Any Champ Car series fans here?

[Analoguesat]

Ive been watching the American open wheel series for several years and its got better and better since they went over to the road courses about 3 years ago.

Sadly Champ Cars has announced they are merging with IRL and will be going back to the boring oval courses (with 3 or 4 road courses in between....)

:-Nooo

 

[Salty25]

Have you any links on this? I'm not surprised it's happened, it was inevitable actually, but I'm mystified as to the practical arrangements of how this will work - The cars? Ownership? Sponsorship? TV rights?

 

[Analoguesat]

_http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/7260175.stm

_http://www.indycar.com/news/story.php?story_id=10581

The European rounds that had been incorporated last season have gone.

 

[Salty25]

That makes sense, merge it slowly before full integration in 2009. I can see a situation where the split between oval and street/circuit will be more balanced to bring former Champ Car fans in.

 

[sprog]

They had to do something as IRL had attracted some of the major teams that were in CHAMP/CART like Newman Haas, Penske and Ganassi. The CHAMP grid numbers were falling and struggled to get regular 18 car grids last season. I started following the CART when 'our Nige' went over there and done the back to back F1/CART championship back in 1993. Ovals boring? No way!! You should have been at Rockingham when they came over here in 2001, once they got racing its the best type of racing I have watched live and with unlimited pit access for £10 getting up close to the cars and drivers, getting autographs it certainly is a fan friendly formula which IRL also condones. I know its not every motorsport's fan goin round and round lap after lap on the telly but if you got a driver you support and at some ovals where they are doing 200mph+ inches apart with more over taking action in one lap than a whole F1 race then it certainly is an exciting alternative! Premiere on 19.2 are following the IRL this season but with the merger it will be interesting to see the revised schedule.

 

[Analoguesat]

Im hoping Eurosport 2 will still have some coverage. They made a right bloody mess mess of some of the races the last couple of years thanks to other sports over-running their slots but at least they carried all of them. And Im certainly not subscribing to Sky Sprots to watch cars driving at 200 mph round the equivalent of a gigantic roundabout.

 

[Analoguesat]

The first big team casualty of the IRL takeover / merger is Forsyth Racing - they have thrown in the towel

_http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/29022008/58/season-2008-forsythe-close-doors.html

Thats Paul Tracey & David Martinez out of a drive.

 

[Salty25]

Makes you wonder whether F1 might see an opportunity here.

 

[T_G]

I used to watch Indicars during the 90ies, undoubtedly the best period of racing. They had names like Fitipaldi, both Andrettis, Mansell, Rahal, Al Unser Junior, Paul Tracy, Jimmy Vasser and who can forget Alex Zanardi. In my opinion at that time it was by far better racing than F1, there were much better battles and good overtaking. I found that watching an oval race is not as boring as it seems! The tactics, drafting, slingshotting and high speed side by side driving was simply a joy to watch, i was pretty sad when they dumbed it down and named it IRL . Maybe the unification will bring back the good racing...

 

[sprog]

And not to forget Danica Patrick brings a bit of glamour on to the track!

 

[Analoguesat]

Katherine Legge in Champ Cars wasnt bad on the eye either

 

[sprog]

Any idea what channel the last ever Champ Car race is on from Long Beach Tomorrow? Cannot see it listed on Eurosport1,2, Motors, AbMoteurs,Premiere.

 

[Analoguesat]

Forget Eurosport - from what Ive heard they have chucked it.