By TALES AZZONI
Associated Press Writer
SAO PAULO (AP) The newly built circuit at the Sambadrome was supposed to be a highlight for the inaugural IndyCar street race in Sao Paulo, but it attracted attention for the wrong reasons on Saturday.
Its extremely slick surface made driving unsafe in the practice sessions that officially opened the track on Saturday, prompting countless driver complaints and forcing officials to switch qualifying to Sunday morning for safety reasons.
The measure was intended to give officials time to fix the surface at the straight that goes through the Sambadrome, a stadium-like venue that stretches for about a third of a mile (500 meters).
``It's like driving on ice, I agree with all the drivers,'' track designer Tony Cotman said. ``The rubber is just not sticking to the concrete, for whatever the reason. I didn't expect to be the issue. (But) I'm confident that we got ourselves a pretty good solution and we'll put on a good show.''
Officials were trying to add grooves to the surface in an attempt to give drivers more grip. Cotman said the initial results seemed to solve the problem, but he didn't rule out the possibility of paving the entire straightaway overnight.
The straight is where the traditional Carnival takes place every year in Sao Paulo, and the only part of the track with concrete instead of asphalt. The surface had been painted for the Carnival parades, but it remained slick even though organizers removed the paint.
``You couldn't drive straight,'' Brazilian driver Tony Kanaan said. ``We were really concerned with how the track was and they had to do something about it. It was not safe the way it was.''
The straight is also where Sunday's 75-lap race is scheduled to start and end. Cotman dismissed the option of changing the race start because of the surface problem.
The lack of grip kept drivers from being able to fully accelerate on the straight's concrete surface, and several lost control throughout the practices.
Venezuela's Milka Duno hit the wall after her car suddenly veered to the right in the first session, and she also lost control there in the afternoon practice.
Australian Ryan Briscoe spun away in the second session, along with Brazilian rookie Ana Beatriz, whose car went straight into the wall while she was driving down the straight.
``It was really, really slippery,'' Beatriz said. ``There wasn't much we could do.''
Brazilian driver Mario Moraes also hit the wall in the afternoon practice.
``I guess this is nobody's fault, but it's hard when not a single car was allowed to run on the track before it opened,'' Moraes said.
Flanked by grandstands and VIP suites on both sides, the Sambadrome was hailed as one of the unique features of the track, and was one of the hardest tickets for fans to get.
But it wasn't the only reason for complaints from drivers.
In addition to the slick front straight, they also had to deal with several bumps throughout the 2.6-mile (4.2-kilometer), 11-turn Anhembi temporary street circuit.
Kanaan said the track was not bumpy for the entire length, but said some of the undulations were very severe and actually put the drivers in danger.
Defending series champion Dario Franchitti also complained.
``We knew it was going to be bumpy,'' he said. ``But this is kind of crazy.''
Some of the bumps were in the back straight, the series' longest ever and where cars reach nearly 190 mph (305 kph).
Kanaan later downplayed the bumps, saying they are a characteristic of street circuits.
Another concern was with the weather, which could add even more problems if it rains on Sunday.
Despite the problems, the majority of the drivers said they enjoyed the track, especially because it was fast and will likely provide several passing opportunities during the race.
Drivers will be given 15 minutes on the track before qualifying starts on Sunday.
Organizers had to set up the track in only about three months following the announcement that the IndyCar Series would be coming to Brazil for the first time since the CART series raced in the Latin American country from 1996-2000.
``Everybody has been surprised by how difficult the track is,'' Brazilian driver Vitor Meira said. ``There are challenges everywhere.''
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