Penske meets OWRS bosses

During a two-hour meeting in Michigan on Tuesday, an eight-man board of directors (four from each side) also discussed a schedule (10 ovals and 10 road/street courses) that combined each series' strongest venues and retained the IRL's normally-aspirated engine formula.

Kalkhoven, owner of the PKV Racing Champ Car team, said: "Yes, we did meet and we all agreed there is a great deal of value in a united series. But there are some substantial obstacles that make it impossible to get it done at the present time.

"We haven't got a plan. We agreed there was value in a united series but it got no further than that."

American media reports have suggested that Penske was likely to make a proposal to IRL owner Tony George this week to reunify the two series, but these are said to be wide of the mark. It does however appear that Penske, whose defection from Champ Cars to the IRL in 2002 played a major part in the downfall of CART, wants to see an end to the civil war that has torn the US racing scene apart since the series split in 1995. Rival IRL team owner Michael Andretti recently echoed Roger Penske's stance.

"If it would happen, everybody would win - sponsors, fans, teams - and I would certainly like to see it happen and go to the next level," said Forsythe, who has fielded Champ Cars on and off since 1982 and now operates a three-car team. "But, at the end of the day, if there isn't a meeting of the minds and you run into a brick wall, you've got to turn left."

Neither Kalkhoven or Forsythe would disclose the obstacles and Penske could not be reached for comment.

Asked about the sense of urgency on Penske's part to get things back together after an eight-year war that has decimated television ratings, discouraged sponsors and alienated fans, Kalkhoven replied: "They are so enthusiastic to do something with us it's almost frightening."

Added Forsythe: "Roger seemed very sincere and I appreciate him stepping forward. But we'll do whatever we can to make it happen and I think he conveyed that to Tony."

Both IRL and Champ Car have lowly TV ratings. The IRL draws well at Texas, Kansas City, Richmond, Kentucky, Chicago and race day at Indy but struggles at the rest of its all-oval track circuits. Champ Car plays to big crowds in Canada, Mexico and Australia but only gets a fraction of the turnout it used to draw in the USA except for Long Beach and Cleveland.

The IRL plans to go road racing in 2005 and has been in discussions with current Champ Car venues at Portland, Laguna Seca, Toronto, Montreal, Mexico City and Elkhart Lake, in addition to St. Petersburg, Watkins Glen and Sonoma, in California.

Forsythe and Kalkhoven are spending an estimated $20 million to keep Champ Car running this year alone. Honda and Toyota are said to be supporting many of the IRL teams with money and free engines, although they have said that this support will end after 2004.