IRL/Champ Car merger – did George have ulterior motives?
George said that in meetings with Champ Car leadership last fall, he offered to help its teams buy IRL cars on the condition that they spend at least two years in the IndyCar Series. No team stepped forward. [Editor's Note – So was the offer to the team leaders to steal them away and kill off Champ Car? It appears all the team owners rejected the offer, and instead stayed unified behind Champ Car, despite George’s lucrative offer.] With the start of the IRL's season approaching, time is up, said George.
"I needed to know earlier so we could get the cars ordered," he said.
It bears noting that Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven said he hasn't spoken with George "in nine months" and that George never made an offer to either him or business partner, Jerry Forsythe.
"I never, ever saw an offer," Kalkhoven said, "and he didn't make it to Jerry." [Editor's Note: Seems pretty strange that George would not make offer to Kalkhoven or Forsythe. Apparently he was trying to do a sneaky end-around in an attempt to steal teams and kill off Champ Car.]
Neither Champ Car nor the IRL permits the other's cars to participate in its series. George said he made the two-year stipulation because the IRL will introduce new cars for the 2010 season.
"For me to make the investment, it makes sense to do it for two years, not one," he said.
It seems the only way there could be a single series for 2008 is for Champ Car team owners to buy IRL equipment on their own.
George said he was willing to help Champ Car teams acquire a new car and a used backup, but he wasn't going to pay the entire freight. He said he is willing to incorporate the bulk of Champ Car's schedule into the IRL. AutoWeek