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Motegi start delayed by 'weepers'

The Japanese round of the IRL IndyCar Series might have to be postponed due to damp patches on the Twin-Ring Motegi oval

Although the rain that forced the cancellation of final practice and qualifying has stopped, moisture is seeping up from below the track surface and causing so-called 'weepers' to appear in several areas of the track.

The race has already been delayed by over an hour while Motegi officials tried their utmost to solve the problem.

The Indy Racing League's president of competition Brian Barnhart said the 'weepers' were returning as fast as they were cleared.

"The fact that it's returning that quickly shows us that there's a lot of pressure under the racetrack and the water needs a place to go, and it's coming up and creating an unsafe situation," he told ESPN.

"I don't think I've ever seen them this long and this big. One of them is probably 70 feet long. They're longitudinal instead of being at 90 degrees to the infield, where you could pass through them quickly. In this instance the tyres are going to get several revolutions in an area that has a lower coefficient of friction and less grip. I'm really concerned about how long they are."

Barnhart believes that the race must be started within the next 40 minutes if it is to be completed today.

"We really need to be started by three o'clock (local time)," he said. "This race is an average of one hour and 57 minutes, and it's dark by 5pm, so we need to start by 3pm. We're going to have a challenge to do that, it's just coming back so quickly.

"I've got to get the drivers' agreement before we're good to go, and right now it's a unanimous 'no'."

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