IRL to go to spec engine in 2006

With Chevy already gone from the IRL and Toyota presumably out if Ganassi also did a deal with Honda, comes rumors that Honda will have to ramp up and supply the entire IRL grid a year early – in 2006. Given that, the talk is that Honda will need to supply a cheaper version of their engine in 2006, instead of waiting until 2007 when they proposed to supply a Cosworth-like longer-life engine to all the teams for around $1 million per year. The teams, without manufacturer subsidies, can't afford the current lease prices.

We also hear that Honda has many outs with the contract and can still decide to quit the IRL after 2006 if Japan decides that supplying the entire grid and not competing with anyone is not in their best interest. Scuttlebutt is that Honda announced they would extend their contract through 2009 to help the IRL land another engine manufacturer. We do not see anyone wanting to come into the IRL with an engine given that Honda has relationships with the best teams already and would likely smoke them on the track race in and race out. From where we sit, it appears that the IRL is stuck with a single engine supplier (Honda) for a long time to come.