SO LONG, MR. CLARKE; Honda Performance Development's boss steps down with a smile.(Competition)(Robert Clarke)

Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH

Not long before Robert Clarke, the recently retired president of Honda Performance Development (which runs the company's North American racing efforts), stepped down from that role, AutoWeek asked him to name the biggest disappointment of his tenure, which dated back to 1993 when he was HPD's only employee.

"I guess it's that I was unable to help unify Champ Car and the Indy Racing League,'' Clarke said. For several years, he worked mostly behind the scenes to bring the two together, to the point where he spent so much time on the effort "that I probably neglected my own duties at Honda.''

And it was all for nothing, he thought.

"They appeared to be going their own separate ways,'' Clarke said, with Champ Car concentrating increasingly on foreign markets and the IRL continuing to build its schedule around its flagship race, the Indianapolis 500.

But that changed, of course. After years of muddled, dead-end negotiations, the two series finally combined with startling speed, culminating in the late-February announcement that essentially killed Champ Car.

As always, Clarke was behind the scenes. The 58-year-old formally stepped down from his role at HPD on Jan. 2 but agreed to remain as an advisor until his retirement on June 30. That means he will be present for the 2008 Indy 500, which will feature, for the first time since 1995, a unified field, all of which will use Honda V8s.