IndyCar: Report says local government forced race cancellation

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IndyCar's scheduled 2015 season opener in Brasilia was cancelled due to local government concerns about wasting public funds, according to the Associated Press, which says public prosecutors warned that the event was "not in the best interests of society" and there was a "clear inversion in the priorities for public spending."

The prosecutors also reportedly identified problems in the contracts that the promoters negotiated with the previous administration, which they claim would have required spending more than $100 million on track upgrades alone for the Autodromo Internacional Nelson Piquet.

The cancellation of the IndyCar race comes at a time when Brasilia is gripped by a severe financial crisis. A MotoGP race originally scheduled for 2014 was cancelled, and vast amounts of public money were spent on upgrading the Estadio Nacional for last year's football World Cup.

"While all efforts are under way to organize an event not essential to the society of the federal district, public employees are not getting paid," public prosecutors said.

IndyCar said in a statement that the series "had received every indication that the race was already a success: Two-thirds of the seats available for the event had already been sold; a title sponsor for the event (ITAIPAVA) was announced; hospitality was sold out; and track construction was progressing and scheduled to be complete in time for the event. Although we have not received formal confirmation from our partners in Brazil regarding the cancellation, economically IndyCar is protected and the paddock is protected from such action."

There is understood to be a $27 million fine for breach of contract, which the Brasilia government says only applies to the contract between IndyCar and promoter BAND TV. BAND was also the promoter of the Sao Paolo street race, which ran between 2010 and '13.

Originally on Autosport.com