Vision Racing suspends operations

The status on the Facebook fanpage read as follows: "It is with profound regret & heavy hearts that we share the following update with you all. Despite the team's best efforts, Vision Racing will be suspending all racing operations. We have an amazing group of people here that appreciate all the support you have given the team"

And with that, the final domino fell on what has been a slow toppling of Tony George's reign over American Open Wheel racing.

The beginning of the end started last June, post Indy 500, when George was essentially forced by the IMS Corporation to resign from, and hand over the control of, both the Indy Racing League and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The insult to the injury of course being that the corporation is controlled by his mother, family matriarch Mari Hulman George and George's three sisters.

A few weeks after the announcement, George made a statement on the Vision team website, which shed a little more light on the situation and why he stepped down.

"At a board meeting last week, I was asked to continue as CEO of the Indy Racing League, reporting to a new President and CEO of IMS. In my view, this would have created an unnecessary bureaucratic layer between the people in the operations of the IRL and the CEO of IMS that had not previously existed. From the perspective of my experience as President and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I am acutely aware that the interests of IndyCar racing as a sport, the IRL as a league, and the most important motorsports race in the world, are mutually dependent and inter-connected, both now and in the future. I did not feel that a subordinate position as “CEO of the IRL” was a management vehicle which would allow me to accomplish the objectives that the family and the board requested me to pursue. I declined that position."

The rest of the 2009 IndyCar season went off without a hitch, with George and both tiers of his Vision Racing team enjoying a surge of success in the latter half of the season which saw both IndyCar driver Ed Carpenter & Indy Lights driver James Davison on the podium.

Following a quiet off season, and seemingly out of the blue in early January of 2010, George resigned from his remaining post on the Board of Directors of Hulman and Company, thus removing himself completely from not only all of the family businesses, but also any deciding vote role in IMS, the IRL, and IMS productions.

"As members of his family, we are sorry to see Tony leave," said Mrs. George. "We are grateful for his service to our company as a board member and of course for formerly serving as CEO and president of our companies. I speak for our whole family in wishing him well. All of us had hoped that Tony would continue to serve on the board, and we made that clear to him. We are disappointed with his decision to step down despite our wishes."

No statements from George were forthcoming following that announcement, but he did give the following quote in today's IndyStar with regards to yesterday's shut down.

"I can't begin to put that into words," he said speaking of his emotions after meeting with Vision staffers. "We're going to continue to try and put together a program so that we can reactivate the team. It's been the greatest group of (people) I've ever had the chance to work with."

George's stepson, and Vision Racing primary driver Ed Carpenter seemed perplexed by the turn of events, but still hopeful.

"We're suspending operations, but I don't know fully what that means," Carpenter said. "We're still pursuing opportunities to resume operations."

Our thoughts are with everyone on the Vision Racing squad, in front of, and behind the scenes. This is a tough time in the season to find yourself on the sidelines.

Open Wheel World will stay on top of this developing story, and bring you updates as they become available.

Copyright © 2004-2010 OpenWheelWorld.net