In fact, Kalkhoven was echoing the words used by George in a text message he sent to Kalkhoven last week, so perhaps there is reason for some long-term hope, after all.
But, again, it appears that George will always demand control and that the persistent meddling by various NASCAR/ISC types seems all but guaranteed to keep the two open-wheel parties from coming together.
Kalkhoven says he continues to believe the Champ Car series can be successful on its own without unification with the IRL.
"I believe it can succeed, but I will say it will not achieve the success it should unless there is integration," Kalkhoven said in Milwaukee, "As I look at our potential schedule for next year, I see that the series itself will be at economic break-even. I see a new car and I see three or four teams wanting to come up from Atlantic, bringing with them new sponsors and new drivers. And I see a number of cities wanting us. So would it succeed? Yes. Would it achieve its full potential? No."
Kalkhoven noted that ticket sales in both Toronto and Edmonton are up substantially over last year.
"Toronto is way up over last year, by 15 per cent and Edmonton is doing even better," he reported.
But the issue which has occupied most of Kalkhoven's time in recent weeks is the move by ISC lobbyists to introduce legislation in Arizona to effectively ban street racing in the state. Dale Jensen, a co-owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team and the NBA's Phoenix Suns, has proposed a Champ Car street race in the city for November of 2007, but Phoenix International Raceway president Bryan Sperber has publicly spoken out against having a street race in Phoenix and ISC has hired a gaggle of lobbyists in an attempt to introduce legislation in the Arizona state legislature to prevent Champ Car from organising a race in the city.
