Competition between manufacturers is thought to be a key component to the future of the IRL IndyCar series, and now that there is just one open-wheel series to focus on in the United States the topic has come up again.

Today, Terry Angstadt and Brian Barnhart, along with executives from Honda Performance Development, chaired an Automotive Manufacturers Round Table in Indianapolis with the objectives of making the technical aspects of the IndyCar Series more relevant to the challenges facing the automobile industry now and in the future.

They were also reviewing and defining the technical specifications and aligning them with the R&D efforts already underway by the automobile industry.

But even more interesting is that SPEED Channel's Speed Report program reported that Audi, BMW, Ford and Chevrolet would be in attendance as well.