Tony George and Kevin Kalkhoven today addressed a packed media centre at Homestead-Miami Speedway to officially confirm the amalgamation of their Indycar and Champ Car interests into one unified open-wheel series, even if some of the eagerly awaited details remained unconfirmed.
The pair fielded questions from those crammed into the room just hours before the first open test of the 2008 season was due to get underway at the Florida venue, and attempted to provide as many answers as possible, all the while admitting that some areas of the agreement were still being worked upon.
George confirmed that efforts were being made on both sides to make the integration as smooth and seamless as possible, particularly for those coming over from the former Champ Car series, while Kalkhoven confirmed what had been rumoured for some time, in that Champ Car would enjoy a stand-alone swansong at Long Beach while the IRL regulars made their annual trip to Motegi the same weekend.
Indeed, the calendar remains one of the unconfirmed elements of the 'merger', with George confirming that efforts were being made to accommodate both Edmonton and Surfers Paradise as well as Long Beach this year, with planning for 2009 and beyond still something for the future. The IRL CEO, however, expressed a desire not to disenfranchise anyone - on both sides of the divide - when it came to putting together prospective longer-term schedules, even though he admitted that it would not be possible to accommodate every race from both Indycar and Champ Car schedules past.
![Indycar Series logo [pic credit: Indy Racing League]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/410421.jpg)
