Bikes At the Brickyard!
BIKES AT THE BRICKYARD!
MARK YOUR CALENdars: On September 14, 2008, motorcycle racing will return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Return? Yes. While Indy's world-class reputation was built on open-wheel car racing, initial on-track competition at the famed Brickyard was two-wheels-only and took place on August 14, 1909, nearly two years before the inaugural 500-miler.
This past July, before a standing-room-only crowd, IMS officials signed a threeyear contract with Dorna Sports, MotoGP’s commercial rights-holder. The race will be officially known as the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix and take place on a new 16turn, 2.6-mile circuit that will be based to a large extent on the previous Formula Onespec roadcourse.
Bikes-125 and 250cc twostrokes are scheduled to join MotoGP four-strokes-will run counter-clockwise, the same direction as the facility’s oval events. Though F-l will not be back at IMS, at least in 2008, the circuit will be approved for racing by both the FIM and the FIA. Just in case.
Former 500cc World
Champions Kenny Roberts Jr. and Kevin Schwantz attended the much-hyped announcement. Roberts Jr. said Indy will provide different challenges than Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, site of July’s USGP.
“You can make up for a lot of machine shortcomings at Laguna,” he explained. “At Indy, you won’t be able to make the bike go faster down the straightaway; you’re going to need horsepower.”
Despite reports to the contrary, Indy will not replace the California round, as Laguna Seca has a contract with Dorna through 2010. “What a great day for America!” exclaimed Laguna GM Gill Campbell.
“Double your pleasure, double your fun.”
“The United States is the biggest, most important country in the world,” added Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta. “America is big enough to have two events. I also think one event will help the other.”
Construction on the multimillion-dollar track alterations were scheduled to begin following the running of July’s Brickyard 400. “We’re going to start the minute our NASCAR event is done,” confirmed IMS President and COO Joie Chitwood. “This event is going to be big.”
—Matthew Miles
