Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix

The Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix was 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.

Indianapolis Grand Prix
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
VenueIndianapolis Motor Speedway (2008–2015)
First race2008
Last race2015
Previous namesRed Bull Indianapolis GP (2008–2015)[1]
MotoAmerica Superbikes at the Brickyard (2020)
Most wins (rider)Marc Márquez (5)
Most wins (manufacturer)Honda (8)

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

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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

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The inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP took place 99 years after the previous motorcycle race at the track, in 1909.

National Motorcycle Race Meet (1909)

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The first motorsports event at the track consisted of 7 motorcycle races, ranging from 1 to 10 miles in length, on August 14, 1909 on the 2.5 mile oval.[2][3] All races were sanctioned by the Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM). A planned feature race of 25 miles was canceled, as was a proposed second day of competition, due to concerns over suitability of track surface for motorcycle use.

Year Date Race Winning rider Motorcycle Race distance Class
Miles Laps
1909 Aug 14 1   A. G. Chapple Indian 5 2 Handicap; Private Owners
Aug 14 2   Fred Huyck Indian 1 0.4 Amateur; < 61 cubic inch
Aug 14 3   Paul E. Koutowski Minneapolis 5 2 Handicap; Indiana Motor Cycle Club
Aug 14 4   Fred Huyck Indian 5 2 Handicap; < 55 cubic inch
Aug 14 5   Ed Lingenfelder N.S.U. 10 4 Professional
Aug 14 6   Fred Huyck Indian 5 2 Handicap; Amateur; < 61 cubic inch
Aug 14 7   Edwin G. Baker Indian 10 4 Amateur

Motorcycles on Meridian rally

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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.[4] 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.

Grand Prix motorcycle racing winners

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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)

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# 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)

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# 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

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  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.

Support races

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Red Bull Rookies Cup (2008)

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The Red Bull AMA Rookies Cup was an entry-level series for young riders, held as support features primarily at AMA Superbike events. It was the US counterpart to the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, a similar series held as support features at European MotoGP events. The Red Bull Riders Cup was an all-star event combining the leading riders in the AMA Rookies Cup and MotoGP Rookies Cup series. The Red Bull AMA Rookies Cup and Red Bull Riders Cup each held a race, as support to the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. All participating motorcycles: KTM.

Year Date Series Winning rider Race distance
Miles Laps
2008 Sep 13 Red Bull AMA Rookies Cup   Jacob Gagne 41.9 16
Sep 14 Red Bull Riders Cup   Sturla Fagerhaug 36.7 14

USGPRU Moriwaki MD250H (2010)

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The Moriwaki MD250H series is an entry-level category for young riders, sanctioned by the United States Grand Prix Racers Union. The series held twin races, as support to the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. All participating motorcycles: Moriwaki chassis with Honda engines.[5][6][7][8]

Year Date Winning rider Race distance
Miles Laps
2010 Aug 28   Garrett Gerloff 31.5 12
Aug 29   Garrett Gerloff 28.8 11

AMA Pro Vance and Hines XR1200 (2011–2014)

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The Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 series, sanctioned by AMA Pro Road Racing, held twin races, as support to the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. All participating motorcycles: Harley-Davidson XR1200.[9]

Year Date Winning rider Race distance
Miles Laps
2011 Aug 27   Tyler O'Hara 26.2 10
Aug 28   Chris Fillmore 26.2 10
2012 Aug 18   Kyle Wyman 13.1 5
Aug 19   Tyler O'Hara 26.2 10
2013 Aug 17   Jeremy McWilliams 26.2 10
Aug 18   Hafizh Syahrin 26.2 10
2014 Aug 9   Jeremy McWilliams 25.9 10
Aug 10   Steve Rapp 25.9 10

FIM eRoadRacing North American Regional Series (2013)

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The North American series of the FIM eRoadRacing World Cup, a championship of electric motorcycle road racing, held a race as support to the Red Bull Indianapolis GP.

Year Date Winning rider Motorcycle Race distance
Miles Laps
2013 Aug 18   Shane Turpin Brammo Empulse RR 21.0 8

MotoAmerica

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MotoAmerica Superbike and Superstock 1000 (2015, 2020)

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The MotoAmerica Superbike Championship ran two races, each with two classes being run concurrently, as support to the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. The Superstock 1000 class was abolished after 2017. In 2020, the series was originally scheduled to return as part of Motorcycles on Meridian. Because of the Indianapolis 500 being rescheduled for the Meridian weekend, the races occurred in mid-October with limited number of spectators.

Year Date Class Winning rider Motorcycle Race distance
Miles Laps
2015 Aug 8 Superbike   Cameron Beaubier Yamaha 46.6 18
Superstock 1000   Jacob Gagne Yamaha 46.6 18
Aug 9 Superbike   Cameron Beaubier Yamaha 46.6 18
Superstock 1000   Jacob Gagne Yamaha 46.6 18
2020 Oct 10 Superbike   Bobby Fong Suzuki 38.9 15
Oct 10 Superbike   Lorenzo Zanetti Ducati 44.0 17
Oct 11 Superbike   Bobby Fong Suzuki 31.1 12

MotoAmerica Supersport (2015, 2020)

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The MotoAmerica Supersport series held a race as support to the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. In 2020, the series was originally scheduled to return as part of Motorcycles on Meridian. After Motorcycles on Meridian was canceled due to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic, the races occurred anyway in front of a limited number of spectators.

Year Date Winning rider Motorcycle Race distance
Miles Laps
2015 Aug 8   Garrett Gerloff Yamaha 38.9 15
2020 Oct 10   Richie Escalante Kawasaki 41.4 16
Oct 10   Richie Escalante Kawasaki 41.4 16

MotoAmerica Stock 1000 (2020)

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The MotoAmerica Stock 1000 series race was originally scheduled as a companion event to Motorcycles on Meridian in 2020. After Motorcycles on Meridian was canceled due to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic, the race occurred anyway in front of a limited number of spectators. This series was effectively the replacement of the Superstock 1000 class, with slight differences.

Year Date Winning rider Motorcycle Race distance
Miles Laps
2020 Oct 10   Travis Wyman BMW 33.7 13

MotoAmerica Twins Cup (2020)

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The MotoAmerica Twins Cup series race was originally scheduled as a companion event to Motorcycles on Meridian in 2020. After Motorcycles on Meridian was canceled due to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic, the race occurred anyway in front of a limited number of spectators.

Year Date Winning rider Motorcycle Race distance
Miles Laps
2020 Oct 10   Rocco Landers Suzuki 31.1 12

MotoAmerica Liqui Moly Junior Cup (2020)

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The MotoAmerica Liqui Moly Junior Cup series races were originally scheduled as a companion event to Motorcycles on Meridian in 2020. After Motorcycles on Meridian was canceled due to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic, the races occurred anyway in front of a limited number of spectators. This series is an entry-level class exclusively designated for riders younger than 25 years old.

Year Date Winning rider Motorcycle Race distance
Miles Laps
2020 Oct 10   Rocco Landers Kawasaki 18.1 7
Oct 11   Rocco Landers Kawasaki 28.5 11

References

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  1. ^ "2008 MotoGP Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes | The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
  2. ^ Scott, D. Bruce; INDY: Racing Before the 500; Indiana Reflections; 2005; ISBN 0-9766149-0-1.
  3. ^ Dill, Mark; "1909: The Great Motorcycle Invasion;" 2008 Red Bull Indianapolis GP Official Program; Indianapolis Motor Speedway; 2008
  4. ^ Gamers and bikers take over Downtown, Indianapolis Downtown Inc., 2014, archived from the original on 2014-08-14, retrieved 2014-08-14
  5. ^ "Updated With Medical Report: Garrett Gerloff Dominates USGPRU Moriwaki MD250H Race Two At Indy". www.roadracingworld.com. 29 August 2010. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  6. ^ "Updated: Garrett Gerloff Runs Away With USGPRU Moriwaki MD250H Race One At Indy". www.roadracingworld.com. 28 August 2010. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  7. ^ "Race Results". USGPRU. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  8. ^ "Race Results". USGPRU. Archived from the original on January 5, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  9. ^ "Harleys To Race In August At IMS During Red Bull Indianapolis GP". IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com. 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2011-06-04.
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