It’s almost May in Indy
One of the more traditional signs of spring in Central Indiana is a flourish of activity out on W. 16th Street as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) gets ready to usher in the month of May. There have been a lot of visual changes around the IMS grounds that included the razing of the historic old Brickyard Crossing Motel I shared with you all here at The Experience.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway starts its 2009 season the same way the facility’s rich history began 100 years ago: with a balloon race.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Centennial Era Balloon Festival presented by AT&T Real Yellow Pages will fill the city’s skies with many colorful balloons Friday, May 1-Sunday, May 3. It will be the first competitive event of the Speedway’s 2009-2011 Centennial Era, celebrating the founding year of IMS in 1909 through the 100th anniversary of the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911.
DNK Records recording artist Josh Kelley and Papa Joe Records recording artist Ryan Cabrera will headline a free concert at 6:30 p.m. (ET) Saturday, May 2. Kelley and Cabrera, pop/rock sensations who kick off their “Tell It Like It Is” tour of the United States April 15, will play the Coke Zero Music Stage in the Pagoda Plaza. Opening acts will be Brandon Whyde and Australia natives The Kin.
The entire weekend of hot-air balloon activities at IMS is free for the public, including infield parking, which will be accessible from the main IMS gate/tunnel (Gate 2) off 16th Street. Check out this link for complete information for this coming weekend: IMS Balloon Festival
With spring finally making its way to the area, I did manage to get in a full weekend of riding. Sunday’s adventure took me up to the second “meeting” of the new INDY DESMO club I shared with you all in last week’s edition of The Experience. What better way to view the Dutch round of the World Superbike series at Assen and the Grand Prix of Japan MotoGP event at Motegi than with a group of Ducati enthusiasts.
Well, I’ve got to wrap this up and get over to the Brickyard for a very interesting experience this afternoon you all will find out about later this month.
I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
Ghosts from the past…
More Indianapolis Motor Speedway Centennial Era events keep popping up around the west side of Indianapolis as the centennial celebration gets into full swing.
Last Friday afternoon, March 20, ghosts of the four founding fathers of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway made an appearance at the IMS Hall of Fame Museum. Visitors to the Museum Friday afternoon confirmed the presence of Arthur Newby, Frank Wheeler, Carl Fisher and James Allison milling around a vintage race car from the museums vast collection of historic vehicles and race memorabilia.
Sounds like some pretty scary stuff! Actually, the four founding fathers are local historic rein actors portraying the four visionary businessmen who founded the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the signing of the Articles of Incorporation on March 20, 1909.
Matthew Allen (Newby), Jeff Angel (Wheeler), Tom Harrison (Fisher) and Hal Hefner (Allison) have been portraying the IMS founding fathers for several years at various events around the central Indiana area, including the Centennial Era Gala a couple weeks ago at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. IMS historian Donald Davidson joined them for this historic photograph.
Last Friday, March 20, 2009, represented the actual 100th anniversary of the founding of IMS out on West 16th Street when the area was nothing but farmland on the outskirts of Indianapolis. Originally founded as an automobile testing ground to support Indiana’s growing automotive industry, the focus of the facility turned to racing, with Ray Harroun winning the inaugural Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 1911.
Remember, the first motorized race at IMS was Aug. 14, 1909 and featured our favorite mode of transportation, motorcycles. I came to the event aboard the 2007 Honda CBR1000RR Nicky Hayden replica that helped with the official announcement of the 2008 Inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP back in July 2007.
Our four rein actors spent several hours last Friday afternoon at the Hall of Fame Museum posing for photographs with visitors. The Museum extended its hours to 6:30 p.m. and hosted visitors with a complimentary admission to get a glimpse of some of the historic collection and get their photograph with the four founding fathers.
Be sure to stay tuned for more Centennial Era events planned for the next two years, including the Centennial Era Balloon Festival presented by AT&T Real Yellow Pages that will take place May 1-3 and the Centennial Era Concours d’Elegance on June 18-20, 2010 at IMS
See you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg