Indy Racing League founder Tony George has made an offer to try and unite the two rival North American open-wheel series. Well-placed sources say George met with Champ Car co-owners Gerald Forsythe, Kevin Kalkhoven, Paul Gentilozzi and Dan Pettit several weeks ago in Indianapolis.
George was said to have offered to Champ Car teams free Dallara chassis and Honda engines. He has even offered to do a complete makeover on the IRL 2008 calendar to include Toronto, Edmonton, Long Beach, Mexico City and Australia if the two sides agree to a merger this year.
An IRL spokesperson confirmed there has been a continuing dialogue between both sides but more importantly Speedtv as it that the end to the split was near quoted Carl Haas, long-time owner of Champ Car's Newman-Haas-Lanigan team. Haas admitted that he has ongoing conversations with George to switch to the IRL.
Antoine L'Estage and his codriver Alan Ockwell of the Yokohama Canada Rally Team won the 2014 edition of the Rallye Defi by winning every stage of the rally.