Many of you have detected over the past several months that I am somewhat of a history buff. I recently ran across a very interesting history of the Hulman family published by the (Terre Haute) Tribune-Star Publishing Co., Inc. in 1997; Hulman Dynasty, 1850 – 1997. Reading through this very in-depth historical perspective of 150 years of the Hulman family legacy sheds a lot of light on many of the traditions many of us have experienced over the years at “The Brickyard” out on West 16th Street here in Indianapolis.
Mary Antonia Hulman George, chairman of the board of Hulman & Co., the speedway and Tony George’s mother is an avowed dog lover. Known as Mari, she has been known to take in a stray and has helped rehabilitate racing greyhounds for many years. Many of her philanthropic efforts have been directed towards a variety of animal recovery and protection activities over the years.
This past week, The Brickyard was the site of the first official test of MotoGP bikes on the new road course in preparation for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP in September 2008. Each of the manufacturers was represented with test riders experiencing the Brickyard for the first time. One of the more interesting participants Wednesday afternoon was a furry little doggie exploring the north end of the road course.
One of the longstanding policies of The Brickyard is the safety of any animals that may stray onto the
property and the efforts of the staff to protect these occasional visitors from harm. Well, the furry little visitor was definitely not up to speed with the other participants of the MotoGP test day but was definitely out pacing yours truly during the subsequent attempts to capture him.
Once the little visitor was secured and settled down with some refreshment and tender care, he spent the rest of the afternoon in an on-site kennel at the Speedway. Later that day, he was transported down to Mari George’s farm east of Terre Haute, Ind., to join her family of canine friends.
Thanks to IMS staff photographers Mike Harding, Shawn Payne and Chris Jones for capturing “the great hunt” on film last Wednesday afternoon. I think all of us were panting as hard as our furry little guest after the big chase.
If you have time this week, definitely check out the link to Hulman Dynasty, 1850 – 1997. You will discover that the love of motorcycles actually extends through several generations of the family including not just Tony George but his sisters Kathi, Josie and Josie’s son Jarrod Krisiloff. Come this September, all of us motorcycle enthusiasts will benefit from this later Hulman-George generation’s love of all things motor racing with the running of the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP event.
See you all next week at redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
No weirdness here in Indianapolis
The flight back from all the weirdness of Austin, Texas, last week ended with a spectacular flyover of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on a bright sunny afternoon. Wow, the Turn 1 through Turn 4 section of the new road course looked amazing from the air. It also looked like Mel’s crew had put down a LOT of fresh green sod just in time for the opening weekend for the Indianapolis 500.
Over the weekend, I watched a 2005 comedy crime film starring Tommy Lee Jones, “Man of the House,” much of which was filmed in Austin on the University of Texas campus, when what do I see? A pizza delivery van covered in Keep Austin Weird graffiti and the delivery kid sporting a Keep Austin Weird T-shirt. Now that’s weird!
Did I mention I brought back a Keep Austin Weird refrigerator magnet?
It sounds like Jarrod’s got the hot ticket for track activities this month with his Indy Racing League-issued hard card for prime access and parking. I only hope somebody catches him having to walk his bike down the lineup in the garage area. There just isn’t anything manly about that, but it would make a great photo!
With all the fast cars at the Brickyard the month of May, there’s not much going on with the Red Bull Indianapolis GP in my activity calendar this month, so I’ll try to keep my eyes peeled for any signs of weirdness here in Indianapolis and report back to you next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com .
Greg
How to beat the GAS man!
Finally, a full week of beautiful weather in central Indiana. I was able to park the H3 Hummer for most of the week and make the daily commute with two wheels. It’s still pretty amazing to spend over $10 to fill the tank of a motorcycle, but that really beats the $75 it takes to feed the Hummer its full meal. Starting a typical workday off with a ride definitely gets you in a great state of mind. About the time the joy of the morning ride is starting to wear off, you start thinking of a good, winding route back home for the evening commute. Wow, am I glad the dreariness of winter is finally gone away.
This past weekend a local motorcycle accessory dealer, Adam’s Biker Outlet, hosted an open house at their store in Carmel, Ind. The Brickyard marketing team had asked if I could bring my Honda CBR1000RR Repsol up to Adam’s for this open house event. Sure, what a great way to spend what turned out to be a glorious day of sunshine, good cooking, great music and new friends. If you ever what to get your motorcycle detailed, I can highly recommend Adam’s detailing team. This customer was very satisfied with his motorcycle detail experience! 
I ended up bringing the Honda Repsol Nicky Hayden replica bike and a new ’08 Yamaha YZF R1 Fiat M1 replica I’ve recently added to the stable. I figured what better way to represent this September’s Red Bull Indianapolis GP front grid than putting two former MotoGP world champions, Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden, together at Adam’s open house event.
Not to be shown up, Mel Harder from the Brickyard popped in with a very appropriate vehicle to pace this fast crowd, the 2008 Corvette that will be pacing this year’s Indianapolis 500 in May. Now that was quite the display of both two-wheel and four-wheel sports vehicles for Adam’s guests to enjoy.
Well, it’s now the start of another week. The dreary weather is back with both rain and frost. I’m back to the four-wheel commute, wondering once again if spring is ever going to stay around for a while and if the Hummer still likes the GAS man.
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg