George, Kalkhoven to meet today
Indy Racing League boss Tony George and Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven will meet at Indianapolis today in an attempt to resolve the final issues in their series' proposed unification
The deal has been close to completion for several days now and Kalkhoven expects it to be finalised this week.
"It's just a case of grinding out the details," he told American newspaper the Indianapolis Star.
A spokesman for Tony George added: "They're still negotiating and there will be no announcement today, but maybe we can do it Friday if everything goes well."
A solution is still to be confirmed for the two series' clashing dates at Long Beach and Motegi on April 19-20, but Long Beach chief executive Jim Michaelian told the Indy Star that he believes both races could run as planned.
He suggested that the Champ Car teams could race at Long Beach while the IRL entrants run their race in Japan, with both scoring points using the IRL scoring system.
With only the Long Beach, Edmonton and Surfer's Paradise rounds likely to switch to the IRL schedule, Champ Car's remaining 11 venues would lose their dates. Toronto circuit CEO Charlie Johnstone is keen to secure a place on the scheduled of the unified series in 2009.
"Would we be willing to go cold for a year and then come back in 2009? Absolutely," he told the Indy Star.
The other American circuits on the Champ Car schedule, Laguna Seca, Road America, Houston, Cleveland and Portland, will attempt to fill their dates with other championships this season and hope to win a place on the 2009 calendar.
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