Quote :

From wikipedia

2008 and the Long Beach/Motegi "split weekend"
During negotiations which led to the merging of the Champ Car World Series and the IRL IndyCar Series, a problem came in the form of a scheduling conflict between the Champ Car race scheduled at Long Beach and the IndyCar race held at Twin Ring Motegi the same weekend. Honda, who owns the Motegi complex and also supplies equipment to the IndyCar Series, could not change their scheduled race date of April 19. Likewise, Long Beach could not change their race weekend (with the CCWS race scheduled for April 20), such change being a difficult task considering the civil and infrastructural preparations required for a temporary street circuit.
However, all problems were resolved when the two open wheel series agreed to merge in February of 2008. Tony George (president of the Indy Racing League), with Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe (the former co-owners of Champ Car) planned an unprecedented "split weekend" of races at Twin Ring Motegi and Long Beach. This compromise will allow all IRL drivers to race in Japan, while ex-Champ Car drivers will race at Long Beach. Both races will count towards the IndyCar Series points standings. The Long Beach Grand Prix will allow all Champ Car drivers to race with their turbocharged cars that would have been used had the merger not taken place. Long Beach/Motegi will be the only split weekend of the 2008 IndyCar Series season.

ah..... what can I say....

I heard about this a while ago.

It still pisses me off. IRL should just have gone and died, CCWS was so much better. Way to ruin open-wheel racing in North America IRL. Thanks.

I just wonder how many cars are going to be in these races?

This is like playing the world cup final at two different venues.

Brazil playing at the Stade De France and Scotland playing in Munich's Stadium, bizare.

So the teams are now expect to run the Champ Cars they've just bought and haven't tested at one race and run the IRL cars they need to buy and test for the other races? Sounds like a really great cost saving plan that will appeal to teams

Quote from ajp71 :

So the teams are now expect to run the Champ Cars they've just bought and haven't tested at one race and run the IRL cars they need to buy and test for the other races? Sounds like a really great cost saving plan that will appeal to teams

If I'm right, the DP-01 will just use in Long Beach...

Quote from scania :

If I'm right, the DP-01 will just use in Long Beach...

That's precisely my point, the teams have the new car that they're only going to use for one race, they still have to setup and test it, which is inevitably going to run into a 7 figure bill. At the same time they've got to go through the same process with the new IRL car they've ordered.

I bet the teams don't like this, but it's great for me. 2 US open wheel races to fill the weekend between f1 races.

Quote from Mackie The Staggie :

Brazil playing at the Stade De France and Scotland playing in Munich's Stadium, bizare.

Bizzare in more ways that one :P

Its a disasterous situation now, this hasnt been a 'merger', CCWS has simply been forced to die! There really needs to be some major changes to IRL before it becomes a half decent attempt at American Open wheel racing, a new chassis needs to be developed, preferrably allowing the teams to quite extensively customise their cars, more roadcourses need to be implemented, such as those over here (Brands Hatch, Assen etc), and also standing starts and racing in the rain (on roadcourses only ofcourse!).

IMO the so called 'merger' couldnt have come at a worse time, if it had happened back in 2003 when Champ car wasnt doing so well, it wouldnt have been sad to se Champ Car go, but CCWS was just becoming a half decent series.

I read somewhere that the new deal also included a clause that would prevent former CCWS heads from starting up a new series, too. Doesn't sound legal to me, and it also really pisses me off.

Quote from ajp71 :

That's precisely my point, the teams have the new car that they're only going to use for one race, they still have to setup and test it, which is inevitably going to run into a 7 figure bill. At the same time they've got to go through the same process with the new IRL car they've ordered.

It's the same car as last year, they probably just need to oil them up. I will watch this race as a hilarious end to the past decade... Perhaps in another 10 years we can go racing again.

Quote from MAGGOT :

I read somewhere that the new deal also included a clause that would prevent former CCWS heads from starting up a new series, too. Doesn't sound legal to me, and it also really pisses me off.

Sounds like a pretty basic non-competition clause, which is standard in most deals like this.

Quote from ajp71 :

That's precisely my point, the teams have the new car that they're only going to use for one race, they still have to setup and test it, which is inevitably going to run into a 7 figure bill. At the same time they've got to go through the same process with the new IRL car they've ordered.

what new car~? the Champcar teams have been using the new car for an year...

Quote from 5haz :

Bizzare in more ways that one :P

Its a disasterous situation now, this hasnt been a 'merger', CCWS has simply been forced to die! There really needs to be some major changes to IRL before it becomes a half decent attempt at American Open wheel racing, a new chassis needs to be developed, preferrably allowing the teams to quite extensively customise their cars, more roadcourses need to be implemented, such as those over here (Brands Hatch, Assen etc), and also standing starts and racing in the rain (on roadcourses only ofcourse!).

IMO the so called 'merger' couldnt have come at a worse time, if it had happened back in 2003 when Champ car wasnt doing so well, it wouldnt have been sad to se Champ Car go, but CCWS was just becoming a half decent series.

Tony George said in an interview he wants to keep the calendar mostly ovals... which is crap~

this is not good for the fans nor was it good for the sport... CCWS was starting to really become a "world series" in terms of drivers and circuits used, what it needed was more exposure...

at least CCWS was considered by Red Bull to be perfect to dump their extra drivers that ain't young anymore~ now they've no where to go~

Some rumours said new car could be finished by 2010.

I didn't follow CCWS, but I thought it's was getting to be interesting series. I thought too that CCWS was the stronger one, at least in competition wise? Wasn't it close to bankruptcy? IRL then again had Tony George's millions...

Quote from deggis :

Some rumours said new car could be finished by 2010.

I didn't follow CCWS, but I thought it's was getting to be interesting series. I thought too that CCWS was the stronger one, at least in competition wise? Wasn't it close to bankruptcy? IRL then again had Tony George's millions...

CCWS was a better series competition wise. IRL's racing was closer but that was only because it was on ovals and as far as oval races goes IRL's competition was pretty weak. But CCWS was close to bankruptcy as I was told so this was probably inevitable.

Quote from lizardfolk :

CCWS was a better series competition wise. IRL's racing was closer but that was only because it was on ovals and as far as oval races goes IRL's competition was pretty weak. But CCWS was close to bankruptcy as I was told so this was probably inevitable.

and IRL has more of the big teams...
such as Gannasi, Andretti Racing, Penske... but the racing was boring and crap... and dangerous...

Quote from JCTK :

and IRL has more of the big teams...
such as Gannasi, Andretti Racing, Penske... but the racing was boring and crap... and dangerous...

I've always hated IRL racing tbh. Only 1-3 cars in position for the lead? Boo. Nothing compared to NASCAR/ARCA/USAR's 20+ fighting for one position. Might as well have raced on road courses. At least that would have kept it interesting

Quote from lizardfolk :

I've always hated IRL racing tbh. Only 1-3 cars in position for the lead? Boo. Nothing compared to NASCAR/ARCA/USAR's 20+ fighting for one position. Might as well have raced on road courses. At least that would have kept it interesting

Indy car also have road coruse before, it only got oval race now because there are 2 top class formula race(IRL & CCWS) in U.S., CCWS race in road coruse & street, so IRL race in Oval, it make they can have a different market.

Than, don't try to think that oval race is a silly things, any very simple action will changh to very difficle when you driving faster than 350km/h & there is just 0.5m between you & another car.

Quote from scania :

Indy car also have road coruse before, it only got oval race now because there are 2 top class formula race(IRL & CCWS) in U.S., CCWS race in road coruse & street, so IRL race in Oval, it make they can have a different market.

Than, don't try to think that oval race is a silly things, any very simple action will changh to very difficle when you driving faster than 350km/h & there is just 0.5m between you & another car.

get the history straight, it was called CART... then split into Champcar (which later becomes CCWS), and IRL~

IRL also have a couple of road/street courses on its calendar, namely Watkin Glens and St Petersburg~ (does it still race on Infenion~?)

Open wheel oval racing is silly, there've been a few absoblutely dreadful and terrible deaths in recent years, one of which doesn't find its way on TV because it was way too sick to be shown on TV...

Quote from lizardfolk :

I've always hated IRL racing tbh. Only 1-3 cars in position for the lead? Boo. Nothing compared to NASCAR/ARCA/USAR's 20+ fighting for one position. Might as well have raced on road courses. At least that would have kept it interesting

but their cars are gay~
have to wait till 2010 for the new car to see if things improve...

Quote from lizardfolk :

CCWS was a better series competition wise. IRL's racing was closer but that was only because it was on ovals and as far as oval races goes IRL's competition was pretty weak. But CCWS was close to bankruptcy as I was told so this was probably inevitable.

Ok...

If this new IRL doesn't take off and Tony George continues to pretend it's a great series, then ALMS might be a serious winner. Or then NASCAR gets even stronger.

Quote from deggis :

Ok...

If this new IRL doesn't take off and Tony George continues to pretend it's a great series, then ALMS might be a serious winner. Or then NASCAR gets even stronger.

NASCAR already benefited from the arrival of JPM~ at least now it got more international exposure~

lets hope IRL will get their acts together and ditch some ovals~ a few ovals is enough~!

Quote from sweetreid :

It's the same car as last year, they probably just need to oil them up. I will watch this race as a hilarious end to the past decade... Perhaps in another 10 years we can go racing again.

Teams will have already started winter rebuilds and modifications to their cars by the time the merger was confirmed. So the usual pre-season testing is necessary on both cars.

I don't like NASCAR, because it have no technology