Simviation Forum - MotoGP at Indy?

Feb 20^th, 2007 at 3:41am

Mushroom_Farmer Offline
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To the Sooper-Coop Fred
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It was announced on the evening news tonight that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway brass are in talks trying to get at least 2 MotoGP races in 2008. The world Speedway is keeping August 2008 free for a possible second US-based round of the MotoGP World Championship. "We've always planned [MotoGP] as a fourth event [for the facility]," The Indianapolis Star reports track president Joie Chitwood as saying. "At that point, the dates are limited."

I'm wondering what took so long. It should be very popular in this area as there many motorcycle enthusiasts in the mid-western/mid-atlantic U.S.

&&&&"We're just sitting here trying to put our PCjrs in a pile and burn them. And the damn things won't burn. That's the only thing IBM did right with it - they made it flameproof." && Spinnaker Software chairman William Bowman, 1985

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Reply #1 - Feb 20^th, 2007 at 6:53pm

BMan1113VR Offline
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Wonder what it feels like riding at high speeds around a steep banked turn like that. . .

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Reply #2 - Feb 20^th, 2007 at 6:58pm

Mushroom_Farmer Offline
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To the Sooper-Coop Fred
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Hi Bman. The Speedway officials already figure the riders will refuse to use that part of the track. A new section will most likely be built to somehow avoid it. However, the AMA riders do take the high banks at Daytona, so who knows. Huh

<edit> Hmmm, the brain finally engaged and realized unlike Daytona, Indy has very little bank in the corners. Only 9° in the turns and near zed in the straights. And I've only lived here basiacally all my life, minus the few years in New Mexico. I don't think I'd want be at speed & on 2 wheels either.

« Last Edit: Feb 20^th, 2007 at 10:56pm by Mushroom_Farmer »

&&&&"We're just sitting here trying to put our PCjrs in a pile and burn them. And the damn things won't burn. That's the only thing IBM did right with it - they made it flameproof." && Spinnaker Software chairman William Bowman, 1985

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Reply #3 - Feb 21^st, 2007 at 12:36pm

Chris_F Offline
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Mushroom_Farmer wrote on Feb 20^th, 2007 at 6:58pm:

Hi Bman. The Speedway officials already figure the riders will refuse to use that part of the track. A new section will most likely be built to somehow avoid it. However, the AMA riders do take the high banks at Daytona, so who knows. Huh

I'd think a simple chicane prior to the turn would clear up safety issues. If I were to ride the track my main concern would be a lack of runoff at that corner. It's been a while since I've seen an AMA Daytona race, don't they just use the one banked "straight"? I didn't think they took a real oval corner at speed at Daytona. That big banked straight should be just as safe as any other straight that's lined with a wall on one side, a fairly typical thing on many MotoGP race tracks.

The Indy road course is a bit different as the cars/bikes approach the one oval turn at some significant speed and need to negociate the corner at speed. I think cutting the speed prior to the corner will make that essentially a "straight" since they'll be hardly taxing their cornering ability on the turn.

Also, I hope MotoGP doesn't insist on using its own safety crews like the F1 circus does. The Indy safety crews are first rate and after witnessing what happened to Ralph a couple years ago if I were a rider I'd much rather have the Indy guys coming to my rescue instead of the FIA guys...

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Reply #4 - Feb 21^st, 2007 at 6:24pm

Mushroom_Farmer Offline
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To the Sooper-Coop Fred
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Hi Chris. Here's a link to a map and info on the AMA Superbike course.

&&&&"We're just sitting here trying to put our PCjrs in a pile and burn them. And the damn things won't burn. That's the only thing IBM did right with it - they made it flameproof." && Spinnaker Software chairman William Bowman, 1985

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Reply #5 - Feb 21^st, 2007 at 6:38pm

Craig. Offline
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nice!
I wouldn't mind seeing F1 run that Daytona course.
I dont think the indy banking would be that bad for the bikes, my only concern is the course as a whole, I though riders preferred more sweeping corners rather than sharper ones which indy is made up of. Please correct me if i'm wrong, I dont really watch the motogp series.

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Reply #6 - Feb 21^st, 2007 at 7:57pm

Chris_F Offline
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Craig. wrote on Feb 21^st, 2007 at 6:38pm:

nice!
I wouldn't mind seeing F1 run that Daytona course.
I dont think the indy banking would be that bad for the bikes, my only concern is the course as a whole, I though riders preferred more sweeping corners rather than sharper ones which indy is made up of. Please correct me if i'm wrong, I dont really watch the motogp series.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) I don't think rider preferences are really considered when choosing race venues for events of this calibur. Safety is certainly a concern, but nobody really cares if the riders are having a good time. What organizers do care about is whether or not the event will be a commercial succes, which means it can draw a big crowd, someone is willing to pay for the TV rights, and sponsors are happy. Indy is pretty much the ultimate venue in the US (perhaps the world. It is after all home to the world's oldest and some say most prestegous motor race), and the US is a HUGE market for a racing series so Indy is a shoe-in for any series with enough draw to justify running there. But safety will always be a consideration and if Indy isn't safe for MotoGP then either it will be made safe or they won't run.

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Reply #7 - Feb 23^rd, 2007 at 10:33am

Sir Crashalot Ex Member

BMan1113VR wrote on Feb 20^th, 2007 at 6:53pm:

Wonder what it feels like riding at high speeds around a steep banked turn like that. . .

That is no problem at all. Since the corner is banked you don't need to steer to bike around the corner as you normally would. You can take corners like that at very high speeds. It's like riding straight on except for the G-forces pushing you into the bikeseat. Never tried it myself but I was told it's like that....

Crash Wink

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Reply #8 - Jul 12^th, 2007 at 4:51pm

Mushroom_Farmer Offline
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To the Sooper-Coop Fred
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Good news: Last week IMS President Tony George announced that a Moto-GP event will be run at Indianapolis in mid-September of '08. The Grand Prix track will be reconfigured a bit to suit the wishes of Moto-GP.
Bad news: There will not be a US Grand Prix at Indy in '08. The future of a US Grand Prix at Indy after '08 remains uncertain.

&&&&"We're just sitting here trying to put our PCjrs in a pile and burn them. And the damn things won't burn. That's the only thing IBM did right with it - they made it flameproof." && Spinnaker Software chairman William Bowman, 1985

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Reply #9 - Jul 12^th, 2007 at 4:57pm

Craig. Offline
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Birmingham

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time to revamp either laguna seca or watkins glen. Preferably the glen for F1.
Indy needed to sign motogp.

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Reply #10 - Jul 12^th, 2007 at 7:01pm

Mushroom_Farmer Offline
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To the Sooper-Coop Fred
Indiana, USA

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Would dearly love to see them back at the Glen, on a configuration similar to the original. With modern safety measures implemented of course. I would also be happy with either Laguna or Sears Point.
Current talk is of New York or Las Vegas, if they appear at all in '08. Vegas was tried once before in the 80's, nobody came. Roll Eyes

&&&&"We're just sitting here trying to put our PCjrs in a pile and burn them. And the damn things won't burn. That's the only thing IBM did right with it - they made it flameproof." && Spinnaker Software chairman William Bowman, 1985

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