The Indianapolis Grand Prix is a motorcycling event held on the
combined road course at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Verizon 200, and and formerly the home of the United State ...
in
Speedway, Indiana
Speedway is a town in Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 11,812 at the 2010 U.S. Census. Speedway, which is an enclave of Indianapolis, is the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
History
Speedway was ...
. From 2008 to 2015, it was held as part of the
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...
season (MotoGP). The event was revived in 2020 with
MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the organization that promotes the AMA Superbike Series since 2015. Sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), it features six classes of road racing: S ...
.
The addition of a motorcycle race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway loosely coincided with the track's
Centennial Era, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the opening of the track (1909) and the 100th anniversary of the
first 500 (1911). The motorcycle race represented a "throwback" to the early days of the Speedway, as motorcycle races were in fact the first competitive racing events held on the track in August 1909.
Track layout
The circuit used is a modified version of the
combined road course used for the
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
United States Grand Prix
The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event that has been held on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The Grand Prix later became part of the Formula One World Championship. , the Grand Prix has been held ...
from 2000 to 2007. The circuit was reversed to a counterclockwise orientation, and a new complex of corners was added inside the infield of oval turn one. The new "Snake Pit" section, as it became known, was nicknamed for its location where notorious revelry once took place during the 1970s. The new series of corners precluded the bikes from using any of the banked oval corners. The double-hairpin near the
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
and before the Hulman Straight was replaced with more traditional esses. Furthermore, the motorcycles stay low in the south short chute (approaching the Snake Pit section) between oval turn 1 and 2, using the pavement of the warm-up lane rather than the oval track's short chute.
The circuit was re-profiled in 2014, with three new motorcycle-only sections: one in the Snake Pit (which has become a prime overtaking spot), a more open entrance to Hulman Straight, and the final esses leading to the pit straight was changed to be more open and flowing.
History
The inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP took place 99 years after the previous motorcycle race at the track, in 1909.
The first motorsports event at the track consisted of 7 motorcycle races, sanctioned by the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM), on August 14, 1909. This was originally planned as a two-day, 15-race program, but ended before the first day was completed, due to concerns over suitability of the track surface for motorcycle use. The Rider with most victories at this grand prix is
Marc Márquez
Marc Márquez Alentà (born 17 February 1993) is a Spanish professional Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Grand Prix motorcycle road racing, road racer, who has raced for Honda Racing Corporation, Honda's Repsol Honda, factory team since his MotoGP ...
with three victories in MotoGP class and two victories in the Moto2, followed by
Nicolas Terol
Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to:
People Given name
* Nicolas (given name)
Mononym
* Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer
* Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer
Surname Nicolas
* Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...
with three victories in the 125cc two-stroke class, followed by
Dani Pedrosa
Daniel Pedrosa Ramal (born 29 September 1985) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Grand Prix motorcycle racer who retired from regular competition after the season. He grew up in Castellar del Vallès, a village near Sabadell. He is a ...
and
Álex Rins
Álex Rins Navarro (born 8 December 1995) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer for the LCR Honda Castrol in the MotoGP class. He was the 2011 CEV Buckler 125 Junior GP Champion, and made his Grand Prix motorcycle racing debut in the Moto3 ...
with two victories each and all the others have only one victory. This grand prix has been won only by Spanish, Italian, Australian, Finnish and Belgian riders.
Motorcycles on Meridian rally
The race became part of a major motorcycle event organized by Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Motorcycles on Meridian
motorcycle rally A motorcycle rally is a gathering of motorcycling, motorcycle enthusiasts. Rallies can be large or small, and one-time or recurring. Some rallies are ride-in events, whereas some like the Iron Butt Association#Iron Butt Rally, Iron Butt Rally invo ...
, held on
Meridian Street near
Monument Circle
The Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a tall Neoclassicism, neoclassical monument built on Monument Circle, a circular, brick-paved street that intersects Meridian and Market streets in the center of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. ...
in downtown Indianapolis, attracting approximately 10,000 cyclists each night.
Various dirt tracks held flat-track motorcycle races during the weekend which became analogous to
midget car racing
Midget cars, also speedcars in Australia, is a class of racing cars. The cars are very small with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four cylinder engines. They originated in the United States in the 1930s and are raced on mos ...
's "
Night Before the 500
The Dave Steele Carb Night Classic is a United States Auto Club dirt track car race held near Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, which takes place in late May before the Indianapolis 500 at the nearby Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Over its his ...
" held during the Indianapolis 500, often drawing star MotoGP riders in attendance. The event continues to be held, but with the
2020 Indianapolis 500
The 2020 Indianapolis 500 (branded as the 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge for sponsorship reasons) was a 500-mile (800 km, 200 lap) automobile race held on Sunday, August 23, 2020, at the Indianapolis Motor ...
being moved to the August event of the Motorcycles on Meridian date, both the Motorcycles on Meridian and the
MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the organization that promotes the AMA Superbike Series since 2015. Sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), it features six classes of road racing: S ...
round will be changed.
MotoGP winners
Multiple winners (riders)
Multiple winners (manufacturers)
Notes
MotoAmerica winners
*2020
**Superbike:
Cameron Beaubier
Cameron Charles Beaubier (born December 6, 1992) is an American motorcycle racer. He won the MotoAmerica championship 5 times. In 2022 he rode a Kalex in the Moto2 World Championship.
Career Early career
After competing in the 2007 Red Bull Mot ...
**Stock 1000: Cameron Petersen
**Supersport: Richie Escalante
**Twins Cup: Rocco Landers
**Liqui Moly Junior Cup: Rocco Landers
References
External links
Official site
{{American motorcycle rallies
Recurring sporting events established in 2008
Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2015
2008 establishments in Indiana
2015 disestablishments in Indiana