August 25 - INDY GP Notebook: Unique Trophies
Impressive lineup for fans at Cycle World seminar
The winners of the Red Bull
Indianapolis GP MotoGP, 250cc and 125cc World Championship races will hoist trophies unlike anything else in the motorcycle racing world, awards that carry a unique design linked directly to the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Each trophy's base comes straight from the very foundation of the Speedway, both literally and figuratively. The base for each trophy consists of a "Culver Block" brick used to pave the Speedway in fall 1909, inspiring the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's century-old, world-renowned nickname, the "Brickyard."
The upper part of the trophies show a shift from tradition, represented by
the base's bricks, to modern art, as sculptors used aluminum powder mixed
with urethane to create horizontal and vertical pieces stacked to represent the IMS Pagoda. The finishing touch is a sculpture of a motorcycle placed in front of the Pagoda's base.
The top of the Pagoda is made of foundry-cast aluminum; the use of aluminum and the powder and urethane was necessary to keep the weight of the trophies to the 15-pound range, as the bricks alone weigh 9.5 pounds.
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Schwantz to participate in Cycle World seminar: 1993 500cc World Champion
Kevin Schwantz is among the guests scheduled to appear at the second Cycle
World Red Bull Indianapolis GP seminar Saturday, Aug. 29 at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway.
The 50-minute program starts at 12:10 p.m. on the 6th Street Stage in the
IMS infield and is free to all Red Bull Indianapolis GP ticket holders.
Other guests scheduled for the panel include NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle star
Steve Johnson, Brian Wismann, director of product development for Brammo
Powercycles and legendary Cycle World Technical Editor Kevin Cameron.
Cycle World Managing Editor Matthew Miles will serve as the host and take
questions for the panel from fans.
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Flat Track legend Carr added to Q&A: AMA Pro Flat Track legend Chris Carr
has been added to the star lineup of riders who will participate in
question-and-answer sessions with fans Friday, Aug. 28 at the Red Bull
Indianapolis GP.
Seven-time AMA Grand National champion Carr will start the Q&A sessions at
8:30 a.m. Friday on the 6th Street Stage in the IMS infield. Joining Carr
will be competitors in the XDL Sportbike Freestyle Championship taking place
Friday night and Saturday night in downtown Indianapolis.
Carr won the Lucas Oil Indy Mile AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National race in
September 2008 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. He will defend his title in
this year's race scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 29 at the Fairgrounds.
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'King Kenny' to ride legendary bike at Fairgrounds: American motorcycle
racing legend "King" Kenny Roberts will take several hot laps on his
infamous Yamaha TZ-750 during the Lucas Oil Indy Mile AMA Pro Flat Track
Grand National race Saturday, Aug. 29 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Three-time 500cc World Champion and two-time AMA Grand National champion
Roberts rode the bike to a historic victory in 1975 at the "Indy Mile" with
a breathtaking, last-lap pass. The bike, built and tuned by former 250cc
World Champion Kel Carruthers, was thought by many to be impossible to ride
on the dirt due to its brute power.
"After the race in 1975, I said they didn't pay me enough to ride that
thing, and this year will be no different!" Roberts said. "But it should be
fun for the fans to hear that Yamaha TZ once again up against the bales."
Defending Red Bull Indianapolis GP winner Valentino Rossi, a six-time MotoGP
World Champion, plans to attend the event to see Roberts on the TZ-750.
"For sure, Kenny's win at this event on the Yamaha 34 years ago was
monumental," Rossi said, "and the fact that I was not born yet makes it even
more exciting for me to be there this time!"
Opening ceremonies for the Lucas Oil Indy Mile AMA Pro Flat Track Grand
National race start at 7 p.m. Visit http://www.familyevents.com/event/108
for more information and to buy tickets online.
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'Tornado Warning' continues this week: American MotoGP star Colin Edwards
will continue to offer his colorful, outspoken opinions on Grand Prix
motorcycle racing and more in his exclusive interview series, "Tornado
Warning," at the official site of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP.
An interview with Edwards, known as "The Texas Tornado," appears at
www.redbullindianapolisgp.com on the Thursday before every MotoGP race
throughout the season. Edwards, from Houston, started the popular interview
series early in the 2008 season.
The Red Bull Indianapolis GP edition of "Tornado Warning" will appear
Thursday, Aug. 27.
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Downtown fun Friday, Saturday night: Motorcycles on Meridian and the XDL
Sportbike Freestyle Championship will bring the exciting motorcycle culture
to downtown Indianapolis for Red Bull Indianapolis GP fans Friday evening,
Aug. 28 and Saturday evening, Aug. 29.
Motorcycles on Meridian, a gathering of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts,
will take place from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. both nights on South Meridian Street in
downtown Indianapolis. In 2008, a large gathering of motorcycles and riders
descended upon downtown Indianapolis during the inaugural Red Bull
Indianapolis GP weekend and parked along Meridian, creating a safe, festive
environment for motorcycle enthusiasts.
The event is free and open to everyone, riders and non-riders, to experience
the motorcycle culture of Indianapolis.
For both nights of the event, South Meridian Street between South Street and
Maryland Street will be open to motorcycle traffic only. Additional
motorcycle parking will be available on the south half of Monument Circle,
along the curbs of South Meridian Street between Monument Circle and
Maryland Street. All motorcycles must enter from South Street moving north
on Meridian Street.
All parking garages in the area will be open and accessible.
ABATE of Indiana will assist motorcyclists with parking and also provide
safe rides home for riders if necessary. Red Bull will provide live music
and Red Bull product sampling.
The top motorcycle freestyle riders in the United States will compete in
Indianapolis Bikes and Beats 2009, the XDL Sportbike Freestyle event next to
the Indiana War Memorial on N. Meridian Street in downtown Indianapolis on
Friday and Saturday evening.
Freestyle riders perform a variety of tricks in a closed area on city
streets while music with high-energy beats plays. For more information on
the event, visit http://www.xdlshow.com/events/2009/05/info.html.
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2009 IMS tickets: Established in 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has
long prevailed as an icon of motorsports excellence. Beginning in 2009, the
Speedway celebrates its Centennial Era, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the facility in 2009 and the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in 2011.
Tickets for the final event of 2009 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - the
Red Bull Indianapolis GP - can be purchased online at
www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time and start as low as $75 for a three-day General Admission ticket.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group
Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.