Is the IRL that stubborn?
A reader writes, I just read Mark Cipolloni's latest article on the cost to race in the IRL. Is Tony George and the IRL that stubborn when it comes to adopting good ideas that Champ Car had? If these costs are that high and growing, it will be tough for the Champ Car teams that made the switch to stay in business, yet alone attract new teams for next year. They need to open their eyes, or the unification will mean nothing. Pat Kleibor
Dear Pat, Up until now the IRL has pandered to the big teams with deep pockets to allow them to gain an advantage by outspending the competition. Sure they wanted some engineering leeway so their engineers didn't get too bored with the series (remember Roger Penske always wants "The Unfair Advantage" – the name of the book his driver Mark Donahue wrote), but at the end of the day the higher costs hurt the series' ability to move forward. so expect to see some cost reductions put in place before long. Mark C.
Dear Pat, Up until now the IRL has pandered to the big teams with deep pockets to allow them to gain an advantage by outspending the competition. Sure they wanted some engineering leeway so their engineers didn't get too bored with the series (remember Roger Penske always wants "The Unfair Advantage" – the name of the book his driver Mark Donahue wrote), but at the end of the day the higher costs hurt the series' ability to move forward. so expect to see some cost reductions put in place before long. Mark C.