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Unwelcome competition Ford not pleased that their drivers might run Indy
Posted: Monday May 22, 2000 09:16 PM
INDIANAPOLIS -- The excitement created by the expected return of at least some CART teams to the Indianapolis 500 does not extend to the Ford camp. Ford, one of four engine-makers in the series, faces the prospect of its teams using other motors in the premier event of the Indy Racing League. "We've gone on record to our teams that we are not happy with the situation," said Dan Davis, director of worldwide racing for Ford. "But we are not going to tell them they can't go." Neither will Honda, Toyota and Mercedes-Ilmor, the other engine builders in CART. And the sanctioning body itself has created a two-week hole in its May schedule to accommodate those who want to race at Indy. "If our teams want to go to Indianapolis, we will not stand in their way," said Andrew Craig, president and CEO of CART. Speculation about CART's return to Indy has been rampant since its 2000 schedule was released. As many as 14 CART teams and up to 22 cars are expected to enter Indy, a source close to the teams told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. But they'll do so under IRL rules. They also will have to pay for different cars and Oldsmobile Aurora or Nissan Infiniti engines -- a cost estimated at about $1 million per entry. Leo Mehl, retiring IRL executive director, says the league's engine and chassis suppliers have received many inquiries and even some orders from CART owners. And Tony George, who owns Indianapolis Motor Speedway and created the open-wheel split by forming the IRL, has assured the CART teams of a level playing field. But Davis doesn't like any of it. "The most important thing, as I see it, is the care and feeding of this series," he said of CART. "I don't see CART addressing some of the issues it needs to address in its own back yard." He sees the Indy 500 as a disruption and fears it might reduce the commitment of the teams to CART. "And we certainly don't want them using our money to go," Davis said. "But we won't sue anybody or keep them from going." CART has boycotted the Indy 500 since the IRL was formed as a cost-conscious alternative in 1996. The more-established open-wheel series has teams with season budgets of up to $12 million a car; a top IRL team can do business for about half of that. The IRL was designed in part to give more young drivers without a lot of sponsorship money a chance to reach the big time. But the biggest names and top teams have remained in CART, along with most of the big-dollar sponsorship. The IRL has struggled to draw fans and financial backing virtually everywhere outside Indy. And neither side has been a hit on television, even at Indy, with confused fans tuning out. What were decent ratings for one series turned into mediocre numbers for two. That prompted CART and the IRL to try to make up earlier this year. But after months of talks that apparently came close to an agreement, George ended them. Within days, word began to circulate that CART teams would be returning on the IRL's terms. "We were out there pushing hard for reconciliation," Davis said. "We were doing everything we could behind the scenes. It didn't happen." He believes talks could resume at some future date. "It's never dead because if there's a good business equation that says it's a good deal for us, we'll evaluate that." Two of the top CART team owners whose cars are powered by Fords need to do some evaluating of their own. Bobby Rahal would like to go to Indy. Carl Haas, who co-owns a team with Paul Newman, hasn't decided yet. "If we can find the funding and if our partners agree with our going, we will be back at Indy next year," said Rahal, who won the race as a driver. But a Ford team winning the Indy 500 with an Aurora engine would be difficult for Davis to deal with. "We got into Indy-car racing to run the Indy 500, and we can't do that," he said. "This situation doesn't seem to be in our best interests."
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