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 16^th Street here in Indianapolis.

hulman-family-tree.pdf

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