The Official Blog of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The best seats in the house at IMS are well known when it comes to the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400. When it comes to the Red Bull Indianapolis GP and the IMS road course, it’s a different story. We took the time to scope out the best three places to watch tomorrow’s race. Below is the breakdown of what you can expect to see from my personal favorite locations: Turn 1 of the oval, Turn 9 and Turn 4 of the oval.

Turn 1 was full of fans for today’s qualifying session, and now we know why. From this area of the stands you can view the front straight, a variety of turns and the pits. Another perk of Turn 1 is the shade! Although we have perfect weather in the forecast for this weekend, shade is always a nice factor.

Outside of Turn 1

Turn 9 is a reserved area for members of the Corner 9 Club. Anyone who wants to upgrade their Red Bull Indianapolis GP experience can join. An air conditioned suite complete with lounge areas, food and drinks is provided. The Corner 9 stands are just a short walk from the suite and amidst all the action! The view allows you to see multiple bikes speeding around multiple corners at the same time. There’s never a dull moment in Turn 9.

Reserved seats in Turn 9 for Corner 9 Club members

Sitting in Turn 4 of the oval provides a great view as well. Multiple turns that cause the bikes to lean left and then right, the front straight and two big screens allow for a great experience. No shade exists in Turn 4, but the view is worth it! Just remember to bring your sunscreen!

Coming out of Turn 4

Where will you be sitting tomorrow for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP? We want to know!

We’ve been getting all of our fans hyped on Twitter and Facebook for the Ben Spies tweet up for the past 2 weeks! Today was finally the day. The first 5 fans in line outside of the Oakley retail garage received a free pair of Oakley Batwolf sunglasses and Ben signed autographs for about 20 minutes for a line of fans that stretched from one row of garages to the other!

A big crowd for Ben Spies and Oakley

Fans were armed with sharpies, posters, framed pictures and helmets. We knew this would be the appropriate place to find our Fan of the Day, and who better than the first person in line? Jennifer had been waiting in line since noon (the tweet up was at 5pm). She didn’t even leave to eat lunch, she had family and friends deliver food to her.

Jennifer waiting for Ben Spies with her Oakley Batwolf sunglasses

Jennifer has followed Spies through pretty much his entire career. She has watched him race for about 10 years she said, and has even met his mother! She has attended the Red Bull Indianapolis GP every year at Indy and her favorite racing memory was the first time MotoGP came to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Ben finally arrived and the fans cheered for him as he took his seat outside of the Oakley garage. Jennifer was first to get an autograph. The line of fans took their turns getting autographs, shaking hands and wishing Ben good luck this weekend.

Jennifer got to walk away with a free pair of Oakley sunglasses, an autograph from her favorite driver and a great memory! What more could a fan ask for?

The Vendor Marketplace is one of my favorite spots this weekend. It’s a chance to stroll around and check out some fashion, new motorcycle products, score some sunglasses or accessories and learn more about the motorcycle culture. Plus it’s located in Gasoline Alley. Not bad.

Early in the day at Vendor Marketplace

This year I’ve noticed a greater digital influence. As someone that works in the digital arena, this had me intrigued.

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As you may know, the Red Bull Indianapolis GP track got a makeover earlier this summer. The circuit has been repaved, and who better to break it in than Nicky Hayden? He took the inaugural lap on the IMS circuit in 2008, so it only made sense that we ask Nicky back to be the first on the new surface.

On the newly paved IMS circuit

The public filed in to watch Hayden’s test from the Turn 2 viewing mounds as he took the track around 9:30. Nicky tested until around 12:30. The new surface seemed to treat him well. I thought I would get used to the site of his bike being almost completely horizontal as he took the turns, but I didn’t. Each time he rounded a turn was unreal!

After the test Nicky said the track was better than expected! He said “it’s pretty much perfect”, and “IMS went above and beyond” the drivers’ expectations. He also thinks it will make things safer during the race. If Nicky Hayden approves, I guess that makes the new pavement a success!

The test definitely left us eagerly awaiting the Red Bull Indianapolis GP that happens on August 28. I know I’m looking forward to seeing more motorcycle action on the IMS circuit, aren’t you?

Check out the video footage from today’s run below.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Historian Donald Davidson has been the expert on the history of the Racing Capital of the World since he arrived in Central Indiana in the mid-1960s. Now 2010 Auto Racing Hall of Fame inductee Davidson is answering your questions periodically in this blog!

Q: With the Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP race approaching, I find myself wondering if any Indiana-built (or even Indianapolis-built) motorcycles ever raced or were tested at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

—Scott Smith, Brownsburg, Ind.

A: It turns out that there were actually several motorcycle companies in Indiana in the early days, but as with the majority of the automobile firms, they were short-lived, typically lasting only a year or two. Certainly none ever was tested at the track in the early days, the only makes participating in the seven events held during the one and only day of actual competition—Aug, 14, 1909—being Indian, Harley-Davidson, NSU, Excelsior, Reading Standard, Peugeot, Merkel, Minneapolis and Thor.

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Some serious hardware in Colin Edwards' collarbone (Thanks to www.motorcyclenews.com)

The information lines of the sports world are taut today with criticism of LeBron James after the heavily favored Miami Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the NBA Finals. LeChoke was a common name used for James after he disappeared in the fourth quarter of games in the Finals just 11 months after “taking his talents” to South Beach in “The Decision” show on ESPN, one of the worst PR decisions ever made by an American athlete.

LBJ compounded the ire from fans by saying after the game that he didn’t care about fan criticism of his lackluster play in the Finals. Really? Didn’t LeBron say he was following all of the fan criticism last summer after his decision to leave Cleveland for Miami and an unlimited number of titles? Then LeBron all but inferred people were jealous of him because he was a superstar and they had to return to their sad, pathetic lives today after the Finals ended.

Enough of that megalomaniacal clown King James and his tarnished crown. Instead save the royal treatment for an American athlete who flat-out delivered Sunday in a way that few could have imagined just a week ago.

American MotoGP rider Colin Edwards finished third Sunday in the Grand Prix of Great Britain. It was the 12th podium finish of his nine-season MotoGP career, which isn’t a world-beating stat at first glance. But when you consider that Edwards beat MotoGP World Champions Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo and 10 other of the world’s best riders Sunday, just eight days after having a titanium plate screwed into his shattered collarbone, that’s the stuff of legends.

Read that again. That’s right: Colin Edwards finished third in arguably the most physical form of major circuit-based motorsports in the world — hanging on to a two-wheeled, angry bucking bronco for 45 minutes — just nine days after breaking his collarbone in five places in a crash during practice at the Catalunya Grand Prix at Barcelona, Spain.

Incredible. A supreme display of what SPEED Formula One analyst David Hobbs like to call “large attachments.” Some serious courage, to be proper.

And “The Texas Tornado” delivered when his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team needed it. His teammate, Cal Crutchlow, also suffered a broken collarbone in a crash this weekend at Silverstone in his home race, leaving Tech 3 with just Edwards on the grid.

Then Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies crashed a lap apart during the rain-soaked race. Guess who was the only Yamaha rider left in the race to score vital Manufacturers’ points? A 37-year-old “old dude” with a shattered collarbone held together with hardware, having the ride of his life.

When it came time to flourish, a healthy LeBron James choked and caved in mentally when his team needed him the most on the sunny shores of South Beach. When his team and manufacturer were down, a wounded Colin Edwards carried them to unexpected glory in a cold, English rain at Silverstone.

One of those guys is returning to his mansion with a private chef and a garage full of Maybachs and Ferraris. Another is heading home to Houston to see his wife, three kids and prepare for another round of happy riders at the Texas Tornado Boot Camp this weekend.

I think we all know who the true superstar is.

Build Your Own Brickyard Experience is an interactive fan website that allows you to learn more about Brickyard experiences, choose how you would build your own experience, and then share what your Brickyard 400 experience looks like with friends and family. This blog series follows Brickyard 400 fans and their experience and tips for attending a race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In this edition, a die-hard NASCAR fan offers up her tips for attending the Brickyard 400.

About our die-hard NASCAR fan: Nicie is a retired Head Start Preschool teacher and now works part time as a monitor on the Head Start Preschool bus. Her spare time is always filled by anything and everything NASCAR. Nicie has traveled from Southern California for the Brickyard 400 for the past six years.

Do you attend any other races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway? Nicie has dragged her husband, a retired Marine, to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway time and time again so that they can experience the live thrill of racing, and he himself has grown to love the sport. Her son is an avid MotoGP fan and returns to the track every year for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. Her love of the sport has also rubbed off on her friends who have started to attend events at the California Speedway. Nicie would love to get her friends to Indy this year.

What’s special about the Brickyard? The fans are the best part of the Brickyard 400, according to Nicie. She loves to cheer for the #2 Miller Lite car and ironically always seems to end up next to a Bud fan. Nicie believes the fans get special treatment at the Brickyard because the service is top of the line.

What’s her advice for a Rookie Race Attendee? Nicie’s advice for first-time NASCAR attendees is to buy a program and listen to the commentators. Doing both of those things will make it easier to understand the rules of the race. If you don’t want to buy a program, you can always ask the person in the seat beside you. Nicie is also a big fan of the yellow shirts. She says they are more than helpful.

Kurt Busch at the 2010 Brickyard 400

What’s her favorite NASCAR moment? Nicie has a hard time choosing a favorite NASCAR moment because she loves them all. “I’m just a loving NASCAR fan!” she explained.

Ready to Build Your Own Brickyard Experience? Start by checking out what a die-hard NASCAR fan might do to build their own Brickyard Experience here!

Fan of everything IMS? Check out our post from last month here. Bringing out your family? Read more about what a family experience might look like here. Young Professional? Check out the first post in this series here!

As February rolled around, the IMS Street Team turned its attention to the Dealer Expo. This year’s expo, the country’s largest power sports trade show, took place Friday, Feb. 18 through Sunday, Feb. 20. In efforts to share the exciting news about the fourth annual Red Bull Indianapolis GP, the Street Team and IMS staff headed to the newly expanded Indiana Convention Center for the weekend.

The team shared some key highlights that are being added to this year’s Red Bull Indianapolis GP such as “Main Street,” which can be seen below and will be filled with vendors, entertainment and, of course, motorcycles. “Main Street” will be located between Turns 9 and 10, along the green, dotted path which will be a “cruise path” so fans can cruise in and out as they please.

Track map of this year's Red Bull Indianapolis GP.

One of our biggest changes that we were eager to tell everyone is that our gates will be open until 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26 and Saturday, Aug. 27! There will be more than 12 hours of activity on and off the track each day! Fans and motorcycle enthusiasts were just as excited to hear this news as we were to tell it.

The entire weekend at Dealer Expo gave us a great opportunity to talk to folks who have been attending the race since 2008 and some who we will attend for the first time this August. Additional information can be found here.

The 1910 Indian that Nicky Hayden rode in 2008 was a big attraction.

Blythe and Maddie at the 2011 Dealer Expo

The weekend didn’t stop there, by any means! IMS hosted a kick-off party for the start of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Sunday. Fans join us at Jillian’s Downtown in Indianapolis to watch the Daytona 500 and get a chance to win some prizes, play games and enjoy some great racing.

This weekend also is full of events for the team. Friday through Sunday, the team and a few partners will be at the 20th annual Motorcycle Expo at the Indiana State Fairgrounds continuing to promote the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. On Saturday, Feb. 26, the team will be at the Children’s Museum for Engineer’s Day. If your child, niece, nephew, grandchild or neighborhood friend is an IMS Kids Club member, this will be the first of many fun opportunities for them to attend this year. (Spoiler Alert: If you purchase a Kids Club membership at the Children’s Museum on Saturday, you will receive free IMS Silly Bandz!)

This is yet another exciting weekend for the IMS Street Team, and there will be many, many more to come! March has lots of surprises in store for the collegiate crowd, including our first ever Snake Pit Tour! Stay tuned for those dates. Until next time, remember – only 93 days left until the start of the Indianapolis 500!

Indianapolis Motor Speedway played host to two very dedicated globetrotters in the last week. Both are parlaying their love of two-wheeled transportation into the trip of a lifetime.

Paolo kissing the bricks

Last week, Paolo Pirozzi of Italy stopped by to take a lap around the famed IMS oval on his Ducati motorcycle, affectionately named “Lidia.” Paolo is taking a year to ride around the world, making a point to stop by every MotoGP circuit on the globe in the process. So far, Paolo has taken seven months to cover 24 countries, starting in his native Italy and working through northern Europe, Russia into China, then back west across India and Pakistan and to Australia. He flew to Seattle and traveled down the west coast of the United States.

After Indy, Paolo traveled east to New York, and the plan is to hit Florida (who wouldn’t, in November!) and then work west then south through Mexico, Central and South America, and skip across the southern Atlantic from Brazil to Africa, then north toward home. I’m weary just thinking about it.

Follow Paolo at his website:  http://www.paolopirozzi.com/it/.

Az on the run at IMS

On Nov. 23, Az Heydari, one of the world’s newest yet most passionate MotoGP World Championship fans, ran the 2.621-mile road at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, site of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP.

Heydari, who attended her first MotoGP race at Estoril, Portugal in 2010 and immediately became a self-proclaimed MotoGP fanatic, is raising money for Riders for Health by running 16 of the 18 circuits upon which MotoGP runs around the world. Her goal is to raise 15,000 pounds; so far her running shoes and MotoGP fandom have raised more than 9,500 pounds.

The resident of Kent, England, left London on Nov. 6 and first ran the track at Qatar; she has ran most of the European circuits since and, after her run at IMS on a sunny-but-chilly day, she next heads west for Laguna Seca.

To track Az’s adventure, go here: http://www.justgiving.com/pablo46.

For more information on Riders for Health – a charity dedicated to humanitarian aid and relief in Africa – visit their website: http://www.riders.org/.

The Drive for Five is complete. Is that a legendary accomplishment or the next sign of the impending Apocalypse?

Jimmie Johnson put himself in the same room as NASCAR legends Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt — both seven-time Cup champions — by winning his fifth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup on Sunday by finishing second to Carl Edwards in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Johnson rallied from a 15-point deficit to pass Denny Hamlin for another championship. Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus endured a tumultuous Chase, during which Johnson’s crew was benched, to continue their reign over the sport.

Say it five times fast: This guy is a legend.

And the great debate begins: Is Johnson’s dominance good for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and help it gain more attention as it attempts to rebound in 2011 from a season of decreased attendance and TV ratings? Or will it hurt, as fans are getting sick and tired of seeing Johnson and Knaus hoisting the big silver trophy every year at Homestead?

SBNation’s Jeff Gluck, an avid Tweeter, posted this interesting smorgasbord of Twitter reaction from fans after the race Sunday. Many fans complained about Johnson’s victory. And those fans are wrong.

What Johnson is doing here, folks, is beyond special because it’s almost beyond comprehension. NASCAR rule makers toil long and hard to build equality into the sport. The COT has homogenized the machinery. The point system rewards consistency more than winning. The Chase system was created to prevent a runaway champion late in the season, erasing any early-season dominance. Four of the 10 Chase races are on 1.5-mile ovals, with no road courses and only one short track.

This is racing’s version of the salary cap and free agency, two components that have killed dynasties in the NFL, NBA and NHL. Yet Johnson, Knaus and Hendrick Motorsports continue to just deliver under pressure, year after year. Think about it: The last time Jimmie Johnson failed to win the Sprint Cup, only Alaskans had ever heard of Sarah Palin. Justin Bieber was a kid dreaming of stardom in his bedroom in Canada. Joey Logano was 15 years old.

Why is this criticized? Why is this seen as boring? I agree with Peter DeLorenzo at Autoextremist: It’s not like Johnson and Knaus are crushing the competition due to superior equipment, an argument that could be made about the Ferrari that Michael Schumacher drove to five consecutive Formula One World Championships last decade.

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