Serious doubts over Rio race date

The financially troubled event has been put on hold by the new Mayor of Rio, Cesar Maia, who has placed all the city's contracts under suspension pending an overall review of where its money is being spent. This year, the event was due to switch from the oval circuit to the road course, which is named after multiple F1 champion Nelson Piquet and holds the Brazilian 500cc motorbike Grand Prix.

The race is currently scheduled for March 25, two weeks after the season opener at the new race at Monterrey in Mexico. The FedEx Champ Car series currently has ten Brazilian drivers entered, including reigning champion Gil de Ferran, and is considered a highly important event by CART's marketing staff.

"While March 25 is fast approaching, we are committed to doing all we can to keep the Rio race on the schedule for our fans," said Joseph Heitzler, CART's recently-appointed President and CEO.

Series organisers are believed to be looking elsewhere to hold the event, although options would be limited to Interlagos, the home of the Brazilian Formula 1 GP, and the Brasilia circuit, which would probably need to be upgraded to run a Champ Car race.