Feb. 9 newsstand: More unification talk

The follow-ups to Friday's unification announcement are coming fast ...

First, the details:
Indianapolis Star: Tony George, Brian Barnhart, Terry Angstadt and Robert Clarke are headed to the mothership. The object? Talk Honda into moving the Motegi date to the fall so the unification can happen. KK says he and TG had a brief conversation Friday.

Among the quotes from KK: "There's no deal, and no deal's been offered" ... "I sent Tony a text (message) to find out what is going on." "Gerry and I are enthusiastic to get this done; the question is, can we get it done?"
Says TG: "It seems that every time we've been close some new obstacle gets thrown in the way."

But, Speed's Jeff Olson reports that Champ Car people have said the talks have stalled while TG and the gang head to Japan.
Says KK's statement: "Over the past three years, we have fielded and offered several proposals regarding unification of the two premier U.S.-based open-wheel racing series, but we have been unable to reach an acceptable solution. Discussions currently are at a standstill, and we therefore are proceeding with plans to continue as Champ Car.”
Good quote from Panther's John Barns: “Two things happen in Indianapolis every spring: the grass turns from brown to green, and there are talks of an open-wheel merger. I’ll get excited about this when I hear the news from Tony George.”

The hurdles
A Toronto Globe & Mail story says TG has offered free cars, free engines and the $1.2 million TEAM incentive to any CC teams that switch. But KK says there are "insurmountable obstacles."
The key source is an anonymous "IndyCar Series Insider": "We all want to make a deal and then all stand up together and stop losing money. We want to find some way to get together with Champ Car and keep their marketable assets."

While Toronto & the Mont Tremblant CC races would be gone (Edmonton, Long Beach & Surfer's Paradise would be incorporated into the ICS schedule), the anonymous source said the Toronto race would likely be back on the schedule in 2009.

Affecting individual races
The Canadian National Post says the Edmonton race is secure
Says an anonymous Edmonton source: "Edmonton is definitely on the map, whether Champ Car goes it alone or they merge with the IRL. This is just golden. It would be the show. The unfortunate part is, Edmonton might be the only Canadian race. Toronto could be wiped off the map. From a national point of view it's not great to have Toronto and (Mont-Tremblant) cancelled."

In this story from the Toronto Star (Toronto sees the possibility of its GP being gone), KK says "The likelihood of anything taking place for 2008, as a result of these leaks, is very low."

The Long Beach perspective

The story looks into extending the agreement with the city to run the race through at least 2015, with an option to extend five years beyond that. The city is offering a five-year agreement, instead of the traditional 10-year extension, because of development along the waterfront. Currently, the agreement to run the race runs through 2010.

The Fort Worth perspective
TMS is one of the key tracks on the IndyCar circuit. IRL spokesperson John Griffin confirms the same thing that the Toronto story's anonymous source confirmed: free cars, engines and the TEAM program.
Eddie Gossage says a merger would be the "best thing to happen to the sport."

Commentaries
AutoWeek: Is it real?
Chicken Little keeps repeating "unification is at hand" But, as writer Steven Cole Smith says, "Chicken Little might be right eventually. But is now truly the time?"

Panther Racing has its own commentary on its website
Says Vitor Meira: “Every year we hear of these merger talks. And every year I get excited about it. It’s good for the sport. It’s good for the teams, the sponsors, the tracks and especially the Indianapolis 500. I’ve got my fingers crossed all weekend.” Meanwhile, a few Panther team members are excited about the possibility of going to Surfer's Paradise.

And, of course
AP: Merger talk too little, too late for NASCAR defectors
Hey, somebody had to talk to them, right? Anyway, you can tell this is good when the most-quoted source is noted open-wheel defector Kyle Petty.
Says the IndyCar expert from North Carolina: "It's almost like watching things going in with diplomacy in foreign countries, where you think, 'OK, now we're going to have a break in this,' and you never have a break. It's getting to the point now where they've cried 'reunification' enough that no one really pays attention."

Non-unification news
Panther Racing announced on its website Q&A this week that it intends to be a one-car team this year. The quote: "It’s safe to say now that Panther will be a one-car team in 2008, at least until the Indy 500, where we would likely expand to a two-car operation." (thanks to MyNameIsIRL for the heads-up on this one)