OCTOBER 29, 2003

CART delays Californian race because of forest fires

The CART finale at the California Speedway has been postponed because of the state of emergency that exists in San Bernardino County as a result of the wildfires burning in the nearby hills.

The CART finale at the California Speedway has been postponed because of the state of emergency that exists in San Bernardino County as a result of the wildfires burning in the nearby hills. More than 80,000 acres have burned been burned in the area in recent days and around 3500 firemen are in action fighting the blaze.

"We have been monitoring the fire situation since it began last week in the northern section of Fontana, approximately five miles from the speedway," said California Speedway president Bill Miller. "As the fires have continued to spread, several issues were considered for us to arrive at this decision, including the proximity of the fire, the air quality, transportation issues and staffing requirements from a fire safety, medical, security and volunteer standpoint needed to stage an event. Based on the request of state and local officials, we are postponing this weekend's events. We will try to find suitable dates to reschedule them in the future."