Photo: IndyCar
This past weekend should have marked the start of the NTT IndyCarSeries, with the season opener scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg, Florida. On the day when the race was supposed to start, the organizers announced the postponement of the event, along with the one scheduled to take place through April.
"After careful consideration, including regular communication with our event promoters, health officials, and the city administrations in our respective race markets regarding COVID-19, we have made the decision to halt all NTT IndyCar Series events through April,” the organizers said in a statement.
“We will continue to coordinate with public health experts and government officials as we determine the appropriate plans for resuming our schedule."
The decision is not surprising, and comes just after similar decisions were made by racing series across the world, including Formula 1. What was surprising, for some, was this last-minute type of announcement, coupled with the refusal to refund tickets.
According to Tampa Bay Times, Green Savoree Racing Promotions, the organizer of the race, said it would not refund the tickets, but allow their holders to receive a credit for the full amount paid plus an additional 10 percent. This credit would apply to future races at the said track.
According to IndyCar, aside for the St. Petersburg race, the ones scheduled in April in Alabama, Long Beach and Circuit of the Americas. As a result, the season opener has now become the one in Indiana on May 9. For now, no information has been provided for when the postponed races would be rescheduled.
At the time of this writing, at a global level, there are over 170,000 reported infections and over 6,500 people have died. In the U.S., where authorities have just declared a state of emergency, there are 3,800 people confirmed with the virus and nearly 70 have died.
“We will continue to coordinate with public health experts and government officials as we determine the appropriate plans for resuming our schedule."
The decision is not surprising, and comes just after similar decisions were made by racing series across the world, including Formula 1. What was surprising, for some, was this last-minute type of announcement, coupled with the refusal to refund tickets.
According to Tampa Bay Times, Green Savoree Racing Promotions, the organizer of the race, said it would not refund the tickets, but allow their holders to receive a credit for the full amount paid plus an additional 10 percent. This credit would apply to future races at the said track.
According to IndyCar, aside for the St. Petersburg race, the ones scheduled in April in Alabama, Long Beach and Circuit of the Americas. As a result, the season opener has now become the one in Indiana on May 9. For now, no information has been provided for when the postponed races would be rescheduled.
At the time of this writing, at a global level, there are over 170,000 reported infections and over 6,500 people have died. In the U.S., where authorities have just declared a state of emergency, there are 3,800 people confirmed with the virus and nearly 70 have died.
Google News