Merger talks again?

[indycool]

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...96/1004/SPORTS

[Tim Northcutt]

Here is another article that came out in the Indianaplis Business Journal this week:

http://www.ibj.com/stories/html/050806-story1.html

[coyote9999]

I'm really worried about our CCWS venues with a statement like this :

"Although George said work is ongoing on finalizing the IRL’s 2007 schedule, sources said talks between Kalkhoven and George have included the possibility of an 18-race schedule for a unified series next year, with 12 ovals and six street and road courses."

6 Street or Road Course races would mean the end of many circuits and basically mean the IRL model taking over. Even if I am not such a fan of oval racing I would have understood a 50-50% split but this is ridiculous. I hope this supposed inside source is wrong.

[Tim Northcutt]

Also, it clearly states in this article that after what happened with F-1's USGP last summer, that TG wants to be in control of any series that races in the Indy 500....

[luke]

It's his fault he didn't have control of the U.S. Grand Prix last year, he is the one that rents the race to F1 so the FIA have the power. Looks like TG wants control of everything now.

[mountainstar]

Yes sadly, the megolomaniac is sure to derail any hope of any merger. I always point to how bernie E gained power in F1. He worked from within and built his power base up gradually and gained peoples respect and trust. Every since tg has taken over the speedway he feels that he is entitled to sole ownership and control of open wheel racing in the united states. It almost makes you want to pull your hair out at how stupid this guy is.

I'd forget about any merger. As I said on another forum a few days ago, "the merger" is a boat anchor. Champcar was making strides in every area last year as the merger was a non issue. Now that this merger crap has popped up, it's dragging us down.

The only difference we may see this time is how the natives feel. A lot of these team owners are fed up with the situation especially in the irl and may force the hand of the big boss to get a merger deal done. andretti, ganassi and rahal have basically said they will pike if a deal doesn't get done.

[racinthestreets]

I do see that the talks are dragging CCWS down. Look at the news of late, city council meeting in Las Vegas for a possible street race, talk in Phoenix and Otaru Japan. The new chasis for 2007. I would like to see orders for the new chasis along the lines of the orders for the new Atlantic chasis - that was impressive from the moment it was announced in San Jose last year. I have not seen any announcement about chasis orders for 2007.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by racinthestreets

I have not seen any announcement about chasis orders for 2007.

Because everyone is waiting with baited breath for the grand merger. I hope at some point a timeline is put into effect so people in both series can get on with it. Sink or swim. And I believe in both series many are fed up and are demanding change.

[JohnSSC]

luke, no track owner in F1 has any control over the show - that is the teams and Bernie (FOCA & F1). Blaming TG for what happened at the Indy F1 race is inappropriate. He is, just like any other venue owner, at the mercy of the folks who run the series and the teams that participate in it.

Without going tit-for-tat here, no one in either series can or should be described as a "megalomaniac" which is defined as a mental disorder, actually and not a business term. TG got burned badly by the aforementioned Bernie as had Bernie put his foot down there would have been a real race.

Who can blame a guy for wanting to prevent something like that from happening at his venue again?

I am not going to go into the history of BE's rise to the top in the world of F1, but it would be inaccurate to characterize his methods along the way as being completely noble...

[climb]

Back to topic, I think that a merger in 2007 is more and more unlòikely as time goes by, but for 2008 is almost for sure.
Dunno about the events mix between ex CC and ex IRL, but the main problem is not IMO about running more ovals and fewer roads or viceversa; what has to be decided is if they want to go american or get global.

IMO the first choice is the good one: you can't claim you give Nort American open wheel racing a new boost holding events at Surfers Paradise and similars (with maximum respect for those venues).

[mac]

Problem is Surfers Paradise is probably the biggest and most profitable event either series runs (Indy 500 aside).

[climb]

Really?
is it profitable for whom?
maybe for the event organisers, but for ther teams is surely a considerable extra cost, I guess.

[rustyfan]

Surfers' Paradise is a must on a merged schedule, seeing as it's one of the few street circuits that has a great layout that often produce good, interesting races.

[JohnSSC]

And that is just one of the factors that is going to cause a merger to take time to happen: each venue will need an honest review to determine which make sense to retain. Factors such as attendance, cost to the teams, profit/loss for the series etc will come into play. No point in merging only to go under financially a year later or something.

[climb]

Absolutely true, John

[mac]

Originally Posted by climb

Really?
is it profitable for whom?
maybe for the event organisers, but for ther teams is surely a considerable extra cost, I guess.

It is "believed to be" profitable for Champ Car, event organisers, the local government .....

Have you ever heard any team complain about the cost of travelling to Australia for the race?

I can't imagine anyone from either series wanting to exclude an event that attracts spectator figures for the weekend of up to 300,000.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by mac

It is "believed to be" profitable for Champ Car, event organisers, the local government .....

Have you ever heard any team complain about the cost of travelling to Australia for the race?

I can't imagine anyone from either series wanting to exclude an event that attracts spectator figures for the weekend of up to 300,000.

The cost of travelling to australia has always been paid for by the queensland government/organizers of surfers paradise.

Surfers has been around since 1991 and everyone loves going there, besides which it's a nice track in a nice setting, so why quit.

[JohnSSC]

But for how long can you expect the transportation bill to be paid by tax dollars? Years ago when FedEx was title sponsor, they paid the bill. No series should be relying on government handouts to make a venue profitable.

The City of San Jose, like my hometown of Pittsburgh, is nearly ready to declare bankruptcy. Yet the promoters are to receive $$ from the City to put on the race. If the City decides to use the money say for the upkeep of parks or to fund the public schools, where does that leave the race?

[luke]

All the grand prix except the British Grand Prix gets goverment hand outs, so F1 shouldn't have this? The pinacle of the sport?

[indycool]

If the merger happens, IMO, it won't look like anything described by anyone on any of the boards. It'll be decided solely on dollars and even those may not make sense to us as this evolves and unfolds...or doesn't.

There's a story in the Portland Oregonian today that Portland is on the block in any merger. It probably is. Only the strongest events are going to survive if and when a merger takes place and that will NOT take into consideration about "50/50s," etc., on the schedule, or what teams can answer the merger bell.

[paul-collins]

Stop making sense, IC.

[paul-collins]

Originally Posted by indycool

...that paragraph is second-hand as you originally posted. It was written by a staff writer on the CC payroll, a former journalist who is NOT a journalist any more. And it isn't a direct quote from Ganassi.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...TS01/605150370

Chip Ganassi apparently is confident the Indy Racing League is ready to turn the corner -- and perhaps unify with Champ Car -- because he backed off his threat to pull Ganassi Racing from the IRL at season's end if improvements aren't made.

So I assume Curt Cavin's mention of a previous threat adds credence to the assertion that Chip had said he'd leave.

Anyway, if Chip thinks things are looking up, I have hope this will get done.

[luke]

So it's Chip Ganassi and now Paul Tracy signed after this year the future so they seem to be fairly optimistic a merger could happen.

[indycool]

Maybe, paul, but you notice these guys never close doors the way some of us do on the Internet.....we tend to read more into things. Chip may have said something like, "if things don't change, I may look at other options" or something like that, but very, very seldom do any of them close doors and say: "I'm gone if 'X' or 'Y' doesn't happen." THAT would certainly be definitive and I haven't heard any of them go quite that far. Tracy hasn't really closed the door on running some NASCAR races, either. Yes, it seems he fully expects a merger and fully expects to drive for Forsythe for five more years, but we don't know the "out clauses" either of them might have in the agreement.

It's like guaranteed and not-guaranteed contracts in other pro sports....baseball contracts are guaranteed, NFL contracts are only partially guaranteed for specific amounts in signing bonuses and if they sign a seven-year deal and get cut after the first year, they don't get paid the next six years.

And Chip's attitude, like anyone's, is different when he's competitive, which he wasn't last year with Toyota and Manning and is this year with Honda and Wheldon.

[D.R.T.]

In fairness, it was more than Toyota and Manning that werent competitive for Ganassi last year.