Growing up a few miles away from tracks that hosted races run by the likes of A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti I’ve always considered Indianapolis Motor Speedway to be my mecca. The track just has a certain aura that hasn’t changed since my first visit there, and when I talk about it to people who have been going there a lot longer than I have they feel the same way.I headed out there this past weekend for the MotoGP round, and as usual I wasn’t disappointed. Three great days of racing with practice and qualifying on Friday and Saturday and races on Sunday. They opened up the pits on Friday morning so that fans could check out the bikes and get a first hand look at the garage areas and the yard of bricks at the start-finish line. The place is so immense there are plenty of places to go to check out the action on the track whether it’s in the grandstands on the front straight across from the pits or on the spectator mounds in the infield section of the circuit.
The infield was also the location for all of the manufacturers and vendors. Lots of motorcycles to look at and food to eat. If you love bikes you had to visit Ducati Island to check out all of the Ducatis that people brought to the race. Another highlight at the Island was NCR’s updated version of the Ducati that Mike Hailwood rode to win the 1979 Isle of Man TT. This classic bike is yours for just $130,000.
You can’t talk about Indianapolis without talking about some of its idiosyncrasies. How about those bathrooms? In an age of urinals with sensor controlled flushing Indy is sticking with the trough style that handles multiple users. Things have improved since the 60’s when Graham Hill first ran in the 500. The Englishman was appalled when he visited the men’s room and found that there were no doors on the stalls. Management took note and made the necessary improvements.
The Speedway is one of the oldest functional stadiums in the world, but they’ve resisted the temptation to charge fans for the personal seat licenses that are the first step towards buying a ticket at some of the new stick n’ ball stadiums. That being said, some of the seats at Indy look like they’ve been there since the first race in 1909. It’s always a good idea to bring a cushion with you if you’re in attendance at the track that hosts “the greatest spectacle in racing”. But that’s just a minor inconvenience that can be avoided with a little preparation. How about this. . .free parking, courteous attendants and cleanliness that borders on OCD. Seriously, I can’t remember seeing any trash on the ground on a weekend when 146,000 people hit the turnstiles. Free parking at a major sporting event. What else can I say? Courteous attendants. Okay maybe there’s the occasional officious security guard, but not bad considering there are almost as many attendants as there are fans.
Being the frugal type, not cheap. . .frugal, I love the ticket prices for the MotoGP race. For $75.00 I can buy a three day ticket that gets me into practice, qualifying, three races on Sunday, free parking and anything else that happens inside the Speedway. Since it’s a general admission ticket you have to get there early on race day to get the seat you want, but who cares. They’ve got stunt riders, music, videos and three practice sessions to keep you occupied. The other thing is that for my money they’re the best seats in the house. I can’t tell you where they are because the track might find out and start making them reserved and charging more money for them. Just take my word for it and figure it out.
Forget about the Speedway for a moment because the best racing of the weekend takes place at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Saturday night. That’s where the flat trackers battle it out on the legendary Indy Mile in heats and finals that will make you think you’ve never seen real racing before. Valentino Rossi was one of many European spectators taking in the action, and his wide-eyed appreciation as he leaned on the infield fence and watched the riders fly into the first turn was confirmation that on that night he was a fan like everyone else. Later that night Kenny Roberts let everyone know that he’s still the man when he went out and turned some hot laps on the Yamaha TZ750 that took him to a memorable Indy victory in 1975 and led to his infamous “they don’t pay me enough to ride that bike” quote. The flat track night alone is worth the trip, but get your tickets early because it’s an SRO event.
Road racing purists will contend that the Indianapolis circuit leaves something to be desired and it’s hard to argue with that point of view, but there are places to pass and the action on the track has been good. It’s not Assen or Donington. It’s Indy. This year’s race drew 75,000 people on race day which is nearly double what Laguna Seca can hold, but it’s down from the 100,000 people who came to last year’s race in a hurricane. The place is so huge that 75,000 people looks like 25,000. As usual the American riders upped their game on home soil with Nicky Hayden finishing on the podium and Colin Edwards coming home in fifth. Whatever the reasons for the drop in attendance I’m hoping it’s just minor blip on a racing weekend that is a must see for every motorcycle racing fan.
