Time running out for ’07 unification
"However, it's important for everyone to know that we share that desire and that's precisely why we don't want this to be a rushed job. Our priority is to do it correctly, not to do it as quick as possible.
"The fact is, right from the start, Tony and I never put a timescale on a potential merger for that very reason. All this talk of timescales and deadlines has been pure media speculation, and certainly nothing that either side we have put out there."
But unification appears to be off for 2007. "Absolutely, Champ Car has to keep going with its own plans too. We expect to have the 2007 calendar out in August this year, and we will be reviewing all our options."
06/05/06 WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Tony George said Sunday that the size of the Indianapolis 500 crowd grew for at least the second consecutive year, but he said the chances of unifying open-wheel racing have not changed.
The chief executive officer of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League met Wednesday with Champ Car World Series leader Kevin Kalkhoven in Indianapolis, part of their ongoing discussions. While George still feels unification is a 50-50 proposition, he said time is running out for there to be one series in place for 2007.
Essentially, the deadline is July 1, and George said there are still too many issues to resolve.
"We continue to make progress, but certainly they are not giant strides," George said at Watkins Glen International, where the IRL raced Sunday. "I continue to be encouraged that there's some chance of possibly getting together . . . but I don't see any positive signs that (50-50) has changed.
"It's not likely it will happen for 2007; it's obviously late. We're finalizing a schedule; they're finalizing a schedule. With each passing day it seems unlikely that it will get done (for next year)."
George and Kalkhoven have no plans to meet the rest of the month, although George said they will be in contact. As for the 500, George wouldn't reveal crowd figures, but he said they were "definitely up" from the 2005 race, which was higher than the year before.
"And the enthusiasm supports that," George said. "All the story lines that started the month were in play in those last 20 laps. It was certainly an unpredictable finish." Indy Star
[Editor's Note: We hear there definitely will be no unification for 2007. Both series will continue to limp along apart. As for Tony George's claim that attendance was up at Indy this year, please do not insult our intelligence. TV ratings were down over 20% and the overhead TV camera shots from the 500 do not lie, more empty seats this year than ever. It appears both sides have dug their heels in and are trying to maintain a credible negotiating position by saying all is fine with the world and there is no need to rush into unification.
Meanwhile IRL teams are shutting down and Champ Car teams are so short of equipment and money that when Alex Tagliani crashed in practice Saturday at Milwaukee he had no backup car and no team would lend Team Australia one of their backup cars in a great display of cooperation (not).
Fans of both series writing to AutoRacing1.com say things look really bad from their perspective and their interest in open wheel racing is waning. With Tony George saying July 1st is the deadline for a 2007 merger and there being no further meetings set between the two sides for June, forget about a merger. Open Wheel Racing's future remains clouded and sponsors are staying away in droves.]