MotoGP Preview: Red Bull Indianapolis GP
August 25, 2011 | By Paul Kelly
EVENT: Red Bull Indianapolis GP
WHERE: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis. Circuit is 2.621 miles (4.218 km), with 16 turns. Race is 28 laps.
WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 28. It is the 12th of 18 events this season.
2010 RACE WINNER: Dani Pedrosa, by 3.575 seconds over Ben Spies
2010 POLE WINNER: Spies, 1 minute, 40.105 seconds
U.S. TV: MotoGP race, 2-3 p.m. (ET), Sunday, Aug. 28, SPEED (live). MotoGP qualifying, 11 a.m.-midnight (ET), Saturday, Aug. 27 (delayed). Moto2: 2-3 p.m. (ET), Tuesday, Aug. 30, SPEED (delayed). 125cc: Noon-1 p.m. (ET), Tuesday, Aug. 30, SPEED (delayed).
THE AMERICANS: U.S. riders Ben Spies (Longview, Texas, Yamaha Factory Racing), Nicky Hayden (Owensboro, Ky., Ducati Team) and Colin Edwards (Houston, Monster Yamaha Tech 3) will compete in the MotoGP race. Spies is sixth, Hayden seventh and Edwards ninth in the standings after 11 races. Kenny Noyes (Borrego Springs, Calif., Avintia-STX), JD Beach (Snoqualmie, Wash., Aeroport de Castello) and Jake Gagne (Ramona, Calif., GPTech) will compete in the Moto2 race.
FORM BOOK:
Up – Casey Stoner. Stoner scored his sixth victory of the season and expanded his World Championship lead to 32 points over reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo with a victory in the last event, the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic on Aug. 14.
Up – Nicky Hayden. 2006 World Champion Hayden is the only rider to finish on the podium with different manufacturers at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. He placed second in 2008 with Honda and third in 2009 with Ducati at his home race. Hayden started third and finished sixth last year.
Up – Marco Simoncelli. Simoncelli finally earned his first career MotoGP podium finish by placing third in the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic on Aug. 14. Simoncelli has recorded two poles among six front-row starts this season on a Honda. But he was reckless and inconsistent during races, with a series of crashes and a best finish of fifth before the Czech round.
Down – Valentino Rossi. Seven-time MotoGP World Champion Rossi has won at least one race every season since his Grand Prix career started in 1996. He is winless this year, his first with Ducati. Rossi’s best finish is third in May at Le Mans.
Down – Cal Crutchlow. Crutchlow is enduring a miserable summer during his rookie MotoGP season, with a best finish of 14th in his last six starts for Monster Yamaha Tech 3 as a teammate to American Colin Edwards.
FAST FACTS: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of just three current MotoGP circuits where current MotoGP points leader Casey Stoner has not won. The others are Jerez, Spain, and Estoril, Portugal. Stoner’s best finish at IMS is fourth in 2008 … Seven-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi has won at least one race every year of his Grand Prix career, competing in 125cc in 1996-97, 250cc in 1998-99 and MotoGP from 2000-10. He is winless so far this season … The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the only circuit on the MotoGP schedule that incorporates an oval in the course … The United States is one of only three countries with more than one MotoGP race on the 2011 schedule. There also was a round in July at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. The other countries: Spain (four races), Italy (two) … An American rider has finished on the podium of the MotoGP race at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP every year. Nicky Hayden finished second in 2008 and third in 2009, and Ben Spies finished second in 2010 … American riders have won 15 MotoGP world titles since 1978, more than any other nation. American World Champions since 1978: Kenny Roberts (1978-80), Freddie Spencer (1983, 85), Eddie Lawson (1984, 86, 88-89), Wayne Rainey (1990-92), Kevin Schwantz (1993), Kenny Roberts Jr. (2000), Nicky Hayden (2006). Italy is second with nine, during that span, with seven by Valentino Rossi … This will be the 19th motorcycle Grand Prix race in the United States. The first was in 1964 at Daytona International Speedway … Riders on Aprilia motorcycles have won 11 consecutive 125cc races … Three Indiana riders are competing in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 series races this weekend at IMS: Gene Burcham of Plainfield, Mike Morgan of Goshen and Scotty Van Hawk of Oswego … Shelina Moreda, from Petaluma, Calif., will be the first female motorcycle competitor in the 102-year history of IMS when she races in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 series.
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2011 Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: 2011 Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets are on sale now.
To buy tickets, visit www.imstix.com, call the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or visit the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street. Ticket office and phone hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.
The 2011 Red Bull Indianapolis GP is scheduled for Aug. 26-28 at IMS.
Race Day general admission tickets cost $40, with Friday general admission $10 and Saturday general admission $20. A three-day general admission ticket is $60. A Friday-Saturday general admission ticket is $25.
Children ages 12 and under will be admitted free any of the three days of the event when accompanied by an adult with a general admission ticket.
Race Day reserved seat prices will start at $70.