Flash.(car racing briefs)

CART cancels Road America race

As it increasingly touts itself as a road-racing series, CART officials have pulled the plug on one of its road-racing crown jewels: The August Road America date. In February CART filed suit against Road America for not paying the final installment on the agreed-upon sanctioning fee for last season's race and the first sanctioning fee for this year's race. CART officials said Road America officials were offered a reduced fee and turned that down, too, so CART pulled the plug.

ALMS cancels two

The Washington, D.C., round of the American Le Mans Series has been axed along with another high-profile round in Mexico City. The D.C. event, scheduled for June 29, has become ``a victim of operational problems,'' according to ALMS boss Scott Atherton. He added there was an ``unwavering commitment by all involved'' to return an event that was a big success in its inaugural year in 2002 to the schedule in the future. Legal considerations surrounding the D.C. event prevented Atherton from providing more details on that situation or the one in Mexico, where a six-hour race was scheduled for April 5.

Papis to Le Mans

Former CART driver Max Papis will return to the Le Mans 24-hour for the first time in six years, this time with the Panoz team. The Italian, 33, signed to drive with Olivier Beretta and Gunnar Jeannette. The deal will take him to the opening rounds of the ALMS at Sebring this weekend and then on to Le Mans. Papis said the deal could be extended for the full ALMS, although he is chasing ...