We've been down this road before--countless times, in fact, reaching back to at least 1996--only to see the bitter feud between open-wheel leagues end in cynical disappointment. But just hours ago, IndyCar Racing officials announced that league chairman Tony George had boarded a plane for Japan with two other officials for talks about bringing the two leagues back together. Just possibly the 2008 season could see the big starting grids, the celebrity drivers and the excitement that has been missing from open-wheel racing for more than a decade.
Heaven knows, reconciliation is in everyone's interests. The Indianapolis 500, once the premier motor sporting event in America, is currently a shadow of its former self. Last year tickets were sold to only one side of the track.. Champ Car has shot itself in the foot countless times from its Keystones Cops management, infuriating fans and watching its television audiences shrink. This civil war has virtually handed NASCAR the lion's share of motor racing fans in America.
There are several remaining hurdles in negotiations:
Will officials at
Twin-Ring Motegi in Japan move their race date from April to later in the season so that the Long Beach Grand Prix can be added to the
IndyCar schedule?
Can Champ Car resolve its remaining contracts with race promoters? George said he's willing to add as many of those races to the IRL's 2008 schedule as possible. But again, there are date conflicts.
George insists that the deadline has passed for Champ Car teams to get free cars and engines from the IRL, even if they can prove they have enough sponsorship to operate them. Will this be reconsidered?
Sources: AutoWeek, Press Association
