F1 AT INDY: A COIN TOSS.(Competitions of car racing)

Indianapolis Motor Speedway chief Tony George said a decision on renewing the U.S. Grand Prix contract likely won't be made much before the July 12 deadline that he imposed last month ("F1 Leaving Indy?'' AW, June 25).

George said he planned to call Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone the week of July 2. Why now? Ecclestone traveled to Las Vegas the week before to talk to, among others, billionaire developer Steve Wynn about possibly staging a Sin City street race in 2008.

George does not think Ecclestone is sure a Las Vegas deal can be worked out, but he described the chances of an Indy renewal as "a coin toss.'' Las Vegas hosted Grands Prix in 1981 and 1982, with both playing to small crowds.

MORE IDEAS

A new FIA document proposes a future F1 car with a four-cylinder biofuel engine displacing between 1300 and 1500 cc and delivering much less power, installed in a chassis generating 50 percent less downforce than today and, therefore, much less drag. Power output would be restricted by a limit on the total amount of fuel energy consumed during a race and by a maximum flow rate, with an objective of a 50 percent reduction in fuel consumption. Carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced with gasoline derived partly from nonfood bio sources but complying with pump-fuel legislation.

There would be few restrictions on the engine cycle, which could include turbo-charging and energy recovery. Energy would be recovered during braking and returned to both front and rear axles under acceleration. The amount of energy returned on each straight would be limited to prevent dangerous top-speed escalation.

The FIA is also considering legalizing movable aerodynamic devices, thereby reducing drag by more than 50 percent and allowing a 40 percent power reduction while maintaining current speeds. The FIA abandoned a plan to introduce a spec aerodynamic setup but wants to supply an underbody designed specifically to desensitize cars to the aerodynamic wake produced by a car in front.