Anger mounting over failed IndyCar race

Anger is mounting against Indy Car's Boston organization – The Grand Prix of Boston – and it's coming from jilted ticket holders looking for refunds and others trying to protect taxpayers from further costs associated with the failed road race.

People who bought tickets for IndyCar race fighting for money back

Ticket holders to the now-cancelled Grand Prix of Boston race have been promised a full refund, but many are still waiting, and the attorney for the race organizers tells 5 Investigates the organization is out of money.

Indy Car screeched to a halt in Boston five weeks ago, but a massive reminder of that fiasco still sits on land in the Seaport district.

More than five million pounds of concrete barriers remain, piled high on Massport-owned land. They were supposed to line the two-mile Indy Car route.

David Lurie, attorney for the Coalition Against Indy Car Boston, said the barriers are being stored on land meant for marine industrial operations and he wants them gone.

"The race was a failure and this is the last evidence of that," Lurie said. "And we would like to have it removed from Boston. Our concern is that the cost of removing them be borne by the promoter and not by any public funds."

But as 5 Investigates first revealed Wednesday, a lawyer for the local promoter, Grand Prix of Boston, admits they're out of money.

We asked Boston Mayor Marty Walsh why the group putting on the race was not more thoroughly vetted.

"They were vetted," Walsh said. "Indy Car National has franchisees and this was a franchisee that came to our city. That's their operation so that's a question you probably want to ask Indy Car National."

Walsh, once the leading supporter of the Indy race, said the city was assured any money from advance ticket sales would be held in a separate account.

Walsh said he had "no idea" Grand Prix of Boston was out of money until he learned that from 5 Investigates. "According to the gentleman who was running it, he said he had plenty of money," the mayor said.

Said Lurie: "We're most upset the elected officials, rather than represent the public and residents who will be affected by the race, in effect became its cheerleaders." wcvb.com