Hope and heritage will coincide starting at Homestead next month. (LAT photo)
While the ‘i’ and ‘t’ of ‘unity’ still require dotting and crossing respectively, the deal that will bring the top-rank U.S. open-wheel series together has been done. Tony George, Jerry Forsythe and Kevin Kalkhoven have signed a Memorandum Of Understanding, and there are now only the loose ends to tie up before IndyCar and Champ Car teams merge to form one series.
Yes, all who love motorsport and who have sighed or raged in exasperation at the wars of words, the ego clashes and each faction’s futile attempts to remain independent yet thrive – we all just wanted the announcement made. But really, after a dozen years of knowing that whichever of the two series we were watching at the time was some way short of being the real deal in terms of appraising drivers, and that each was robbing the other of its full potential, we can wait. Even lawyers have to make a living, and they do get paid by the hour, don’t you know?
There are those who will continue to rant about the damage these warring factions have done to each other over the last 12 years, and there can be no denying that’s true. I have frequently witnessed fans of, and employees within open-wheel racing ask SPEED’s Robin Miller, “Who would you say is currently winning the open-wheel war?”, and Miller’s answer – “NASCAR” – was spot-on.
Maybe the Indy car racing will never quite recover the glory in which it reveled in the mid-1990s. But maybe it will - and at least now it’s a possibility, and one worth striving for. As the saying goes, it’s never too late to do the right thing. In a country that takes great pride in its history, the Indy 500 will always have its place. Everyone knows what it is – the biggest race in the world. And, with all due respect to the Brickyard 400, when you mention Indianapolis, the names that spring to mind involve Foyt, Unser, Andretti and Mears rather than Gordon, Jarrett, Stewart and Earnhardt. That kind of heritage is what Champ Car – even with hugely successful events in Long Beach and Surfers Paradise – was never quite able to combat, and now no longer has to.
One united single-seater series, I believe, can co-exist with NASCAR, restore the balance of racing coverage in this country which unquestionably is currently too NASCAR-heavy. Open-wheel racers and stock cars are two such different branches of the sport, as Tony Stewart, Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish can testify, that there is ample room for both. Although there will be those who avidly follow either one or the other, there are just as many auto-racing fans – and here I include the staff of both RACER magazine and SPEEDTV.com – who enjoy and respect both.
But will it shock you to hear there were still those resistant to the merger, who were right to the unification announcement, still trying to apply the defibrillator to Champ Car? If you’re tempted to ask, ‘What has anyone got to lose from a merger?’ the answer is all too predictable: money. Despite a unified series being the only sustainable successful financial model for top-tier single-seater racing in this continent (and even then it’s going to require a lot of hard work, investment and smart thinking), there are still those who preferred the old ways, holding out their begging bowls, holding the rich men to ransom – “For the sake of car-count, Jerry/Tony/Kevin [delete as applicable], your series needs me. Give me X million and we’ll continue.”
These leeches are malevolent and have caused delays already. If, as some have suggested is the sensible option, the merger was delayed until 2009, it would only give these suckers time to drain yet more money away from the real series owners, while simultaneously trying to con new investors into thinking that Champ Car or IndyCar is financially viable as standalones.
Who are they kidding? IndyCar's backmarker teams have been standing thanks to props from Tony George and Honda. Champ Car as a whole was standing thanks only to Kalkhoven, Forsythe - and now, rigor mortis. Yet the fatuous anti-unifcation cries have been given a voice thanks to the Internet – be it through gullible journalists or brain-washed fanatics on chat forums. Prominent members of the sport have tried to elicit sympathy and support for their cause by portraying themselves as heroes, while using and abusing the series, its name and its credibility in order to access the pockets of the rich men. Alarmed at the prospect of seeing their ill-gotten gains dwindle away, these people have suggested Kalkhoven and Forsythe are at constant loggerheads, they have simultaneously attempted to keep Champ Car alive and they have tried to screw more money out of the IRL. Who said men can’t multi-task?
Thankfully there are real heroes in this story – and they have won at last. Tony George for extending the olive branch, Kevin Kalkhoven and Jerry Forsythe for grasping it, Honda and Dallara for facilitating on the equipment side, Robert Clarke of Honda USA for oiling the wheels of negotiation. Huge credit should also be given to the Champ Car teams who have taken the plunge in switching to IndyCar knowing full well that this year they’ll struggle, and already-establshed IndyCar teams for being so accommodating in giving support, both human and material.
It’s important to retain a ‘so be it’ attitude when looking at what will be a decidedly odd season. The Motegi/Long Beach clash has evidently been resolved with Champ Cars attending Long Beach and IndyCars going to Motegi and each being worth points in the IndyCar championship. It’s a mess, but if we have to swallow this particular dog’s dinner, so be it.
Personally I don’t much care for a schedule that fails to include Cleveland – one of the finest tracks for racing I have ever seen – or Toronto, Canada’s equivalent of Long Beach as one of the most picturesque street circuits ever devised. Each is a cornerstone in Indycar history. But hopefully this is a situation that can be resolved for 2009, and if they are included at the expense of a couple of the less successful ovals, who – either within or without traveling distance of said venues – will honestly give a bent cent?
So uncork the champagne, hang up the bunting. The rebirth of U.S. open-wheel racing starts here.
David Malsher is the Editor of RACER magazine. For details about the current issue, visit www.racer.com.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, SPEED, or Haymarket Worldwide.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator
and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
