Harley-Davidson Test at IMS

            
            Harley-Davidson was back at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time in more than 100 years. Last Thursday and Friday the Harley-Davidson XCR1200’s had a testing session in advance of their race next weekend. These motorcycles race in a league called the AMA Vance & Hines Harley Davidson’s. The race is just one part of the Red Bull Moto GP at Indianapolis in which several events will be happening at IMS and all over Indy.

         
             I have never even heard of this series and most of you haven’t either. So here’s the basic rundown of the league.

“The AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series is a spec-bike race series featuring specially modified Harley-Davidson XR1200 motorcycles. Vance & Hines is the title sponsor and official kit supplier for the class. The special kits consist of a Vance & Hines XR1200 exhaust system, a Fuelpak fuel management system, race bodywork including number plate, single-seat tail section and belly pan, 17- inch front wheel with matching front fender, steering damper, oil cooler relocator and race decal package. The cost for the complete kit, which does not include the price of the motorcycle, is $3,500.00.”

www.vanceandhines.com/xr1200series/about

Here's some pics I took during the Friday test

GRAND-AM in Indy?

Rumors began to start early this week that there were talks between NASCAR and the owners of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway about having the Grand-Am Series race on the road course at IMS. The Grand-Am series, which I know as the Rolex Sports Car Series, is owned by NASCAR.        

On Wednesday, June 15, it was confirmed that IMS and NASCAR are seriously considering adding a Grand- Am race to the Brickyard 400 weekend, and possibly holding the Nationwide race at IMS too.

            

           The Rolex cars had tested at IMS a few years ago, but nothing ever came of it. I even asked one Indianapolis Star writer a few months ago if IMS would ever have a Grand-Am race; his response, in short, was no.

           This is all just rumors right now, but I’m not a big fan of any of this change, esp. the Nationwide switch. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is for the best drivers in the world, and to bring the Nationwide drivers would dilute that. The other part that upsets me is that the Brickyard 400 weekend is something I really look forward to. I get to see all the drivers, cars, and teams that I love. I don’t want to see them share the track with anybody else. Not to mention the ticket prices for the whole weekend would increase greatly.

            Here’s the low-down on the Grand-Am Series, because I know next to nothing about the series.

“GRAND-AM Road Racing has the largest sports car fan base in the United States, with nearly 20 million adults, and has also had the highest percentage growth of any major motorsports series on television over the past five years.

GRAND-AM sanctions the Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. The Rolex Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the U.S. and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International.

GRAND-AM Road Racing showcases emerging and legendary drivers from around the globe and thoroughbred racing machines from the industry's leading constructors and the world's top automobile manufacturers.

GRAND-AM was founded in 1999. The organization's first race was February 6, 2000, at Daytona International Speedway - the 38th Rolex 24 At Daytona.”

http://www.grand-am.com

Apparently it’s spelled “GRAND-AM”, not “Grand-Am” like I was writing it.

When something is announced officially, I will post it on here ASAP!

Rolex Sports Car Series cars. The first two are "Daytona Prototype" class cars, the third one is a "GT" class car.

The Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  For 100 years it has stood on the Westside of Indianapolis. For 100 years it has seen millions of people from all over the world walk through its gates. For 100 years, it has stood as a monument for the brave and skilled who dedicate their lives to going fast.  It is the greatest race course in the world, and is the home to the greatest spectacle in racing, the Indianapolis 500.

-It’s actually been there for 102 years, but you get the point.

          There is nowhere else in the world I would rather be in the month of May than right down the street from the IMS. I live about a mile north west of the track, right off of Turn 4. It’s an incredible feeling being able to sit in my backyard and hear the cars, being driven by some of the best drivers in the world.

It is even more incredible to sit in the front stretch grandstands at IMS, and see the cars come off Turn 4. Then as you see them get bigger and bigger, you can start to hear the engines screaming. Your seat begins to vibrate, until suddenly the cars go speeding by as a blur and the roar of their engines echo through the grandstands. These are the moments that give you goose bumps.

From Opening Day, to Pole Day, to Bump Day, to Carburetion (or just Carb) Day, to Race Day, the events that lead to the Indianapolis 500 are just part of what makes it such an awesome event. It is an event, or more a “spectacle”, that can only be witnessed in person. Television does not due to justice to the singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana”, or to seeing the three-wide start of the race. There is so much rich history and tradition that surround the Indy 500 and the Speedway that it makes it a moment you will never forget.

The Indianapolis 500 will take place on May 29, but I will write a few more articles about the race before then.