Notebook: MotoGP Coming to IMS in September 2008 for Red Bull Indianapolis GP

It’s official! As rumored for months (years?), world-class MotoGP motorcycle racing will be coming to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix on September 14, 2008. The 2008 event will be the first in a three-year contract that was announced and signed at the Speedway yesterday.

This is exciting stuff, race fans… I’ve had the pleasure of attending motorcycle races at Laguna Seca, home of the only other MotoGP event in the United States, and can verify that the events are a tremendous amount of fun. In addition to recalling the Speedway’s earliest history (motorcycles were the first vehicles to run at the Speedway in 1909), the Red Bull Indianapolis GP will bring a wide variety of new fans to track for the first time.

I only have time today for a few key notes about the event but will be posting more information here at IndianaRacing.net in the coming months.

• Tickets can be ordered now! Visit imstix.com for more information.
• All tickets are good for all three days of the event and range from $75 for general admission to $100-150 for reserved seats… quite a deal!
• Pay close attention to the seating charts… they are quite different from the Indy 500 and general admission tickets should allow some nice views of the action.
• Event classes include MotoGP (800cc), 250cc and 125cc. MotoGP bikes are expected to run about 210mph down the front stretch!
• The all-important T-shirts and hats with the event logo are now available in the various Indianapolis Motor Speedway gift shops and online store.
• Several changes will be made to the road course, as indicated on the map shown below. Races wil now be run counter-clockwise! The changes were designed in association with and approved by both the FIM and FIA (in the event Formula One returns).

This will be an outstanding event and will hopefully become a long tradition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For more information, visit indianapolismotorspeedway.com and be sure to check out the Red Bull US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca this weekend (7/22/07).

I can’t believe we have to wait more than an entire year for this…