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Toronto IndyCar: Rain forces race one cancellation

IndyCar was forced to cancel the opening race of this weekend's double-header in Toronto due to bad weather

Moderate but persistent showers initially prompted the series to switch from its planned standing start to a single-file rolling start, and two attempts at green flags were waved off and subsequently red-flagged because of the conditions.

NEWS UPDATE: Both races to be held on Sunday

Drivers spent a total of 13 laps circulating behind the safety car without actually registering a lap - officially, the race never started - and yet the track surface was treacherous enough to cause three separate incidents.

In the first, Ryan Briscoe skated into a barrier, while later Will Power lost the rear of his Penske Dallara-Chevrolet as he was getting onto the throttle ahead of an anticipated start and hit the wall heavily.

The delays proved to be a godsend for the Australian, as it allowed the Penske team ample time to carry out a substantial repair job and get his car back into racing condition.

If the race is rescheduled he will be restored to his original qualifying position along with Ganassi driver Briscoe and fellow Penske man Juan Pablo Montoya, who required work on his car during the stoppage to deal with an electrical problem.

However the most bizarre incident of all came when two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk lost control of the pace car he was driving and spun into an escape road. The Dutchman kept it off the wall and was able to rejoin the circuit.

While IndyCar has raced in heavier rain than that which fell on Toronto late on Saturday, the main problem was the lack of visibility on the back straight. As the delays stretched beyond three hours and the clock edged toward 6:30pm local time, light also became a concern.

Driver opinion as to whether it would be possible to race was mixed, but shortly before the cancellation was announced, points leader Helio Castroneves was in no doubt that it was too dangerous.

"The conditions are very tough," he said. "I'm starting at the front, and for the people at he back it's very difficult.

"We want to give the fans a great show but it's the difference between being brave and being stupid and we're about to cross that point.

"You can't see at all on the back straight, and if somebody spun there you would have a real safety issue. It's too risky."

IndyCar is planning to release a revised schedule for the remainder of the weekend in the coming hours.

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