Battle Royal

[Dov]

From ChampWeb: http://www.champweb.net/newsx268.htm

Battle Royal

By Don Sklenka
Champ Car and OWRS is about to enter the biggest battle of its lifetime.

The fight has started and continues until the start of the Long Beach Grand Prix on April 16-18. No, they do not have to go to court and convince a judge that they should own the series. Nor do they have to find a management team that is fit for the job. The leadership has changed more often than a baby’s diaper.

There is no doubt. If you do not believe the stories than ignorance might be the best description of your opinion. Every single Indy Racing League participant and their allies (Tony George, Roger Penske, Bill France) are doing whatever it takes to see to it that the green flag is never dropped in Long Beach.

The first step you have witnessed was the sudden departure of veteran driver, turned owner, Adrian Fernandez. The IRL, in all of its glory, have managed to come up 13 cars short of the 33 car grid for the Indianapolis 500. So, how do they fix that?

The philosophy and consistent business plan, running as the Indy Racing League since 1996, wasn’t enough to attract cars and teams to the series. The manufacturer support, along with their clients and sponsors, hasn’t been enough to attract cars and teams to the series. And the unbelievable TV package and with their TV ratings hasn’t been enough to attract cars and teams to the series.

It appears as though its back to old-faithful: the checkbook. If you actually believe Honda and Tony George had nothing to do with the financing of Adrian Fernandez’s IRL effort, let alone the entire transfer to the IRL, you might need to check into your local doctors office. Champ Car is being dive-bombed by the “fat-cats” of motorsports.

Team Rahal has been offered "ungodly" amounts from Honda and their checkbook.

Meanwhile, Kevin Kalkhoven is trying everything he can to see that those offers do not go through. Kalkhoven flew to Mexico City on Sunday to meet with Michel Jourdain Jr., his father, representatives of Gigante, and the promoters of the Mexican Champ Car races. “Michel doesn’t want to go to the IRL,” OWRS principal Kevin Kalkhoven said. “He very much wants to remain in our series.” Kalkhoven remains adamant that Rahal is the only other Champ Car team threatening to leave, despite other offers from Honda and Tony George.

“None of the other teams are going to go to the IRL despite the attempts to drag them over there,” Kalkhoven said. “There are some new teams coming into Champ Car that will be announced within the next two weeks. At this moment we’re still okay on car count. If we can keep Rahal we’re home and dry. If not, that will make it a little more exciting.”

Dale Coyne is expected to field a 2-car effort for Ralph Firman and Michael Keohone, while Emerson Fittipaldi is extremely close to finalizing a 1-car effort for the 2004 season. Mi-Jack Conquest Racing is doing what it can to see at least 1-car hits the grid in Long Beach, and we might even see a couple of teams expand. Patrick Carpentier looks as though he will be in Champ Car this season, but for what team at this point in time is still unknown. “We’re trying to find a seat for Carpentier and I believe we will.”

Ex-Formula 1 driver Justin Wilson is also said to be close in finalizing a deal that would see him in Champ Car. “There will probably be a British driver in the series as well,” said Kalkhoven. “We’re hopeful of that.” Either way you look at it, Champ Car is trying to do everything it can to run a series in 2004 without having to subsidize its teams. If that alone can be accomplished, the series can look to create significant revenue, which can then be used in other areas within the company.

However, anything and everything is being done by the boys on 16th Street in Indianapolis, to insure that the Champ Car season never gets underway.

We are about to witness the “Battle Royal” for the next 30 days.

[indycool]

Interesting that OWRS blames TG and Honda for its problems. Nevermind all the reasons that Fernandez floated peripherally that had nothing to do with TG and Honda for his reasons to switch.

It is also ot very encouraging to hear gazillionaires whine about other gazillionaires' money taking the toys out of their sandbox. That's defeatist. These OWRS guys are either "big wheels" or they're not. I wish they'd decide.

[Flatspot]

The thing I got out of that article is not that Champ Car is having serious problems, we all knew that, but rather the how deep the problems are running in the other camp.

20 cars at Indy. OUCH! Closing Champ Car down isn't going to fix what seems to be a much larger problem to me.

[indycool]

I think the 20 cars at Indy report is in serious error....I can count well more than that now, with the 19 they had at Homestead, plus Ben Collins with PDM, Roger Yasukawa with Rahal, Robby Gordon, now Fernandez, the Patrick with Al Jr. report coming back, Sarah Fisher with Kelley, etc. That field is forming with already announced stuff, let alone what else comes. It's a deflection on that front. I wish these guys would get their stories straight -- on all fronts.

[Flatspot]

I agree that the car count above was intentionally light. It illustrates how ugly the situation is on all fronts however.

I also don't agree with the assumption most are making that if Champ Car were gone , which it's not, everyone will go circle burning (well,circle burning with no lid).

[indycool]

Oh, I wouldn't make that assumption, either, Flatspot. There are just a few cars that might go over to IRL out of the current OWRS stable, not a whole fleet. Anyone who thinks that on that side of the coin is also seriously mistaken.

[indycool]

There's another element to this that sems to be creeping in, both in Sklenka's piece and AR!, that if OWRS gets enough cars for Long Beach and runs the race, it wins.

Wins what? Wins the right, contractually I suppose, to go on the next race. It doesn't "win" anything other than to say they finally had a race. Some thought the bankruptcy hearing put them over the hump, but we've seen all the motion since then. There'll be more.

[climb]

I fear indycool is right: OWRS main win is not doing this or that race, but keep alive day by day...

[Fogelhund]

As much as I want OWRS to "win", as in actually have a season, it gets harder to believe in what the principles say.

I say this, because I really did expect them to roll out their cars when they said they would. I appreciate this is not completely within their control, yet don't make promises you don't know you can keep in this regard.

The OWRS principles might be "saying" that these cars will show, but until they do, then it is speculation in my books.

Forsythe, a well known team, had the series champion, and 5th place in the standings last year. Despite this, cannot land a sponsor.

Where exactly are Fittipaldi, Coyne, Conquest and someone for Carpentier going to come up with the funds at this point? Companies discretionary advertising/sponsorship budgets are usually completed before the calendar year starts, and don't usually find $5 million sitting around midyear, for an intangible, that doesn't have a great draw in North America.

The original drop dead date for LBGP was in February, when OWRS had to prove that they would have the cars. Its mid-March, I wonder what the LBGP guys are thinking about now?

Further to the 20 of 33 at Indy, isn't Haas going to enter two cars for Indy? Still a pathetic number, somewhere around 27 to 30, but not 20 either.

The sooner actual announcements, with actual budgets are made, the better for the series. Negative momentum is a killer. Rahal should announce today, so we shall see what happens there.

[Ac.]

Originally posted by indycool
Interesting that OWRS blames TG and Honda for its problems. Nevermind all the reasons that Fernandez floated peripherally that had nothing to do with TG and Honda for his reasons to switch.

Talk about laying blame incorrectly. The article in question is an opinion piece by Don Slenka, not an official OWRS press release.

[Fogelhund]

http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content...._code=03400775

Nothing new really, but worthy of a read and quite unbiased.

[Fogelhund]

Quote of the day.

Originally posted by ThunderDome
To misquote a well-known reporter: "5000 people in Indy think TG saved OW racing, another 5,000 think he's evil incarnate, and everyone else simply decided to follow Nascar."

[indycool]

Ac., Kalkhoven has been saying the same thing, but if you dispute that, then I'll amend that statement to Sklenka saying it....as if there was a difference.

[Ac.]

indycool, if KK did say it then post the link. We all want to know what's really going on...not just the rhetoric.

[Dov]

From TSN.ca: http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/news_s...me=auto_racing

Kalkhoven says Honda, IRL behind defections

TSN.ca Staff

3/15/2004
One of the new owners of the Champ Car World Series believes Honda and the Indy Racing League are pressuring some of its teams to make the switch to the oval-based series.

Kevin Kalkhoven says despite the defection of Adrian Fernandez last week, he doesn't see any other teams taking the bait.

"They are doing everything they can to try to stop (our series) from happening. That is their goal," Kalkhoven tells ESPN.com. "But we're going to get out of the gate at Long Beach."

Kalkhoven is in Mexico City to meet with Team Rahal driver Michel Jourdain Jr and his sponsors to try and persuade them not to follow in the footsteps of Fernandez. Owner Bobby Rahal is expected to decide this week whether or not to abandon Champ Car for the IRL.

"If we can keep Rahal, we're home and dry," said Kalkhoven said. "If not, that will make it a little more exciting."

Honda officials say they are not pressuring anyone to leave Champ Car and that it was Fernandez who contacted them.

Kalkhoven says that Jourdain has no desire to compete in the IRL and that none of the other Champ Car teams are prepared to join the rival series.

"At this moment we're still OK on car count."

That car count currently stands at 11 with Rahal, Dale Coyne, Emerson Fittipaldi and Derrick Walker all expected to field as many as five entries between them, raising the total to 16.

"We're trying to find a seat for (Patrick) Carpentier, and I believe we will. We're hopeful of having a British driver in the series as well."

Former F1 drivers Justin Wilson and Ralph Firman have spoken recently about continuing their driving career in North America.