CAs expected almost from the very beginning of the practices, the dispute 500 miles from Indianapolis He is seriously looking Affected by rains. A few moments ago the rulers Indianapolis Motor Speedway They were forced to Delayed start of the race In order to Electrical storms This haunts the formidable sports facility.
American law states that when Electrical storms approaching 8 miles away From a mandatory outdoor sports venue Evacuation of the stands To ensure the safety of spectators. In the case of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, due to its high capacity (235,000 seats, more beloses), officials have already progressed on this This security perimeter will be extended up to 15 miles.
22: 44, start time of the 2024 Indy 500
The weather forecast indicated that The rain will arrive at the ring at 12: 00 local time (18: 00 in Spain), With the beginning of the pre-race liturgy, how emotional it is at the Indy 500. But even Before this happened, measures were taken. In order to Electrical storms. It’s 11: 15 a.m. in the morning. Fans were asked to leave the stands And take cover so as not to be affected by the storm.
Although initially the head of the Department, Doug Bowles, It was established as a possible resumption time of 20:30/21: 00 Spanish time (14:30/15:00 local time), and finally the official plan will be to wave Green flag at 22: 44 Spanish time.
If the race could not start today or , if it started later and the rain made it impossible to overcome 50% of the total distance (200 laps, 500 miles), The Indy 500 was moved to Monday.… Or on the first day it can be completed.
Rain, the protagonist of the first day
The 108th edition of the Indianapolis 500 had Rain as a companion… Since before the first green flag flew On Tuesday, May 14th. Because even in Pre-testing in April There have been incidents with storms.
The The first test session Practically Can not be disputed, As well as the second half, and the 15th merkol, which He put it in trouble preparing the race – The work they usually focus on until Thursday -. In fact, The organization had to extend the practice schedule From six to eight hours… And as on Thursday it was also not fully completed.
During Qualifying weekend the weather was very benign, But the forecast was already very bad for this Sunday. And at the moment, it has been fully confirmed.