"And I think it's the same for the tyre people. I don't think the tyre manufacturer is going to willingly and deliberately make tyres that are going to deterioriate like they used to. They're going to do the best job they can because it's not a good advertisement to have your tyres going off. So I don't know what the solution is. I guess the question you're asking is, should ovals be part of an open-wheel series? It is a problem, there's no doubt about it, and I don't think there's an easy solution."
The problem is complicated by the fact that most new oval tracks built in recent years are high-banked tracks designed for NASCAR. It's a well-known story that
Daytona proved to be tragically too fast for front-engined USAC roadsters when it was opened back in 1959 and, as we all have learned, the higher the banking, the less a track is suitable for open-wheel cars.
"That's absolutely true," Lisles commented, "But I think Michigan and Fontana are do-able if you pick the right lift/drag ratio. We have and could put on a good show there.
"I think ovals are important because they so much a part of the history," he went on, "Ideally, I would build the oval part of an open-wheel series around the Triple Crown -
three 500-mile races on the traditional tracks at Indianapolis, Michigan and Fontana. And, if you want to throw in Milwaukee and another low-banked track, that would be great, but there aren't many like that. On the other hand, we just named four tracks which are perfectly acceptable for open-wheel oval racing and I'm sure there are one or two others I haven?t been to that would be good."
Like most people in the business, Lisles has been hoping for some good news about Champ Car and IRL getting together.
"We're just waiting to hear what our fate is going to be, what kind of car is going to come along, and who and where we're going to be racing with and against next year and the year after," he remarked, "We're hopeful that it will be solved in a way that will enable us to get on with the job rather than spending so much time head-scratching and
worrying. Hopefully, that will be the case."
Unfortunately, it appears the latest reunification talks have broken down, so that the IRL and Champ Car will continue to go down separate paths. Regardless, it should be very clear to all that a more enlightened level of technical thinking must be applied to the sport. If not, Indy and/or Champ car racing will continue its fade into irrelevancy.
