CART chief Rahal wants unification with rival IRL

Thursday, June 22, 2000 | 10:26 a.m.

Bobby Rahal has been the interim president and CEO of Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) for less than a week. But the former Indianapolis 500 winner already has a vision of the series' future.

And that includes reconciliation between rival open-wheel series CART and the Indy Racing League and an expansion of CART's 20-race schedule.

Although Rahal said he has yet to speak with IRL founder Tony George, he made it clear when he took over the reins last week that his first order of business would be to get in touch with George.

"I think it is in our interest -- and ultimately in open-wheel racing's interest -- to some day find some way to create some kind of reconciliation," said Rahal, who was instrumental in talks last year aimed at bringing CART and the IRL together. "What form that takes, I won't hazard to guess, frankly, because obviously the (Indianapolis Motor) Speedway has some beliefs that they hold.

"I have got to believe that in some way, shape or form we can -- at least for Indianapolis -- we can all figure out how to get together and put on a great race. But, as I have said, that takes two to tango, and all I know is that we are ready to talk whenever Tony is."

Rahal conceded, however, that he "sees no change in (the IRL's) thinking."

Although some form of accord with the IRL will remain a priority for Rahal, he said his most pressing order of business is to finalize CART's schedule for next season.

While Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been lobbying for a CART race, Rahal said last week that the timing might not be right for that to happen until 2002.

CART's schedule is expected to expand to 22 events next year with the addition of races in Mexico, Germany, England and, reportedly, Texas Motor Speedway in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The series already has announced it won't be returning to St. Louis and Homestead, Fla., next season.

"I feel that many of the franchise owners, the teams themselves, I think they understand that we have an obligation to grow the company, which means replacing weak markets with strong markets and adding races," Rahal said. "We have an obligation to satisfy our fans' needs for more races, to be out in the public more often."

Rahal said it is impossible for CART to expand much beyond 24 races because of the cost and travel associated with the series. In addition to 17 races in North America, CART also stages races in Brazil, Japan and Australia.

"Certainly, I see the need to go beyond 20 races," Rahal said. "I think that, ultimately, somewhere in the 20- to 24-race range is possible. It is just a matter of how do we achieve that, where do we go and how do we make the cars and the racing affordable enough to handle that kind of demand.

"The reality is that there are an awful lot of good circuits out there that are interested in hosting us and we have a strategy which is to align ourselves in the strongest markets here in North America and overseas as well."

Rahal, a former three-time CART champion who fields cars for drivers Max Papis and Kenny Brack in the FedEx Championship Series, also said that one of his priorities is to generate more interest in CART in the United States.

Open-wheel racing in general has suffered from sagging television ratings and decreased attendance at many events since the CART-IRL split in 1995.

"I think Job One, if you take the day-to-day stuff, is to raise the level of awareness of open-wheel racing, and specifically CART racing, in this country," Rahal said. "I think if we do that in the marketplace, that is going to help generate TV numbers. I think the big thing is taking our drivers, getting them out into the marketplace, making them more well known than they already may be in different venues (and) really merchandising the sport."