GM to Quit Supplying IRL Engines After '05

INDIANAPOLIS November 4, 2004; The AP reported that General Motors will stop supplying Chevrolet engines to the Indy Racing League after the 2005 season, citing the circuit's falling television ratings and expensive competition from Honda and Toyota.

GM Racing director Doug Duchardt said Wednesday the value of the IRL "no longer met our business objectives."

He mentioned the open-wheel league's decreased television ratings — down about 20 percent from 2003 — and attendance that he described as "flat or down."

GM has been an IRL engine supplier since 1997. The GM engines, under the Oldsmobile name until 2002, have 66 IRL wins, including six in the Indianapolis 500, and six season championships.

The Chevrolet engine, however, had little success since Toyota and Honda joined the IRL in 2003. The Chevy engines, used by four smaller teams, did not win a race or a pole during the 2004 season.

"While we are disappointed, we understand that General Motors has to deal with its own competitive issues, both on and off the track," IRL senior vice president Ken Ungar said.

Honda and Toyota both have contracts to supply IRL engines through the 2006 season. Honda engines won 14 IRL races this season; Toyota won the other two.

Duchardt said aggressive spending by Honda and Toyota has increased the cost of participation.

"We take pride in the fact that we've had a long association with the Indianapolis 500 and the IRL," he said. "We just found ourselves at a crossroads."

Duchardt said GM was not interested in joining the Champ Car World Series (news - web sites), which has Ford as its lone engine supplier.