ICS CEO Randy Bernard out

[jacksmar]

http://www.indystar.com/

Officially, Randy Bernard resigned as IndyCar’s chief executive officer Sunday evening. Realistically, he was removed.

An emergency meeting of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway board of directors – the parent company of IndyCar – convened to act on mounting confusion in the sport regarding future leadership.

The outcome was that IMS CEO Jeff Belskus will lead IndyCar until Bernard’s replacement is found. That is not expected to be Tony George, who founded the Indy Racing League in the mid-1990s.

George hasn’t been a member of the IMS board since his ousting in 2009. He subsequently resigned from his IndyCar CEO role at the disappointment of his mother, IMS board chair Mari Hulman George. George resigned from the family owned company’s ultimate board, Hulman & Co., on Oct. 19 due to his pursuit of IndyCar.

Belskus reiterated Sunday that IndyCar is not for sale, and the situations of George and Bernard appear unrelated.

Bernard was completing the third year of a five-year contract, and he will remain with the Indianapolis-based company for now.

Bernard could not be reached for comment, but IMS issued a statement from him.

“The last three years have produced some exciting, and some difficult, times,” he said. “But we have created a foundation for IndyCar that positions it to grow over the next several years.”

Bernard also recognized the support he received from Josie George, the board member who attracted him from his CEO position at Professional Bull Riders Inc.

Belskus called it “an amicable parting.”

Bernard was wildly popular with IndyCar’s fan base, starting with the distribution of his e-mail address to all who sought it. He helped bring a new equipment package and new venues to the series, but he was criticized for his handling of the Dan Wheldon tragedy and for a financial deficit increased by the lucrative China race not being held in August.

IndyCar got nothing from an estimated $8.75 million agreement with the Chinese, and the signing of several race events to lower sanctioning fees also hurt the bottom line. Television ratings also reached a record low this season, although Bernard inherited the split contract – five races on ABC, the rest on NBC Sports Channel – from the George administration.

Bernard often found himself at odds with IndyCar’s team owners, and that was never more evident than in June when he posted on Twitter that some were out to get him fired. None of them admitted to it.

Bernard wanted – and unveiled to incredible fanfare in July 2010 – bodywork kits that would differentiate the cars. Most of IndyCar loved the idea, but the team owners strongly opposed it due on the basis of cost. They won.

The fight over cars and car parts was spread over Bernard’s time as CEO. The committee he hand-picked to select a car design for the future declined to accept the radical DeltaWing proposal offered by team owner Chip Ganassi, and in its place came a deal with Dallara to be the exclusive provider of cars and parts.

The latter became the controversial part of this season with team owners insisting Dallara was charging too much for the parts. Eventually, Bernard negotiated a deal with Dallara, which previously agreed to establish IndyCar headquarters in Speedway, to reduce the costs. That deal continues through next season.

Bernard expanded IndyCar’s schedule to 19 races next season, but even the part about dual races on the same weekend in Detroit, Toronto and Houston came under fire from the team owners who believe they’ll be exposed to higher costs at the doubleheaders with little increase in weekend prize money.

One of the most controversial issues has yet to be resolved.

Bernard was pursuing a tire supplier contract with a manufacturer other than Firestone, and that had nearly everyone in the paddock concerned given Firestone’s nearly impeccable safety record. Firestone also has arguably been IndyCar’s best partners since George started the Indy Racing League in 1996, and many in the paddock took their concern to Belskus and the board. Firestone’s contract expires at the end of the 2014 season.

Bernard earned praise for bringing Chevrolet and Lotus to IndyCar, although it can be argued that Chevrolet’s return was as much about returning to IMS for the first time since 2005. As for Lotus, that was a disaster almost from the moment the manufacturer was announced as a supplier of engines.

The first Lotus powerplant wasn’t tested until January, putting it at a several-month disadvantage to Chevrolet and Honda for the recently completed season. Three Lotus teams negotiated contract exits before the 500, leaving only the smallest team in the series – HVM Racing – to utilize the underpowered engines that had inferior
corporate support.

IndyCar is believed to have negotiated an exit settlement with Lotus, although that has not been confirmed. HVM’s driver of the past three seasons, Simona De Silvestro, will test a Chevrolet with KV Racing Technology today at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.

Bernard faced more fire in July when one of his most significant hires, chief operating officer Marc Koretzky, resigned under pressure. Details of his hastily arranged departure were not given.

Bernard gets credit for getting Pocono (Pa.) Raceway to sign on for the 2013 season – it’s a three-year contract – and for bringing back the Triple Crown of oval races that includes IMS and Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

Bernard also put renewed emphasis on the Mazda Road to Indy program led by George’s son, Tony Jr. That resulted in Bryan Clauson becoming the first USAC champion to compete in the 500 since Tony Stewart in 1996.

[jacksmar]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...html?eref=sihp

Randy Bernard stepped down as CEO of IndyCar on Sunday, bringing an end to a three-year reign that was disrupted this season by several attempts by team owners to have him ousted as head of the series.

The decision was announced following an executive session conducted by teleconference Sunday by the 11-member Indianapolis Motor Speedway board of directors.

Jeff Belskus, the president of IMS and president and CEO of Hulman & Co., will step in as interim CEO of the IndyCar Series. Bernard, who has two years remaining on the contract he signed when he joined IndyCar in 2010, will stay on in an advisory position.

The decision was immediately criticized by Roger Penske, the most powerful owner in open-wheel racing.

"I'm very disappointed in this decision; the board continues to show poor judgment. There is no future plan," Penske said. "The series had momentum. New cars, new engines and new race formats, all brought about by Randy.

"No business can run with a senior management change every two years."

Both the IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are owned by the Hulman-George family, which holds four spots on the 11-member IMS board and four spots on the 10-member Hulman & Co. board.

The decision for Bernard to step down was made by the IMS board, which felt a "mutual separation" was the only way to stop speculation over his job security.

Belskus, in a telephone interview Sunday night with The Associated Press during the final portion of the board meeting, gave few details about the split.

"Both parties agree that it's time to move forward separately, it's an amicable separation and Randy is going to stay on in an advisory capacity," Belskus said.

But IndyCar is coming off arguably its best season in series history. Bernard introduced the first new car in nine years this season, and the on-track product was perhaps the best in auto racing.

IndyCar had eight different winners, its first American champion since 2006 in Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Chevrolet won the engine manufacturer title in its return to the series after a six-year absence. Pressed how it was in IndyCar's "best interest" to part with a CEO who brought such positives to the series and was popular with fans, Belskus gave no answer.

"I'm not going to comment," he said.

It's been that kind of a month for IndyCar, which has been plagued by rumors of owner-led coups against Bernard all season. It reached a fevered pitch in the last month as series founder Tony George attempted to reclaim control with an offer to purchase the series from Hulman & Co.

It's long been believed that George, who was stripped of power in 2009 by his mother and three sisters, has been leading the charge to oust Bernard, who was hired in 2010 to re-energize the series.

Hulman & Co. has insisted George's offer was never entertained and IndyCar is not for sale. But George stepped down from the board nine days ago, citing a conflict of interest in holding a seat while trying to purchase the series.

It did nothing to quiet the uncertainty surrounding Bernard, who has worked for more than a year amid uncertain job security because he could never secure any sort of public support from the board of directors or the Hulman-George family.

The speculation was suffocating last week, and Bernard and an IMS spokesman both denied a report Friday that Bernard had been fired. It led driver Graham Rahal, one of the most recognizable names in the series, to plead for some sanity Friday afternoon.

"Come on people either keep Randy or fire him but this is foolish and embarrassing for this sport," he posted on Twitter.

After two days of silence and Bernard in apparent limbo, the IMS board called an emergency teleconference Sunday to figure out a solution.

In a statement, Bernard specifically thanked Josie George, who brought him to IndyCar and said the series is "better poised for success than it has been in many years.

"I have developed a passion for the sport of IndyCar," he said in the statement. "As IndyCar fans, we need to unify behind the sport in order to move it to the next level, and I look forward to providing input and being part of that unified voice along the way."

It's not clear what's next for the troubled series.

"Well, I have been named interim CEO," Belskus told AP. "We're going to conduct a search. We haven't established a specific timeline for a permanent replacement. It's all part of a planning process that we'll address."

It didn't sound very promising to Zak Brown, founder and CEO of the motorsports marketing agency Just Marketing International, and the man many believed would run IndyCar under George's offer to buy the series. Brown has said he has no interest in running IndyCar.

"It all appears a bit strange and kneejerk to me," Brown said Sunday night. "I don't understand why Jeff Belskus hasn't communicated a longer-term plan. Unless there isn't one, which as CEO, I hope he has. The industry needs to know the plan."

So do the weary fans, who seemed overwhelmingly in support of Bernard and had been threatening for weeks via social media to turn their backs on the series for good if George regained control or Bernard was let go.

Belskus said he's unsure what reaction will be to Bernard's departure.

"It is change and we recognize that different people deal with change differently, and with people differently," he said.

Engaging and energetic, Bernard had bold ideas in his attempt to revitalize a racing series clinging for relevancy outside of the Indianapolis 500.

But Bernard was stymied by a combination of his own missteps, the same old drama and dysfunction that weakened open-wheel racing and allowed NASCAR to surpass it as the top racing series in America, and the massive mess left behind by George.

And even if Bernard had been flawless at his job, it likely still wouldn't have been enough.

George wanted his series back and wanted Bernard gone, and even if he couldn't make it happen, Bernard couldn't find enough allies in a paddock that ran through CEO's at a comical rate before George formed IndyCar.

Plus, it's been a rough 13 months for Bernard, whose tenure was rocked by the death of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon in the 2011 season finale.

Wheldon was only in the race as part of a $5 million promotion Bernard had devised as a means to close the season with a bang and build momentum for what was expected to be a breakthrough 2012 for IndyCar. Wheldon's death paralyzed IndyCar for months, and took a heavy emotional toll on Bernard, who after 15 years with The Professional Bull Riders was unaccustomed to the inherent dangers of auto racing.

And Bernard, who maybe was naive to just how political the IndyCar paddock can be, found himself putting out fire after fire every time he turned around this year. Team owners appeared to begin turning on him following a meeting at Long Beach in April in which they complained about the cost of replacement parts and a series ruling in the "Turbogate" scandal that allowed Honda to make a change to its engine.

Rumors swirled during the entire buildup to the Indianapolis 500 of an owner-led attempt to have him fired. Bernard confirmed the plot in an ill-timed tweet two days after the race, removing all focus from what many believed had been one of the most exciting 500s in years.

Although talk of Bernard losing his job quieted after the tweet, the board of directors - which failed to offer him any support during the attacks following Wheldon's death - still remained silent about his job security.

By August, there was talk of the George-led effort to buy the series.

That his job status was even in question was puzzling to outsiders, who point to years of instability and dysfunction in American open-wheel racing. Bernard had been brought in specifically tasked with cleaning up 14 years of disaster left behind after George had hemorrhaged family money for years on IndyCar.

Bernard was supposed to stop the bleeding, and immediately slashed the budget. He worked toward dramatically cutting losses that reportedly averaged high eight figures under George's watch to mid-to-low seven figures for Bernard.

More important, he dramatically improved the product.

Bernard this year introduced the new car and brought in multiple engine manufacturers. He cleaned up the grid last year with harsh league scrutiny on Milka Duno, who had sponsorship to get a ride but was not skilled enough to be on the track, and that in part contributed to parity this season throughout the field.

Bernard also removed Brian Barnhart from his longtime role as head of race control following a controversial 2011 season in which it was clear Barnhart had lost the trust of the paddock. He also developed the "Road to Indy" ladder system, a development program meant to keep young drivers in IndyCar.

This season, Bernard was able to save Milwaukee from dropping off the IndyCar schedule - albeit in a sweetheart deal for first-time promoter Michael Andretti - but Bernard also got Andretti to step in and rescue the endangered Labor Day weekend event at Baltimore. He also brought IndyCar back to Fontana, Calif., this season for the first time since 2005, and announced last month that IndyCar will race in 2013 at Pocono after a 23-year absence.

Bernard announced the return of the "The Triple Crown" promotion, an IndyCar tradition last done in 1989, the last time the series visited Pocono. He's also been in talks with Phoenix and Michigan, two other traditional IndyCar tracks, about returning to the series for the 2014 season.

Although he received mixed reviews for his 2013 schedule announced earlier this month, few understood his reasoning for creating doubleheaders or a long summer-stretch of racing. Saddled with a tough television package he inherited from George, Bernard strung together six consecutive weeks of racing through the summer to get five dates on ABC, including a prime-time Saturday night event at Texas Motor Speedway.

And because IndyCar has so little shoulder programming and cable partner NBC Sports does not often air qualifying live, Bernard viewed doubleheaders as a way to get the series on television more often.

Alas, none of his gains were ever lauded the way his missteps were jeered.

The cancellation of an August race in China was a reported $7 million hit to his budget - one of the reasons speculated he fell out of favor with the board. And Bernard's desire for engine competition led him to ignore all red flags and welcome Lotus into to the series. The manufacturer was an embarrassing disaster from start to finish.

[jacksmar]

I would say that this series now has one rotor in the grave. If the ICS goes back to Tony George then the series will become defunct. It might get absorbed by the new ALMS but that's the last thing ALMS needs at the moment.

The new car is a piece of crap. Any 1995 Lola or Reynard would beat the DW 12 at any track. Panoz had a chassis for ChampCar that was better suited for road racing and street courses.

The chassis/engine formula is the product problem since the inception of the IRL along with the management. The drivers aren't at issue.

The Indy 500 may become a one race deal very shortly.

[chefcraig]

After following the outright bizarre shenanigans that have taken place in the world of open wheeled racing in the past decade or so, I'm now at the point of general bemusement. Seriously, nothing that happens today surprises me. Ya know that sort of "fan" that attends races with the high hopes of witnessing carnage in the form of a crash? All that person needs to do is pay attention to the dysfunctional ownership and governing bodies that run these franchises in order to satisfy that inherent blood-lust.

I would love to sit at the bar some Sunday evening with Robin Miller to get the real story about what is going on, yet even with his keen insight and insider info, I doubt we'd ever get anywhere. By now, it's fairly guaranteed that he knows which way is up no better than you or I do.

[jacksmar]

Miller thought this year's Indy was the best he'd seen. (??????)

Tony George caused more problems some 15 years ago than anyone thought possible. After spending 600 million, the George Indy Racing League ( AKA GIRL) hasn't been able to measure up to what preceded the "split". This year's pacecar had more horsepower than the Chevy's. No tire manufacturers competing, same for engines, chassis, and other bits like suspension and transmissions. No innovations and the speeds are down. Spec racing.

Pole day at Indy in 1991 was packed, Long Beach was sold out years in advance.

It's really goes to show ya': you got to watch who you hand the gate keys to. And this won't end well. This family, Hulman George, has a history of screwing up a good thing both professionally and personally.

[jacksmar]

http://blogs.indystar.com/racingexpe...rges-proposal/

Tony George offered to buy the IndyCar Series from Hulman & Co. for $5 million, with proof his group, ICS Acquisition, had another $25 million in reserve to operate the Indianapolis-based company, a copy of the five-page proposal acquired by the Associated Press said.

George was only listed as a member of the board of a group that would assume management of IndyCar. The owners of ICS Acquisition were not listed in the Oct. 5 proposal.

Hulman & Co. did not consider the offer, company CEO Jeff Belskus told The Star. The offer expired Oct 15.

George wanted to make Zak Brown, the founder and CEO of Zionsville-based Just Marketing International, the CEO and commissioner of the series with Mike O’Driscoll, the chairman of Jaguar Heritage and a non-executive director of the Williams F1 team, the president and chief operating officer. O’Driscoll would handle day-to-day operations of the series.

Brown and O’Driscoll, along with Terry Angstadt, the former president of IndyCar’s commercial division, Claire Roberts, the CEO of ArbiterSports, an NCAA-owned sports technology group, and George would comprise the management team.

There was no apparent position for Randy Bernard, who was asked to resign Sunday evening by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway board of directors.

The deal hinged on a sanctioning agreement with the Indianapolis 500.

George started the Indy Racing League in 1996. He resigned from his IndyCar CEO position in 2009 following his ousting as IMS president and CEO by a board then comprised of his three sisters and their mother, Mari Hulman George.

[chefcraig]

If you think this is a clusterfuck, just wait until 2014 when the American Le Mans Series and GRAND-AM merge. With manufacturers already on shaky ground in the current economy, the field may just end up being filled with go carts and ATVs.

[jacksmar]

http://www.fiawec.com/en/news/lmp1-2...d-gte_741.html

During the 6 Hours of Fuji weekend at Fuji International Speedway Vincent Beaumesnil, Sport Director of the ACO, Bernard Niclot, the FIA Technical Director, Denis Chevrier, the FIA WEC Technical Delegate and Daniel PERDRIX, the ACO Technical Delegate, made some clarifications on the LMP1 regulations that will be introduced in 2014 and the future vision for the LMP2 and GTE categories.

So, ( I gleaned )
They implement fuel injection rate regulation by engine type, instead of the Group C rules.

And,
The FIA world GT is dead. Good news!

[Unchainme]

After following the outright bizarre shenanigans that have taken place in the world of open wheeled racing in the past decade or so, I'm now at the point of general bemusement. Seriously, nothing that happens today surprises me. Ya know that sort of "fan" that attends races with the high hopes of witnessing carnage in the form of a crash? All that person needs to do is pay attention to the dysfunctional ownership and governing bodies that run these franchises in order to satisfy that inherent blood-lust.

I would love to sit at the bar some Sunday evening with Robin Miller to get the real story about what is going on, yet even with his keen insight and insider info, I doubt we'd ever get anywhere. By now, it's fairly guaranteed that he knows which way is up no better than you or I do.

Meanwhile Brian France and Mike Helton are laughing their ass off.

Indy really fucked up back in 79 and 96, and they're paying the price. All the racing talent, sponsors, tracks have all fled to NASCAR.

What we're left with is this:

NASCAR has become a shadow of it's former self, with stupid ideas like the Chase, and having championship deciding races at places like Kansas and Chicago. The racing sucks now, the drivers have no sort of personality to them, and the broadcast quality hampers on seeing where Danica Patrick is, and terrible bullshit gimmicks like fucking digger the gopher.

Indy meanwhile, has been great this season, and even last, sans the Vegas race (RIP Dan), and is still struggling with leadership problems, drivers jumping ship (and failing I may add), and TV Deals.

fuck 1996, fuck what nascar has become and fuck this all.

[jacksmar]

http://espn.go.com/racing/indycar/st...ulman-co-board


Tony George resigns from board
Updated: October 22, 2012, 4:32 PM ET
Associated Press

IndyCar founder Tony George resigned Friday from the Hulman & Co. board of directors, citing a conflict of interest in his recent attempt to reacquire the series.

"I realize that my recent efforts to explore the possibility of acquiring IndyCar represent the appearance of a conflict, and it is in everyone's best interest that I resign," George said in a statement. "It goes without saying that I want to do what is best for this organization."

Oreovicz: Nightmare on 16th Street?

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IndyCar is owned by the Hulman-George family, which has owned Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1945. The series is governed by the Hulman & Co. board of directors, which is at 10 members after George's resignation.

Among those still on the board are his mother, Mari Hulman George, and his sisters, Nancy L. George, M. Josephine George and Katherine M. George-Conforti. Hulman & Co., through president and CEO Jeff Belskus, reiterated Friday that IndyCar is not for sale.

George had been rumored for months to be trying to take back control of the series he founded in 1996 and oust current CEO Randy Bernard, and he reportedly submitted a purchase proposal last week.

"Tony George has made the difficult decision to resign from the board because of his involvement with a group that has recently expressed an interest in purchasing the Hulman & Co.-owned IndyCar organization," Belskus said. "While the business is not for sale and no offers to sell it have been considered or are being considered, we applaud Tony's efforts to resolve the appearance of a conflict and appreciate the gravity of this decision."

George was ousted as CEO of IndyCar by his mother and sisters in 2009. He also resigned his spot on the board of directors, but rejoined in 2011. He was president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1990-2004, and was CEO of IMS from 1990-2009.

Belskus said there is no immediate plan to fill George's vacancy on the board. George is a co-owner with his stepson, driver Ed Carpenter, of IndyCar team Ed Carpenter Racing.

"Tony has been involved with our businesses for many years and has contributed significantly through his leadership role with IMS and IndyCar and as a member of this board," Belskus said. "We wish Tony much success in the future."

[jacksmar]

IMS can't sell Indycar to anyone.

The IRL totally screwed IndyCar. CART was the business model and the HG family can't accept it. Now they can't unload it.

Believe this: The IRL is for sale not matter what the Hulman George bridge club says.

BTW: I haven't seen this much IRL dejavu except when Greg Ray hit the same wall twice during Indy 500 in 2000. ( Rookie JPM and Ganassi beat the "run what you brung" assholes.)

[jacksmar]

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...an-just-a-ceo/

PRUETT: IndyCar Needs More Than Just A CEO
If IndyCar wants to succeed, it needs to stop looking for a messiah to save the series.

If we’re ever going to see an end to the spin-the-wheel-of-IndyCar-CEOs game that keeps taking place at 16th & Georgetown, the owners of the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will need to make a fundamental change in how the business portion of their series is structured.

To be honest, the Hulman & Company board of directors--that group of Hulman George family members and its shadowy appointees--has only been following the script that was used by CART and Champ Car since the Indy Racing League held its first race in 1996, but with a high-profile job opening to fill, it’s time to step into the 21st century and modernize its practices.