Red Bull Indianapolis GP Set For Aug. 17-19 On 2012 MotoGP Schedule
September 15, 2011 | By Paul Kelly
The Red Bull Indianapolis GP will be the 11th of 18 events in the 2012 MotoGP World Championship, scheduled for Aug. 17-19 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The fifth annual MotoGP race at IMS will take place one week earlier than in 2011, according to the provisional schedule released by Dorna and the FIM. The event also will be the second half of a new American swing for the world’s most prestigious motorcycle racing series.
The Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix is scheduled for July 27-29 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., followed by MotoGP’s traditional summer break and then the Red Bull Indianapolis GP.
Consecutive events in the United States will help raise the profile of MotoGP in America and allow teams – all based in Europe – to keep their equipment in this country during the break.
The Czech Republic Grand Prix on Aug. 24-26 will follow the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. The 2012 season starts with the sole night race, the Grand Prix of Qatar on April 13-15. The season finale is the Grand Prix of Valencia on Nov. 9-11.
All 18 events on the 2011 schedule return in 2012, with no additions.
Officials from IMS and Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder for MotoGP, reached an agreement Sept. 4 for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP to continue at the Speedway from 2012-14.
Tickets for the 2012 event can be purchased now by visiting www.imstix.com, calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700 or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or visiting 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.
Existing customers can renew tickets at www.imstix.com through Monday, Sept. 19.
MotoGP fans will see new machinery in the premier class in 2012. Riders will compete on 1000cc prototype motorcycles, with more speed and power than the 800cc machines used since 2007.
There also will be at least three Americans on the MotoGP starting grid for the fifth consecutive year at IMS: 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden, 2010 Rookie of the Year Ben Spies and Colin Edwards. Hayden and Spies each are two-time podium finishers in the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, and Spies won the pole for the 2010 race.
World Championship support classes Moto2 and the new Moto3 will return to IMS in 2012. Other support classes will be announced in the future.