"Cancel My Reservation!"

Hey, if you're old enough, you can remember that as the title of a Bob Hope movie. One thing you can bet on is those words were heard more than once between drivers, agents, managers, team owners, PR people, crew men, sponsors and assorted other professionals and amateurs taking part in the CART-FedEx traveling circus.

The series' lone appearance in South America was cancelled after a dispute between CART and Brazilian politicians and promoters.

And somebody got their knickers in a knot over the situation, for one Web site was reporting words like "immature," "irresponsible" and "inappropriate" flying around.

CART Cancels Rio 200

DETROIT -- Championship Auto Racing Teams (NYSE:MPH) announced today that the Rio 200 -- Round 2 of the 2001 FedEx Championship Series -- has been cancelled.

CART previously notified the City of Rio de Janeiro that it was in default of its agreement with CART concerning the 2001 Rio 200. The city missed its deadline for providing CART with letters of credit guaranteeing the payment of sanction fees required by the existing contract.

In addition to being in default of the contract financially, the city also failed to provide event promoter Emerson Fittipaldi, a former CART driving champion (1989), with access to the race venue, Nelson Piquet International Raceway, preventing Fittipaldi and his team from beginning preparations for the race.

'After exploring all possibilities with the promoter of the event, we unfortunately have reached the conclusion that it is impossible to go forward with this year's Rio 200,' said CART President/CEO Joseph Heitzler. 'This is most regrettable.'

'This is a great embarrassment for all of Brazil,' Fittipaldi said.
Read the Official Line here on the CART site

Here's some clips from the Reuters/Excite take on the Associated Press' report. Note that one-third -- actually slightly more than 33% -- of current hot shoes are from Brazil. Unbelieveable!