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Or there is large amount of "principle" in their wallet. This fight could get very ugly, especially if there's an opportunity to publicize premeditated collusion and wrongdoing beyond any normally acceptable business framework.Quote:
Originally Posted by indycool
Just what "premeditated collusion" would be either wrongdoing or illegal?
Okay, who cares what the denialistas want to believe? AR1 is reporting the following which fits with what I continue to hear.
"Champ Car to file for bankruptcy to facilitate merger UPDATE #10 As this rumor bounces back and forth between a go and a no-go for the merger, today we heard from three different sources that the deal is done."
So, what happens next?
We wait and see.
Chaparral66 and ChaimWitz,
Indeed, What Happens Next?
I have a hunch that we will have some definitive news within the next week.
PS: Does anyone know what the official deadline date for registering an IRL team and driver is?
Much like CC, don't think there IS one just to go racing.....maybe for the TEAM program or something. Indy's entry deadline is usually early April but haven't heard if it still is or not.
Based upon recent events, common sense dictates that there is a go/no go logistical deadline for something and I suspect it has everything to do with Long Beach and Motegi. I can't see how it is in the best interests of anyone involved to announce the plans regarding these events until the business issues are resolved between the CCWS and the IRL.
It is clear that the Amigos are under severe financial pressure with thier "investment" in OWRS so they want to cut their losses and thus avoid running the 2008 season therefore I believe it is now certain that Sebastian Bourdais will soon be forever remembered as the last Champion of ChampCar.
As detailed elsewhere in this thread, I also believe that very few, if any, CCWS races make money for the promoter and many are "free to the promoter" shows so closing down CCWS isn't the same as abruptly closing down the IRL or ALMS would be. That coupled with the likelihood of multiple teams leaving the CCWS (4-8 cars) means that there is nowhere left to hide from reality for the Amigos.
The one race that matters most to them is Long Beach because it is the only one that has any leverage left and it is likely the only CCWS race that has a prayer of turning a profit so the Amigos are looking to salvage it. This puts pressure on TG and Honda (ironically) regarding Motegi's conflicting date with the Toyota grand Prix of Long Beach. One way or another, from the Amigo's POV, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach must run. If not, I suspect that they probably lose their right to operate the race. TG and Honda hold the keys IMHO.
Once the deal is done to end the short, deceptive life of the OWRS, those involved will choose the best option to unify the sport. I imagine the options include:
1) Postponing or canceling this year's Motegi IRL race;
2) Running a last-ever ChampCar race at Long Beach while the IRL races in Japan and allowing points from either event to count towards the unified IndyCar Championship;
3) Holding the race at Long Beach as an exhibition event with 16 Champ Cars in a final race with eight Champ Car drivers and eight IndyCar drivers flown from Japan immediately following the race at Motegi on Friday evening;
4) The 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday Feature race becomes the American Le Mans Series race;
5) The 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is run with Mazda Atlantic Cars!
All these options have costs attached to them and the $64,000,000 question is who will pay for whatever scenario is chosen?
One way or another, I believe something like what is outlined above will come to pass. I know many of you want the 2008 ChampCar season to happen but IMHO it simply makes no financial sense for the Amigos to keep the deception going so they won't. The chin music has stopped and we may have just seen ChampCar's last tango in Sebring.
Perhaps Sanguin, Clydekart or another brave CCWS defender-to-the-ender would like to argue otherwise here. My sense is that time is short but I do invite the counter argument because it would be wonderful to have it memorialized here for all to see when the odd story of OWRS does all finally come to an inglorious end this week.
To those of you who think I take pleasure in the death of our once great series, I don't. All this could potentially damage many people and businesses I care very much about. I still have a passion for what CART once was and my appreciation for the drivers and circuits that continued to make the CCWS something worthy of interest and respect lives on. The truth is I don't like or trust the Amigos after dealing with them first hand. Now the rest of the world gets to see why.
I will leave you now with the lyrics from a song by The Doors:
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes again
Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need of some stranger's hand
In a desperate land
Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain
And all the children are insane
All the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah
There's danger on the edge of town
Ride the king's highway, baby
Weird scenes inside the gold mine
Ride the highway west, baby
Ride the snake, ride the snake
To the lake
The ancient lake, baby
The snake he's long, seven miles
Ride the snake
He's old
Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHFK1...eature=related
Good post, ChaimWitz....no matter how many of us post what we think is going to happen, you list five options and for all we know, there could be 10 or more others. There's a thread at another forum where many different people, four pages worth, have mapped out what they think (and more likely, hope) a melded schedule would look like.
When you combine the necessities of a financially sound and creative promoter doing HIS schedule, the melded series doing its and at the same time working with ABC/ESPN's schedule-makers, you have a mass of variables. (Some Ph. D. mathematician can multiply all those back and forth plus available race dates and see how many combinations can exist.)
It would appear that the Long Beach-Motegi issue was the big one in the discussions, but Clarke used the term "optimistic."
Time will tell, but I agree it should tell us shortly.
I like it, a prediction.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChaimWitz
I hope it all ends soon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nanders
I don't agree....
It's a terrible way to end it....
Champcar deserves to survive in the merger, not die....
More time is needed to secure that...