There are only a handful of circumstances that can force the cancellation of an event as highly-anticipated as the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb->ke1001.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature is one of them.

As a result of the Waldo Canyon wildfire in Colorado Springs, the U.S. Forest Service has clamped down and banned the staging of the 90th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in June 8. According to the government agency, the extreme conditions of the fire, coupled with its unpredictable nature, has made it virtually impossible to host the event at this moment.

Major bummer.

Tom Osborne, chairman of the board for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and president and CEO of the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation, understands the decision of the Forest Services, noting that safety for participants and fans remain top priority.

"Our deepest concern is for the safety of the public and the competitors," he said.

"It was obvious that several agencies charged with public safety would not be able to commit the resources and manpower required to ensure those requirements because of the critical need for their resources at this time. Our city is in an unprecedented struggle right now and we are deeply sensitive to it."

For now, race organizers have announced that the event will still take place at a later date, possibly "later in the summer." The schedule has to be set up in such a way that all the participants - drivers, teams, etc. - are available, making for what could be a huge logistical problem for the organizers.

Likewise, fans that have already booked tickets for the event will have their tickets honored on the new race date, whenever that's going to be.

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