By Paul Kelly
indianapolismotorspeedway.com
Friday, December 10, 2004
The 2005 FIA Formula One World Championship schedule was released Dec. 10, with the sixth annual United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway set for Sunday, June 19.
On-track action will start Friday, June 17 and continue Saturday, June 18, with the race taking place June 19.
This will be the second consecutive year that Formula One will stage a North American "double-header," with the United States Grand Prix immediately following the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. The Canadian Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday, June 12.
Seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher will attempt to win the United States Grand Prix for the third consecutive year and fourth time overall for Ferrari, joining Indianapolis 500 champions A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears, and Brickyard 400 champion Jeff Gordon as the only four-time winners of a race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Schumacher's quest for victory against tough opposition, including 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya with West McLaren Mercedes and 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve with Sauber Petronas, is just part of the excitement during an action-packed weekend for fans.
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The Menards Infiniti Pro Series™ will conduct a support event on the 2.605-mile road course, with other events to be announced soon in what is expected to be the busiest support schedule in United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis history.
As an added incentive for fans, the popular pit walkabout is scheduled to return to the 2005 race. Race Day ticket holders for the 2005 United States Grand Prix can get an up-close, free look at the Formula One pits during the walkabout, which has been an overwhelming success the last two years.
The date and time of the walkabout will be announced in the future.
Another popular feature of the USGP is the reserved Terrace seating, which debuted at the 2004 race to great success. The Terrace seats, outside Turn 6 and between Turns 10 and 11 of the road course, provide one of the closest views of Formula One's high-performance cars and skilled drivers in the world.
To enhance the viewing experience of the fans sitting in infield Terrace seats, a large video screen will be placed across from each Terrace grandstand location. Those two temporary video screens will complement the 18 permanent video boards used during the USGP weekend.
The United States Grand Prix is one of a record 19 races on the 2005 schedule. A new event, the Turkish Grand Prix, was added. There were 18 races in 2004.
Tickets for the 2005 United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway can be purchased online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com or by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area. Parking and camping information also can be obtained through the ticket office.
