Los Angeles (AFP)
The 104th edition of the Indianapolis 500 Miles, originally scheduled for May 24, has been postponed to August 23, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the race promoter Indiany Car and Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced on Thursday. .
It is the first time that the legendary car race, the most followed in the United States with some 300,000 people present each year around the "oval", and won last year by the French Simon Pagenaud, will be contested at a other month than May.
The organizers have also postponed the Indianapolis Grand Prix, which was to take place on May 9 on the Speedway route, to July 4, American Independence Day.
With these two races, six of the 17 races in the IndyCar championship are now canceled or postponed.
"May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is my favorite time of year, and like our fans, I'm disappointed that we had to postpone the 500 Miles," said Roger Penske, owner of the race and circuit. .
"However, the health and safety of our participants and spectators is our top priority, and we believe that postponing the event is the responsible decision with the conditions and restrictions we face," he said. .
"I am convinced that we will welcome the fans with a transformed installation and a world spectacle when we run the biggest race in the world," he concluded.
Friday, interviewed by AFP, Mike Miles, boss of IndyCar, said that "500 Miles was his priority" and be "as sure as possible, that the race will run" .
In addition to the Indianapolis GP and the 500 Miles, the first four events of the season, the GPs of St. Petersburg, Alabama, Long Beach and Austin, were also canceled.
But two of them could ultimately be run, said Miles, without specifying which ones.
"There is no indication that we would finish with 15 races out of 17. There is the possibility of doing + double headers + (two races contested on the same circuit, one on Saturday the other on Sunday), as we already do at Detroit, "he said.
© 2020 AFP