IRL gets serious over Champ Car bid

"We have a greater chance of going forward with a unified approach to open-wheel racing on both ovals and road and street courses - a better chance than anyone else, in our opinion," said Nation. "The gentlemen who are bidding on the bankrupt CART assets are not responsible for CART's bankruptcy. They're trying to resuscitate a failed operation and take it forward with the same failed business model used in the past. We would argue that everyone's energies would be better spent on a unified approach to open-wheel racing in North America."

Nation confirmed that the IRL was interested in CART's capital assets but was assessing the value of its 2004 contracts, and the possibility of penalties levied by promoters if Champ Car races are cancelled. IRL officials have toured CART's HQ in Indianapolis, looking at equipment that includes a portable care centre, timing and scoring devices, and 'black-box' devices.

"There's little doubt that a lot of that [equipment] would be of use to us," Nation said. "What OWRS is saying is they'll take it all. We're saying we may not be willing to take that risk. There are a lot of things we're looking at. We could decide to do nothing. That's always an option. We could decide to bid on everything, or just bid on certain portions."

The IRL must file a bid before the cut-off date of January 23, and a final decision will be made on January 28 by the Indianapolis Bankruptcy Court.