MARKHAM, Ontario – IndyCar's first weekend on the streets of Markham has gotten off to a disastrous start, with the series having to call off its Friday practice session for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham.
On Thursday, it became clear to those in the paddock that the race's promoter, Green Savoree Racing Promotions, was well behind on its preparation for the new street race on the 12-turn, 2.19-mile track. Despite the series reiterating its intentions to race Thursday evening and throughout the day Friday, Green Savoree Racing Promotions never got the track to a place that met the regulations of the FIA and IndyCar's competition team.
IndyCar's first open gate day in Markham collapsed as each hour passed, and no race cars made it on track. Throughout the day, spectators – who had free admission to Friday's (lack of) activities – were left mainly in the dark about postponements and eventual cancellations that took place. Green Savoree Racing Promotions failed to give consistent public address updates on changes to the schedule, even to the point of having teams pack cars back into transporters and drivers leaving the track before IndyCar made the postponement public.
Mishaps at new street circuits are bound to happen. The most recent example being in 2021, when grandstands were still being built the morning of the inaugural Music City Grand Prix in downtown Nashville. But Green Savoree Racing Promotions – which also manages the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Grand Prix of Portland – was unprepared for Friday to a level that is somewhat embarrassing for the promoter and the series that partners with it for multiple events per year.
"IndyCar is incredibly disappointed that our promoter was not able to complete the track build on time, despite significant support from our team on site," IndyCar president Doug Boles said in a news release. "Ontario has always been a magnificent market for our sport and the number of spectators that attended today is a shining example of that. New events can always pose logistical challenges and we join in the frustration of our loyal fans and apologize.
#promotions
On Thursday, it became clear to those in the paddock that the race's promoter, Green Savoree Racing Promotions, was well behind on its preparation for the new street race on the 12-turn, 2.19-mile track. Despite the series reiterating its intentions to race Thursday evening and throughout the day Friday, Green Savoree Racing Promotions never got the track to a place that met the regulations of the FIA and IndyCar's competition team.
IndyCar's first open gate day in Markham collapsed as each hour passed, and no race cars made it on track. Throughout the day, spectators – who had free admission to Friday's (lack of) activities – were left mainly in the dark about postponements and eventual cancellations that took place. Green Savoree Racing Promotions failed to give consistent public address updates on changes to the schedule, even to the point of having teams pack cars back into transporters and drivers leaving the track before IndyCar made the postponement public.
Mishaps at new street circuits are bound to happen. The most recent example being in 2021, when grandstands were still being built the morning of the inaugural Music City Grand Prix in downtown Nashville. But Green Savoree Racing Promotions – which also manages the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Grand Prix of Portland – was unprepared for Friday to a level that is somewhat embarrassing for the promoter and the series that partners with it for multiple events per year.
"IndyCar is incredibly disappointed that our promoter was not able to complete the track build on time, despite significant support from our team on site," IndyCar president Doug Boles said in a news release. "Ontario has always been a magnificent market for our sport and the number of spectators that attended today is a shining example of that. New events can always pose logistical challenges and we join in the frustration of our loyal fans and apologize.
#promotions
2 months ago
