With the course for February’s A1 Grand Prix race in Lippo Karawaci incomplete at its deadline, the world autosports governing body refused to issue a circuit license for the event.

According to FIA regulations, certain stages of the circuit’s construction must be completed 60 days prior to the event in order to receive approval, but the local organizer said that there was too little time to do so.

“We expect the course will be ready on time. Of course, the FIA gives the certification for the competition, we can’t argue with that,” Gordon Benton, head of the local organizing committee, said on Saturday. “The FIA has the criteria, but I can say that we’ll never finish it 60 days beforehand. We only had 84 days to build it.”

A1GP CEO Pete Da Silva said in an official statement that the Karawaci race would be scrubbed from the 2008/09 race calendar.

“Obviously it is extremely disappointing for all concerned and not the news any of us wanted. The bottom line is, for safety reasons, A1GP cannot race on a circuit that does not meet or has not received the necessary license from the FIA, so we have no other option but to cancel all plans to bring the A1GP show to Indonesia in three weeks’ time,” he said.

The circuit was unveiled to the media on Nov. 13, 85 days before the proposed race. FIA circuit inspector Roland Bruyn Serende visited the site on Jan. 8 and again on Friday, finding road construction behind schedule.

Benton said some of the progress was destroyed by heavy rain last week.

“Some of the roads were destroyed from the rain. The asphalt was not yet down, because the underbase got so wet and it had to be condemned and rebuilt,” he said.

He also said the organizer would keep its promise and try to finish the course on time to hold its inaugural race on Feb. 8.

Instead of the A1GP race, the Indonesian Motorsports Union, or IMI, will hold the Indonesian GT Car Championship as the circuit’s debut race, IMI sports department head Irawan Sucahyono said.

“I’m sure the track will be finished on time, though the FIA doubts it and will not issue the license on the date we expected,” he said. “IMI has already prepared the event for the circuit. We will hold the Indonesian GT Car Championship on Feb. 8 to inaugurate the course.”

[souce: thejakartaglobe.com]