-wheel racing," George said. "We have some differences, but we don't want the process to get stalled, either. The talks have been in good faith, but we can't rush them. We don't want to look like the Keystone Cops."
Though George dismissed any chance of a major open-wheel announcement this week, he didn't count out the possibility of a reunion in 2007.
"Something could be achievable next year, but we would only have a short window to do something -- the next 30-60 days, if we don't make it too complicated," he said. "Carburetion Day is not a real date. But we all know a unified series could be stronger. You can take that to the bank."
Kalkhoven visited George at the speedway last week and has been invited back as George's guest for next Sunday's race.
"I think he learned that I don't have horns on my head," Kalkhoven said. "We shared wine and some laughs."
As for a merger: "We have not set a timetable on it," Kalkhoven said. "We want to wait and do it right."
Link (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060521/SPORTS16/605210708)
The lingering reports that a merger of the Champ Car and Indy Racing League (IRL) circuit may be announced on the eve of Sunday's Indy 500 were, at the very least, premature. There will be no letter-of-intent announcement between the two groups.
Progress is still being made in talks between officials of the two groups. There was a meeting as recently as May 11 and Indy and IRL owner/operator Tony George and Champ Car president Kevin Kalkhoven will meet again this week to continue merger talks. Kalkhoven will attend the Indy 500 as George's guest.
Sources say discussions have projected to the point that they are discussing what a merged circuit would look like the number of events, how many oval and street races there would be, a target number of race teams and whether there would be multiple engine makers.
At the same time, Michael Andretti has told people he's seriously considering a return to Champ Car in 2007 if there is no merger.
Link (http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_3850317)
Talk around Indianapolis Motor Speedway this month has been of a unification announcement Friday -- Carburetion Day for the Indy 500. It might be the perfect setting, but George and Kalkhoven say it won't happen -- not yet anyway.
"Slowly, but surely, we are starting to share ideas about open-wheel racing," George said. "We have some differences, but we don't want the process to get stalled, either. The talks have been in good faith, but we can't rush them. We don't want to look like the Keystone Cops."
Though George dismissed any chance of a major open-wheel announcement this week, he didn't count out the possibility of a reunion in 2007.
"Something could be achievable next year, but we would only have a short window to do something -- the next 30-60 days, if we don't make it too complicated," he said. "Carburetion Day is not a real date. But we all know a unified series could be stronger. You can take that to the bank."
Kalkhoven visited George at the speedway last week and has been invited back as George's guest for next Sunday's race.
"I think he learned that I don't have horns on my head," Kalkhoven said. "We shared wine and some laughs."
As for a merger: "We have not set a timetable on it," Kalkhoven said. "We want to wait and do it right."
Link (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060521/SPORTS16/605210708)