How long ago was it that the future of Champ Car was in doubt? How long ago was it that Toyota wanted to use Champ Car as their revenue source to provide engines to the IRL? How long ago was it that Tony George said that he is going to put the final nail in Champ Car’s coffin?

The irony is perfect.

Cosworth announced, today, the sale of the renowned engine manufacturer to Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe. This sale has so many angles and options, I don’t even think they have had the time to look at them all. Let’s just ponder up a few possibilities.

It’s obvious that Kevin Kalkhoven wants to use Cosworth to help Ford emerge as a leader within the tuner market. In doing this, Cosworth has already started to build tuner kits to prep up Ford Focus’ to nearly 200hp…quite a feat. What if Kalkhoven and Co. helps Cosworth enter into the consumer market with a production based sports car at a relatively cheap price. Ford would essentially own the car as part of its premier auto group. Kalkhoven and Co. would then be able to both market that car at Champ Car events and use the revenue generated from the sale of that vehicle and put back into the series like manufacturers did in years past. This would give Champ Car an easily identifiable product that could be tuned and changed to various Champ Car liveries and other marketing ventures.

How about Cosworth’s Formula 1 involvement? With Red-Bull and Minardi part of Cosworth’s F1 customer line, Kalkhoven could have Cosworth design the next Formula 1 engine at cost x, and sell it to Red-Bull, Minardi and whomever at a cheaper cost than any other engine manufacturer in F1 could. Why? Because Champ Car could essentially adopt a similar engine specification for 2006 and beyond giving Cosworth a template to build 1 engine for 2 series! Production costs go down, revenue goes up.

Now here is the kicker in all of this and Tony George has to be going nuts. Kalkhoven now owns the engines that could field cars in the IRL. Kalkhoven isn’t going to stop production of that engine in the IRL, rather, he will use the revenue generated from that program and put it back into Champ Car. Sounds like Toyota back with their Normally Aspirated CART plan…

But it gets better. Chevy leaves the IRL in 2006. Kalkhoven takes those IRL engines that aren’t in use, puts them for sale as part of the new Chevrolet Cosworth Atlantic Series formula. Now, this puts the IRL teams that will have Toyota engines in 2006 put their involvement in question. If Champ Car has a ladder series that is the same thing as the IRL, it nullifies the IRL’s position in motorsport and it gives teams the option to easily run Indianapolis, which will be desperately needed to get the magic number of 33.

This is what Roger Penske saw 6 months ago. He knew Chevy was leaving. He knows Toyota is going to bolt. He’s about to lose Marlboro. He saw unification as his last chance. Now, Champ Car is in the driver’s seat. Their future is incredibly secure, as their engine manufacture company will be taking on several new revenue streams that feed back into the series. Wonder why Roger has been so quiet lately?

Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe now hold a key in the future of the IRL, how great is that?