Forsythe team to close down
Forsythe Championship Racing have announced that they will close down after Long Beach having failed to secure funding to join the merged IRL IndyCar Series
The team closure raises questions over the future of 2003 Champ Car World Series champion Paul Tracy, who had a long-term contract with Forsythe and was expected to move across to the IRL with them.
"Forsythe Championship Racing is announcing today the cessation of its racing operations," said Forsythe's VP of Operations Neil Micklewright.
"After 13 years of competition in CART and the Champ Car World Series, the team has been unable to secure the necessary sponsorship to be able to compete in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series in 2008.
"Forsythe Racing Inc., the parent company of FCR, will participate in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the Champ Car finale, with drivers to be announced."
Gerry Forsythe founded the team in 1995, after parting company with his former partner Barry Green. Forsythe enjoyed early success with the late Greg Moore and took Tracy to a dominant title in 2003.
But the team struggled to attract sponsorship to replace long-time backer Player's after anti-tobacco advertising legislation forced the company to pull out before the 2004 season. Gerry Forsythe's own Indeck company had been the primary sponsor of the team's cars since 2004.
The team was set to run under the Forsythe Pettit Racing banner this season after Dan Pettit - formerly Kevin Kalkhoven's partner at PKV Racing and briefly the owner of the RuSPORT team - joined forces with Forsythe over the winter.
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