Montreal or Mexico City, NASCAR can’t have both
First of all Montreal fans know and like Champ Car. The IRL has not had good luck following Champ Car into a market, every one has failed. What does the IRL bring to the table for Legault, that Champ Car does not? Why would Legault want to risk having to now sell two new series to the Montreal fans (both Busch and IRL) when he could keep Champ Car and just add Busch?
The only thing I could think of is Tony George is lining Legault's pockets with money and/or Bernie's involved as some have suggested. I feel a Busch/Champ Car doubleheader could be huge, especially if Paul Tracy drives in both races.
What will the IRL bring to the table in 2007? By then Toyota and Chevy will be gone and we still don't know if Honda will stick around. The series will be a shell of its former self, and financially much worse off as the gravy train of money dries up.
Last, I forgot about Forsythe's ties with the France family in Mexico. If he does indeed pull that trump card I can see NASCAR dropping the IRL doubleheader idea in Montreal and suggest to Legault the Busch/Champ Car doubleheader instead. I'm sure that's the easy way out for NASCAR because I doubt they want to lose the Hispanic/Mexico market. They get to have their cake and eat it too by maintaining their relationship with Forsythe.
Has OWRS/Champ Car trumped Tony George yet again? Nick Marone, San Francisco, CA Dear Nick, we don't know if Champ Car has trumped Tony yet again, it's only a rumor that we heard, but it certainly sounds plausible. Mark C.
09/13/05 Rumor has it that Champ Car owner Gerald Forsythe is prepared to kick NASCAR out of his Mexico City track should they go forward with plans to bring the IRL in with them to Montreal, thereby leaving Champ Car out to dry. If true, NASCAR has to decide which market is more important to them, Mexico City or Montreal.
Given that Forsythe also is letting the France family's Grand-Am series into Mexico City to run with Champ Car this November, that series also risks losing the huge Mexico City market.
We think what makes more sense for Montreal in 2007 and beyond, is as we have written previously, a Champ Car/Busch Series doubleheader.
This rumor of the IRL taking over from Champ Car in Montreal is the latest in a long list of attempts Tony George has made to undermine CART/Champ Car over the years, while Champ Car goes about its own business, not once trying to steal a race from the IRL. It just goes to show how destructive Tony George and his IRL has been to the entire sport of open wheel racing. Instead of finding a way to work together for the good of the sport, Tony wants to be king and kill the opponent. Years of wasted effort, countless dollars, and countless driver injuries. For what? Is the IRL prospering? No, in fact they appear to be in deep trouble. Chevy leaving, Toyota leaving, sponsors leaving, races being dropped. Tony George has set the sport of Indy Car Racing back 10 years. It may never recover. Mark C.