I know a lot of you guys are far detached from the Atlantics series, and for good reason. It has been a fixture on the ChampCar circuit, far from most IndyCar venues and races, and hasnt run an oval in a few years.
But it is struggling. Mightily.
Currently it continues to be owned by Kalkhoven and Forsythe, and was NOT merged into the IRL. What that means is that its essentially a series on its own. Its schedule is down to 3 confirmed races: Long Beach, and a double header at Edmonton. Despite promises that there will be 12 races for the series, there is no way to sell sponsorship or seats as it stands, and nearly all the teams seem to be headed for the door. Defending series Champions Sierra Sierra have announced today that they are pulling both cars for the year due to the uncertainty.
Now, here is why you should all care. IPS is long in the tooth, to put it lightly, and has never been that much of a success. While car counts are now respectable due to the chassis entering its 7th year of production, it has produced just a SINGLE race winning driver... a driver who only ran in the series part time (Marco Andretti). Also, it is currently without any title or engine sponsor. On top of that, its entire history stretches only 7 years back. There have also been safety concerns (founded or unfounded.)
What the Atlantics has to offer: A series with incredible management (Vicki), lots of available chassis, an Engine AND Presenting sponsor in Maza/Cooper Tires, roughly equivalent speeds and car design to the IPS, an incredible history, a car capable of running on both ovals and roadcourses (an oval package was designed but never produced. It could easily be cranked out in time for 2009), and a history of producing winning drivers. The cars look great, sound great, and drive great. AND they are produced by a guy who currently sponsors a driver in the ICS, lest we forget.
I propose that in 2009, the two series either merge and allow both chassis types to be legal, or you end the IPS and adopt the Swift with an oval package.
So how do you make it work for 2008 to keep all the teams from dieing on the vine, and keep the most successful driver development series of all time alive? Let them run at the IndyCar events, and announce it immediately. There is no time to formalize every single schedule. Simply announce that the Atlantics will be running along side the IndyCar event in 2008, and make the announcement NOW.
The clock is ticking... and all open wheel fans should want to save Atlantics.
But it is struggling. Mightily.
Currently it continues to be owned by Kalkhoven and Forsythe, and was NOT merged into the IRL. What that means is that its essentially a series on its own. Its schedule is down to 3 confirmed races: Long Beach, and a double header at Edmonton. Despite promises that there will be 12 races for the series, there is no way to sell sponsorship or seats as it stands, and nearly all the teams seem to be headed for the door. Defending series Champions Sierra Sierra have announced today that they are pulling both cars for the year due to the uncertainty.
Now, here is why you should all care. IPS is long in the tooth, to put it lightly, and has never been that much of a success. While car counts are now respectable due to the chassis entering its 7th year of production, it has produced just a SINGLE race winning driver... a driver who only ran in the series part time (Marco Andretti). Also, it is currently without any title or engine sponsor. On top of that, its entire history stretches only 7 years back. There have also been safety concerns (founded or unfounded.)
What the Atlantics has to offer: A series with incredible management (Vicki), lots of available chassis, an Engine AND Presenting sponsor in Maza/Cooper Tires, roughly equivalent speeds and car design to the IPS, an incredible history, a car capable of running on both ovals and roadcourses (an oval package was designed but never produced. It could easily be cranked out in time for 2009), and a history of producing winning drivers. The cars look great, sound great, and drive great. AND they are produced by a guy who currently sponsors a driver in the ICS, lest we forget.
I propose that in 2009, the two series either merge and allow both chassis types to be legal, or you end the IPS and adopt the Swift with an oval package.
So how do you make it work for 2008 to keep all the teams from dieing on the vine, and keep the most successful driver development series of all time alive? Let them run at the IndyCar events, and announce it immediately. There is no time to formalize every single schedule. Simply announce that the Atlantics will be running along side the IndyCar event in 2008, and make the announcement NOW.
The clock is ticking... and all open wheel fans should want to save Atlantics.
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