Autoblog

Tony George reportedly on board for new US Grand Prix, but not necessarily at Indy

Noah Joseph — Tue, 04 May 2010 17:58:00 EST

If you can't bring America to Formula One, then they'll bring Formula One back to America. So while the USF1 effort may have tanked, reports are mounting over the return of the United States Grand Prix to the F1 calendar.

In the absence of the American round of the world championship, companies participating in the series - whether as sponsor, constructor or engine supplier - have been clamoring for a return to the largest automotive market in the world. Bernie Ecclestone is reportedly on board, working up a plan to place a race near New York City. But without the support of an American racing heavyweight - say, maybe...Tony George, for example - the project seemed doomed.

Anyone who even remotely follows IndyCar racing will instantly recognize the name Tony George. As head of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he led the split that formed the Champ Car World Series and the Indy Racing League, and then fostered its re-merger. He was also responsible for bringing the USGP to Indy. But he's since been ousted from leading both the league and the speedway, shutting down his own IRL team in the aftermath.

Now it appears George - recently spotted in Shanghai as Ecclestone's guest at the Chinese Grand Prix - could be integral to efforts to re-start the USGP. But it may not even be held at Indy, the iconic facility where he still owns part stake. With his strong ties in the American racing scene, George has the connections to make it happen anywhere, coast to coast. In fact reports suggest that we could see multiple F1 races taking place in the United States, with a potential return to the East Coast, West Coast races held decades ago. Sound ambitious? Most definitely. But as many races as are currently packed into the calendar, Bernie isn't showing any signs of slowing down - saying the series could accommodate as many as 25 in a year - and if anyone can make it happen, it's Tony George.

[Source: ESPN | Image: Carey Akin/CC2.0]

Tony George reportedly on board for new US Grand Prix, but not necessarily at Indy originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 May 2010 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tony George retires from Indianapolis Speedway board, leaves the building for good

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Tony George, shepherd of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for two decades, has resigned from the Speedway board effective immediately. The move severed his final tie with the historic venue, after he resigned from his CEO position last summer. In a statement, the board chairman, who also happens to be his mother, said that they asked George to stay and are disappointed to see him go.

George oversaw massive changes in the raceway and the series' it hosts: the IndyCar split and reunion, NASCAR's arrival and Formula One's arrival and departure, and a large number of track renovations and changes. When he left the CEO job, the given reason was to spend more time with his family and his Vision racing team in the IZOD IndyCar Series. We have a feeling he won't be gone from the public eye for too long. Hat tip to Michael

[Source: GP Update | Image: Darrell Ingham/Getty]

Tony George retires from Indianapolis Speedway board, leaves the building for good originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BREAKING: Indy chief Tony George reportedly resigns

Noah Joseph — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:28:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs

It's the end of an era for open-wheel racing in America as Indy chief Tony George has stepped down from his post. The long-time president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, George was widely seen as the impetus for the 1996 split in Indy racing that created the Indy Racing League (IRL) and the rival Champ Car series (formerly known as CART), but he was also instrumental in fostering the merger of the two championships into the new IndyCar Series over which he's presided.

During his nearly two-decade tenure as the head of the famous race track, George also brought NASCAR, Formula One and MotoGP to the speedway for the first time, vastly expanding the calendar of events at the iconic venue. However, elements within the Hulman-George company that controls the business were concerned with the amount of resources their chief executive put into the reintegrated IndyCar Series and recently asked him to reorganize the company, but Tony evidently decided to step down instead. He'll be focusing his energies on the Vision Racing team which he fields in the series, while the job he vacates will be split into two: CFO Jeffrey G Belskus will take the reins at the speedway, while chief legal counsel W Curtis Brighton will oversee the operation of the series.

[Source: Autosport | Image: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty]

BREAKING: Indy chief Tony George reportedly resigns originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tony George proposes name, format change to welcome Champ Car migrants

Noah Joseph — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:56:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Indy racing chief Tony George is serious about reconciliation and moving forward with a truly unified racing series, and to that end is making several overtures to make the joining Champ Car teams feel more at home racing with this IRL teams.

Among the steps being considered is a name change to reflect the unification of the two erstwhile series. Acknowledging that the Indy Racing League name poses an inhospitable barrier for migrating Champ Car teams, George is suggesting the series return to the IndyCar World Series name used before the split. George would also like to use the Vanderbilt Cup, the oldest trophy in American motorsports that CART took with it on its departure. Meanwhile, George suggests that the calendar of the combined series could be split equally between oval tracks, road courses and temporary street circuits, with six races on each type of track, literally and metaphorically leveling the playing field for all those involved. Lastly, George finally owned up to his own mistake of locking out the bulk of the 1996 Indy 500 to only eight Champ Cars versus a 25-car IRL field, which prompted CART to boycott the event and widen the rift between the two series.

Their recent reunification initially drew heat from various people within the Champ Car world who felt it was really a take-over. If that is the case, George deserves all the more credit as the magnanimous victor extending a hand towards the defeated rival instead of taking a victory lap.

[Source: AutoWeek, Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty]

Tony George proposes name, format change to welcome Champ Car migrants originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BREAKING: IRL and Champ Car unification agreement signed

John Neff — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

We had just reported that an agreement to reunite the estranged U.S. open wheel racing series of the Indy Racing League and Champ Car World Series was all but inked, and now it is officially official. The two sides have issues a press release revealing the IRL founder and CEO Tony George, who occasioned the split in the first place, and the owners of Champ Car have officially signed a deal to bring the two series together again. We reported already on all of the logistical hurdles that had to be jumped, not the least of which is combining the season schedules of both series. It appears that all of the wrinkles have been ironed out, and both sides will be presenting the nitty gritty details in a press conference that's just listed as "forthcoming".

Will the joined series be a force once again in motorsports? F1 is considered the pinnacle of racing on a global scale, and NASCAR is the WWE of car racing with legions of fans, while even the Le Mans Series, particularly the ALMS, has grown to become an extremely well respected series. As such, we're both curious and cautious when it comes to making predictions about open-wheel racing in the U.S., but are glad these once warring factions have buried the proverbial hatchet and will get back to racing. Thanks to everyone who sent us this tip!

[Source: IndyCar.com]

BREAKING: IRL and Champ Car unification agreement signed originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Champ Car and IRL working hard on truce for 2008 season

John Neff — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:35:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Champ Car and the Indy Racing League, the two de facto open wheel racing series in North America since CART split after the 1995 season, are reportedly close to a truce that could reunite the two series as soon as the 2008 season. AutoWeek is reporting that Tony George, owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and league chairman of the IRL, along with two of his associates, flew to Motegi, Japan recently to meet with track officials about changing the date of the Motegi race on April 19th. The reason is because the IRL race conflicts with the Long Beach Grand Prix, a mainstay on the Champ Car schedule. In order to consolidate the season schedules of both series, officials from both sides are apparently working hard to resolve conflicts like this. The fact that Tony George himself would fly to Japan indicates to AutoWeek that the man responsible for the split in the first place is serious about mending what he helped rend apart. And date conflicts between races are but one obstacle among many in bringing the two series back together, though they appear to be the biggest thing in the way of a resolution that could see a unified open-wheel racing series back on track in 2008.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Champ Car and IRL working hard on truce for 2008 season originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hydrogen 500: The world's first hydrogen race coming in 2009

Frank Filipponio — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 19:04:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Green

AutoblogGreen just ran a story we wanted to make sure all of our readers were aware of, so we're running it here, too. It looks like the days of hybrids being seen by some people as pure exercises in extended fuel economy are numbered. Maybe someday soon people will start to associate fuel-cell hybrids with high performance and even, dare we say it, racing.

It seems that hybrids will be hitting the track soon. A new racing series run by the recently founded Hydrogen Electric Racing Federation was announced on Wednesday. The series hopes to stage its first races by 2009. As you may have guessed, the cars in this series will be electric hybrids powered by hydrogen.

Autoextremist founder/publisher Peter M. DeLorenzo is the President and CEO of the new organization. And this isn't some rinky-dink egghead endeavor, either. Executives from Bridgestone-Firestone and Michelin, Indy Car's own Tony George, and Scott Atherton, President and CEO of the American Le Mans Series are behind this new series. It looks like a pretty powerful group. At the center of the series will be the Hydrogen 500. Click over to AB Green for the rest of the story and additional links. We'll certainly keep you posted as more info becomes available.

[Source: AB Green]

Hydrogen 500: The world's first hydrogen race coming in 2009 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jan 2007 19:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2007 U.S. Grand Prix gets the green flag

Stuart Waterman — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Formula 1 is returning to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2007. A one-year extension to the current deal with Formula One Management was signed Thursday by the Speedway's CEO, Tony George (shown at this year's GP at right).

The current contract between the Speedway and Bernie Ecclestone's FOM expired in July after this year's race, and George chose to cut a one year extension to the deal rather than negotiate a longer-term contract, saying that he wanted to wait and see how the sport developed after the expiration of the current Concorde Agreement at the end of 2007. There is no doubt that there will be big changes to the sport in 2008, and it's not surprising that George has adopted a wait-and-see attitude. George took pains to point out that he fully expects to be with Formula 1 for the long term, which makes sense given the enormous investment he made in modifying the track to accomodate the USGP.

Speedway president Joie Chitwood made clear the track's long-term interest saying, "Though this contract is for only one year, it is still our goal to make the Speedway the longtime home of the United States Grand Prix."

An interesting fact: The Indianapolis Star reports that of the three races at the Brickyard (the Indy 500, the NASCAR Allstate 400, and the USGP), the GP has the biggest impact on the local economy, because a larger percentage of F1 fans come from out of town (and spend more), and because the F1 circus itself is a high-rolling group. The total value of the GP to the economy is estimated to be more than $100 million.

The 2007 USGP is scheduled for June 17. Ticket information will be announced soon.

[Sources: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, The Indianapolis Star]

2007 U.S. Grand Prix gets the green flag originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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