Newman Haas Lanigan racing co-owner Carl Haas has admitted that the unification of the American open-wheel scene is the best move for the sport, after the official confirmation that the Champ Car World Series and the IndyCar Series are to join forces for the 2008 season.
After the initial announcement last week that a deal had been reached between the warring factions, further details were revealed about the merger this week at Homestead Miami Speedway ahead of the first opening test session of the new season – albeit one that only saw IndyCar Series teams hit the track for two days of evening running.
NHLR will be one of the teams to move from Champ Car into the unified series for the season ahead with drivers Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal and Haas admitted that it would be one of the biggest challenges the team had faced as it gets up to speed for the 2008 campaign.
"We have been loyal supporters of Champ Car but one unified open-wheel series is best for our sport,” he said. “Competing in our first full IndyCar season will be one of the biggest challenges our team has faced because of the limited time frame to prepare for the season and get acclimated to the new equipment and race tracks.
“We have only competed in two IndyCar Series events at the Indianapolis 500 so we face a steep learning curve. It will be a difficult season but we have many talented and dedicated employees who will work hard to keep our team competitive.”
As was the case with Team Australia's Will Power, the unification has effectively ended the title hopes of British driver Wilson, who would have started the Champ Car campaign as one of the favourites for the championship crown having already finished as runner-up to
Sebastien Bourdais in the past.
However, the former
F1 racer admitted that the merger would provide the best base for the future and said he was confident that NHLR will be able to get up to speed as soon as possible.
