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Classic big 3 behaviour, not a surprise at all, but a shame for the IRL. Team Owner's comments are quiet interesting. Has some agreement on the 2007 spec come about? Recall that with CART there was some disagreement between Honda and Toyota regarding the spec. Honda wanted smaller displacement turbo engines, Toyota wanted a n/a engine. Toyota left as a result. Honda had been jerked around, partially due to CART's pandering to Toyota's whining that Ford and Honda were "cheating", so they left too.
From the article:
“That worked for us. There‘s no secret that the costs have gone up and the TV ratings and attendance have been flat or down.”
While the TV point is probably true, I don't think the audience part is. Doesn't seem right to blame the series for your own inability/unwillingness to compete.
It's a real kick in the pants for Carpentier who recently signed with Cheever when GM has admitted that they will concentrate on Panther. Let's be honest, it's unlikely that Chevy engines will be anywhere close if 2005 if going to be the final year.
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