Conquest Racing's Eric Bachelart has revealed that the strength of any potential entry on his part in a new unified US open-wheel series will depend entirely on whether the Surfers Paradise Champ Car event is among those included on the schedule.
The Belgian ran a single-car entry in last year's Champ Car campaign, fielding a string of drivers according to various changes of sponsor, but achieving a podium finish in the second European race, at Assen, in September with Jan Heylen.
Ahead of last year's Surfers round, however, Bachelart revealed that he had signed a partnership agreement with ambitious Australian finance brand Opes Prime, which would have seen him fielding two cars in the 2008 season, with Champ Car Atlantic runner-up and rookie of the year Franck Perera only recently confirmed as half of the line-up.
Talks of a potential merger between the warring factions in the US open-wheel war came at a particularly bad time for Conquest, however, as Bachelart had only just purchased a second brand new Panoz DP01 chassis when it was revealed that there may only be one series - running the ubiquitous IRL Dallara-Honda package - in 2008.
Initially opposed to unity happening quite so soon, however, the former racer now appears to have come around to running cars in whatever series is available to him, persuaded perhaps by IRL CEO Tony George's offer of free cars and engines - plus a $1.2m pay-out - for any team committing to a full season.
Bachelart was listed on Tuesday as being among those likely to run a single car in a unified series - along with Dale Coyne and Derrick Walker - but revealed to the
Indianapolis Star on Wednesday that he could be persuaded to field a second entry should Surfers Paradise be included on a revised schedule.
