Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix

For the IndyCar Series event, see IndyCar Grand Prix.

Indianapolis Grand Prix

Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Venue| Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2008–2015)
First race| 2008
Last race| 2015
Previous names| Red Bull Indianapolis GP (2008–2015)[1]
MotoAmerica Superbikes at the Brickyard (2020)
Most wins (rider)| Marc Márquez (5)
Most wins (manufacturer)| Honda (8)

The Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event held on the combined road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. From 2008 to 2015, it was held as part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season (MotoGP). The event was revived in 2020 with MotoAmerica.

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[edit]

Original Motorcycle Circuit layout (2008–2013)

The circuit used is a modified version of the combined road course used for the Formula One United States Grand Prix 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 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[edit]

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.[2] 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 with three victories in MotoGP class and two victories in the Moto2, followed by Nicolas Terol with three victories in the 125cc two-stroke class, followed by Dani Pedrosa and Álex Rins 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[edit]

The race became part of a major motorcycle event organized by Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Motorcycles on Meridian motorcycle rally, held on Meridian Street near Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis, attracting approximately 10,000 cyclists each night.[3] Various dirt tracks held flat-track motorcycle races during the weekend which became analogous to midget car racing's "Night Before the 500" held during the Indianapolis 500, often drawing star MotoGP riders in attendance. The event continued to be held, and with the 2020 Indianapolis 500 being moved to the August event of the Motorcycles on Meridian date, both the Motorcycles on Meridian and the MotoAmerica round were changed.

## MotoGP winners[edit]

Year  | Track  | Moto3  | Moto2  | MotoGP  | Report

|
|
|
|
|

Rider  | Manufacturer  | Rider  | Manufacturer  | Rider  | Manufacturer
2015 | Indianapolis |  Livio Loi | Honda |  Álex Rins | Kalex |  Marc Márquez | Honda | Report
2014 |  Efrén Vázquez | Honda |  Mika Kallio | Kalex |  Marc Márquez | Honda | Report
2013 |  Álex Rins | KTM |  Esteve Rabat | Kalex |  Marc Márquez | Honda | Report
2012 |  Luis Salom | Kalex KTM |  Marc Márquez | Suter |  Dani Pedrosa | Honda | Report
Year  | Track  | 125cc  | Moto2  | MotoGP  | Report
Rider  | Manufacturer  | Rider  | Manufacturer  | Rider  | Manufacturer
2011 | Indianapolis |  Nicolás Terol | Aprilia |  Marc Márquez | Suter |  Casey Stoner | Honda | Report
2010 |  Nicolás Terol | Aprilia |  Toni Elías | Moriwaki |  Dani Pedrosa | Honda | Report
Year  | Track  | 125cc  | 250cc  | MotoGP  | Report
Rider  | Manufacturer  | Rider  | Manufacturer  | Rider  | Manufacturer
2009 | Indianapolis |  Pol Espargaró | Derbi |  Marco Simoncelli | Gilera |  Jorge Lorenzo | Yamaha | Report
2008 |  Nicolás Terol | Aprilia | Cancelled \- Hurricane Ike[note 1] |  Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | Report

### Multiple winners (riders)[edit]

# Wins  | Rider  | Wins

|
|

Category  | Years won
5  |  Marc Márquez | MotoGP  | 2013, 2014, 2015
Moto2  | 2011, 2012
3  |  Nicolás Terol | 125cc  | 2008, 2010, 2011
2  |  Dani Pedrosa | MotoGP  | 2010, 2012
Álex Rins | Moto2  | 2015
Moto3  | 2013

### Multiple winners (manufacturers)[edit]

# Wins  | Manufacturer  | Wins

|
|

Category  | Years won
8  |  Honda | MotoGP  | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Moto3  | 2014, 2015
4  |  Kalex | Moto2  | 2013, 2014, 2015
Moto3  | 2012
3  |  Aprilia | 125cc  | 2008, 2010, 2011
2  |  Yamaha | MotoGP  | 2008, 2009
Suter | Moto2  | 2011, 2012

### Notes[edit]

1. ^ The 2008 250cc race was initially postponed after the MotoGP race due to torrential rain & winds caused by Hurricane Ike just before the start of the race, it was subsequently cancelled for the same reason.

## MotoAmerica winners[edit]

* 2020
* Superbike: Cameron Beaubier
* Stock 1000: Cameron Petersen
* Supersport: Richie Escalante
* Twins Cup: Rocco Landers
* Liqui Moly Junior Cup: Rocco Landers

## References[edit]

1. ^ "2008 MotoGP Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes | The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
2. ^ "Indiana Reflections - INDY: Racing Before the 500". Archived from the original on 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
3. ^ Gamers and bikers take over Downtown, Indianapolis Downtown Inc., 2014, archived from the original on 2014-08-14, retrieved 2014-08-14

## External links[edit]

* Official site

* v
* t
* e

Races in the Grand Prix motorcycle World Championship (1949–present)

Current (2024)|

* Qatar
* Portuguese
* Americas
* Spanish
* French
* Catalan
* Italian
* Kazakhstan
* Dutch TT
* German
* British
* Austrian
* Aragon
* San Marino and Rimini Riviera
* Indian
* Indonesian
* Japanese
* Australian
* Thailand
* Malaysian
* Valencian Community

Reserve (2024)|

* Hungarian

Former|

* Algarve
* Andalusian
* Argentine Republic
* Baden-Württemberg
* Belgian
* Brazilian
* Canadian
* Chinese
* City of Imola
* Czech Republic
* Doha
* East German
* Emilia Romagna
* European
* Expo 92
* FIM
* Finnish
* Indianapolis
* Isle of Man TT
* Madrid
* Pacific
* Rio de Janeiro
* South African
* Styrian
* Swedish
* Swiss
* Teruel
* Turkish
* Ulster
* United States
* Venezuelan
* Vitesse du Mans
* Yugoslav

* v
* t
* e

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Races by year|

* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* ~~1942~~
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

Track|

* Indianapolis Motor Speedway
* Race results
* IMS Museum
* Gasoline Alley
* Snake Pit

Statistics|

* Winners
* Pole-sitters
* Lap leaders
* Rookie of the Year
* Fatalities
* Firsts
* Pace cars
* Records
* Fastest laps
* By year
* Scott Brayton Award
* Louis Schwitzer Award
* Pit Stop Challenge

Drivers|

* List of drivers
* Non-qualifying drivers
* Female participants

Sanctioning bodies|

* AAA Contest Board (1909–1955)
* AIACR (1925–1930)
* FIA (1950–1960)
* USAC (1956–1997)
* IndyCar (1998–present)

Ownership|

* Carl Fisher
* James Allison
* Arthur Newby
* Frank A. Wheeler
* Eddie Rickenbacker
* Tony Hulman
* Wilbur Shaw
* Mary F. Hulman
* Mari Hulman George
* Tony George
* Joie Chitwood
* Jeff Belskus
* Hulman & Company
* Roger Penske

Officials|

* Charlie Merz
* Tommy Milton
* Harry McQuinn
* Harlan Fengler
* Tom Binford
* Brian Barnhart

Broadcasting|

| Radio|

* Bill Slater
* Sid Collins
* Paul Page
* Lou Palmer
* Bob Jenkins
* Mike King
* Donald Davidson

|

Television|

* Jim McKay
* Jackie Stewart
* Chris Schenkel
* Chris Economaki
* Sam Posey
* Jack Arute
* Jim Lampley
* Paul Page
* Bob Jenkins
* Todd Harris
* Marty Reid
* Allen Bestwick
* Leigh Diffey

Other|

* Tom Carnegie
* Robin Miller
* Ron McQueeney

Related events|

| Month of May|

* Mini-Marathon
* Dave Steele Classic
* Indy Lights road course

|

Summer NASCAR Weekend|

* Brickyard 400
* Pennzoil 250

Other|

* U.S. Grand Prix
* Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix
* Triple Crown of Motorsport
* Freedom 100
* Brickyard Grand Prix
* Brickyard Sports Car Challenge
* IROC at Indy
* Indy Legends Charity Pro–Am race
* Red Bull Air Race of Indianapolis
* Harvest Auto Racing Classic
* Pennzoil 150
* Verizon 200
* Gallagher Grand Prix

Golf at IMS|

* Champions Tour
* PGA Tour
* LPGA Tour

Related area|

* Town of Speedway
* Indianapolis
* Sports in Indianapolis
* Indiana Fairgrounds (Hoosier Hundred)
* Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park

Lore|

* Riding mechanic
* Andretti Curse
* Borg-Warner Trophy
* Indy/Charlotte "Double Duty"
* Entertainment
* Traditions
* Jigger Award
* Will Overhead
* 100 mph Club
* The Greatest 33
* Jim Nabors
* Straight No Chaser
* Turbo

* No races held in 1917–1918 or 1942–1945 due to World War I and World War II, respectively.

* v
* t
* e

Large American motorcycle rallies

United States|

| Active|

* Biketoberfest
* Black Bike Week
* Daytona Beach Bike Week
* Laconia Motorcycle Week
* Motoblot
* Motorcycles on Meridian
* National Bikers Roundup
* Republic of Texas Biker Rally
* Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

|

Defunct|

* Rolling Thunder Run to the Wall

Canada|

* Friday the 13th rally, Ontario

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