IRL Founder George Says No Reunion With Champ Car In Future

George Doubts IRL And Champ Car Can Reconcile

IRL Founder Tony George does not expect reconciliation between his league and the Champ Car World Series, according to Curt Cavin of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. George, who is “reluctant to yield control of” the IRL, said that the “stumbling block is Champ Car’s desire to share ownership of the IRL.” George: “I don’t think (reconciliation) is possible for 2006; I don’t think it’s possible ever” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/4). Champ Car investor Kevin Kalkhoven said of possible reconciliation, “At this moment that’s a red herring. We have our business under control. We have all we need for the future” (TORONTO STAR, 7/6). Sources from both the IRL and Champ Car said that “neither side wants to talk about unification for publication.” One source: “It’s not good for business. We try to keep a lot of this quiet because to talk about negotiations creates problems for both series so far as sponsorship is concerned. For instance, maybe a corporation wants to sponsor a car in one series or the other but then gets wind that something’s up, that there might be a change, so they decide to hold off” (Norris McDonald, TORONTO STAR, 7/5).

MAKEUP? In a separate piece, Cavin reported F1 teams that did not run in the U.S. Grand Prix last month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) because of Michelin tires deemed unsafe “want to stage a special makeup race at” IMS on October 23, a week after the season-ending race in China. But George said, “There will be no (race) at [IMS] this fall.” George “emphasized he communicates with” F1 Management Chair Bernie Ecclestone and not the teams proposing the race (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/3).

LONE STAR: With GM leaving the IRL at the end of the season and Toyota leaving after ’06, Honda Performance Development President Robert Clarke is “not ruling out being the lone [engine] manufacturer in” ’07. Clarke: “It’s not my decision, that’s what we’re discussing internally, but my feeling is that we need to stay — regardless of the scenario.” He added, “I feel between CART and the IRL we’ve made a substantial investment in open wheel racing and to just walk away from that like Toyota seems kind of foolish because you lose all that investment” (Robin Miller, SPEEDTV.com, 7/2).