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IndyCar Series forced to cancel Boston street race

IndyCar has been forced to cancel its inaugural race on the streets of Boston

The event was to take place on a 2.2-mile course on September 2-4.

"We just heard from the promoter that he has pulled the plug," IndyCar CEO Mark Miles told Autosport.

"We will assess the situation and see where we go from here. There may be other possibilities for this Labor Day."

Late on Friday evening, John Casey, president of the Grand Prix of Boston, told IndyCar that the event could no longer go forward because of obstructions placed by city officials.

"The relationship between us and the city is not working," Casey told the Boston Globe. "The relationship is untenable."

Miles said IndyCar and the promoters are now looking at a "Plan B" to try to use another city in the north-east, with options including nearby Providence, Rhode Island.

"They are both willing to do it without the headaches of Boston," Casey said.

In a statement from the promoters released later on Friday night, Casey added: "An event of this magnitude requires considerable city and state support and though we did overcome significant obstacles and demands that have been presented to us, the most recent demands regarding the flood zone issues and requirements of additional expenditure on the line of credit with no guarantees of overcoming those issues have left us no options but to cancel the race in Boston and look at other options.

"At this juncture the demands that have been asked of us make this event in Boston economically unviable and despite robust corporate partnerships and excellent tickets sales, if we have no guarantee of MEPA approval then time was of the essence to make this difficult decision.

"We have had a team of over 50 people, as well as the city and state agency personnel who have been working tirelessly to find successful and viable solutions and unfortunately we are at an impasse."

The city authorities responded with a statement from Boston mayor Martin J Walsh's chief of operations Patrick Brophy.

"The City of Boston will always be open to opportunities that will positively showcase our city," he said.

"However as we continued to work with Boston Grand Prix they were unwilling or unable to meet the necessary requirements to hold an event of this size.

"The mayor feels strongly in protecting the taxpayers and limiting the impact to residents, and we are not shy that we held them to very high standards."

The race has faced opposition from a number of Seaport residents as well as the group Coalition Against IndyCar Boston, which has pushed issues ranging from environmental concerns to noise levels, while local media was split between strong support and criticism.

It is the second year in a row that IndyCar has had to cancel a new race in a major city.

Last season's planned opener at the Brasilia track in Brazil was called off by the local government six weeks before it was due to take place.

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