A weekend of fast pursuits
Wow. The weather gods blessed central Indiana with a spectacular string of perfect days this past Memorial Day weekend. Of course, all the local weather forecasters were patting themselves on the back for their forecasting prowess.
Friday, May 22, saw record crowds out at The Brickyard on W. 16th Street in Speedway for the Indianapolis 500 Miller Lite Carb Day. Now there’s an interesting bit of memorabilia in today’s world of automotive technology. Indy cars haven’t had carburetors for decades now. Even all my motorcycles are carb-less with advanced electronic fuel injection systems, as are most all the vehicles we drive today. Some things should never change for nostalgia’s sake!
Another major event occurred across North America Friday evening with the national premier of the new Ducati Streetfighter sport bike. Our friends up at Ducati Indianapolis in Zionsville, Ind., hosted an unveiling party at the dealership complete with lots of Italian food and beverages. Oh, did I mention gastronomic delights again? Remember, that’s always an important part of many of my experiences!
Friday evening was also a memorable experience for me. I took delivery of a new Italian stable mate for my other two Italian stallions. To commemorate their third World Superbike championship with Troy Bayliss last year, Ducati released a commemorative edition of their 1098 R model early this year: 1098 R Bayliss LE. OK, I’m weak, no willpower, no restraint and no level of conservatism when it comes to exotic two-wheeled toys. Yes, I bought one and picked it up this past Friday evening during the Ducati Streetfighter premier party. Number 217 of 500 is now residing comfortably in my garage!
Saturday dawned clear and bright with a forecast any weatherman would be proud to proclaim. With lots of fan activities around town surrounding the Indianapolis 500 out at the Brickyard, our friends up at Ducati Indianapolis continued their event-filled weekend with a demo day. Friday evening saw the unveiling of the new Ducati Streetfighter, and Saturday was the opportunity to test-ride one, along with an assortment of other Ducati models. My duties for the day consisted of leading or trailing groups of test rides and attempting to keep these swarms of Ducatista aboard demo bikes within the “rules of the road.” This was kind of like herding cats!
To wrap up the perfect weekend of Ducati experiences, Ducati Indianapolis and Commonwealth Motorcycles in Louisville, Ky., hosted a track day at Putnam Park Road Course in Mount Meridian, Ind. While 33 drivers were experiencing the 2009 Indianapolis 500 at the Brickyard, a larger group of sport motorcycle enthusiasts were fulfilling their own pursuits for speed on Putnam Park’s 10-turn, 1.766-mile (2.843 km) road course.
I spent Sunday morning exploring various twisty back roads on my new Italian steed, eventually finding my way out to Mount Meridian in western Indiana to hang out with the folks at the Ducati track day. Riding up to the Ducati Indianapolis pit area, I was greeted with several of the guys approaching me with rolls of tape to prep my new 1098 R Bayliss LE for a little track action. No, I held my ground and averted the temptations to break in my new toy on a racetrack. See, I do have a little bit of self-restraint!
My congratulations go out to Helio Castroneves for his spectacular month of May, culminating with his third victory at the Brickyard, becoming only the ninth driver in “500″ history to win the race three times. Everyone who participated in Sunday’s track day at Putnam Park Road Course also fulfilled their own pursuit for speed in a safe and controlled environment.
Oh, did you happen to catch a glimpse of an old, gray-haired guy in Al Unser’s pit stop or a flash of a bright orange Nicky Hayden Repsol replica motorcycle on that famous 2.5-mile oval on W. 16th Street at the start of ABC’s broadcast of the Indianapolis 500? I’ll save that story for a future installment of The Experience.
I hope you all had a memorable Memorial Day weekend, and I’ll see you next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
There’s a new club in town…
This week’s Monday morning started out a bit different than a bunch of others so far this year. You may remember several installments of The Experience have been drafted during long flights out to the West coast. This week started off with a five-hour drive instead of a five-hour flight.
I’m now sitting in my hotel room on the scenic banks of the Tuscarawas River in New Philadelphia, Ohio. This eastern side of Ohio is full of quaint river towns with names like Schoenbrunn, Uhrichsville, Tuscarawas and Gnadenhutten. Could you imagine growing up in a town with a name like that and having to learn how to spell that mouthful of letters?!
This past week saw the launch of a new Ducati Owners Club in Indianapolis. Our friends up at Ducati Indianapolis in Zionsville, Ind., hosted the inaugural meeting of the INDY DESMO Owners Club. Over 50 Ducati enthusiasts and owners attended, and like any good ole prayer meeting, the front row of seats was empty!
We were all greeted by Ryan Ramsey, who has spent the past four months putting together all the details, including a very cool founding members’ T-shirt. Ryan laid out the course of action for the new club to gain official recognition from Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. in Bologna, Italy. With lots of good input and ideas for events from the attendees, Bill Carr of Ducati Indianapolis stepped up and added his welcome to the group. Thanks, Bill, for sponsoring this event, and just how big was that fish?
If you are a Ducati enthusiast with or without a Ducati in your garage, your participation in the INDY DESMO Owners Club will be welcomed. Be sure to check out their new Web site at www.idesmo.org
In case anyone’s at all curious what I’m doing in eastern Ohio, I get to spend the week playing with the ultimate BIG dump trucks at an off-road test facility. The Hitachi EH1100-3 rigid frame haul truck can handle over 72 tons of payload and is powered by 760 horsepower coupled with an Allison transmission built right here in Speedway, Ind.
This beast could haul away the mountain the Tucker Sno-Cats groom the snow on!
I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
The ultimate motorcycle accessory experience!
In the
motorcycle industry, this time of the year tends to see a lull in the market as those of us in northern climates are in hibernation mode and many others are still trying to recover from the holiday spending frenzy. Given this typical market cycle, what better time for the city of Indianapolis to play host to an annual motorcycle dealer accessory show of epic proportions – the Dealer News Powersports Expo.
Once again I was afforded the opportunity to attend this powersports dealer-only industry event, which could be a very dangerous place for a gear junkie to be. Thank goodness this is a dealer expo and not a retail venue! It would be Christmas all over again.
Almost a year ago now, I shared with you all my experience at this event where the folks over at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway shared plans for the September 2008 inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP. This year’s exhibit once again featured the 1910 Indian ridden by Nicky Hayden for the first lap of the new road course at the Brickyard last April but also featured a very special treat for show attendees. The new Red Bull Indianapolis GP champion’s trophy, with its first champion’s inscription representing Valentino Rossi’s record-breaking 69th victory, was on display. Visitors to the booth were given the opportunity to get their photo taken with the new trophy that will be posted here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com later this week although I don’t think Ellie’s and Sean’s photo will be posted there.
This week also marks another milestone here at www.redbullindianapolis,com. Just about one year ago this week, I wrote my first entry for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP Web site, so this week also represents the one-year anniversary of The Experience. I’m looking forward to another year of sharing many of my experiences as we all count down to the second annual Red Bull Indianapolis GP, Sunday, Aug. 30.
I’ll see you all here next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
Six more weeks of winter!
Dang, the Super Bowl glow coming from Pittsburgh on Monday morning must have still been shining bright enough for Punxsutawney Phil to see his shadow. I guess we’re in for another six long weeks of winter!
As thousands gathered at Gobbler’s Knob yesterday morning in Punxsutawney, Pa., the world’s most famous groundhog cast his shadow in near-freezing temperatures. An old German tradition holds that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2 (the Christian holiday of Candlemas), winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, the legend predicts spring will come early.
According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, since 1887, Phil has seen his shadow 98 times, hasn’t seen it 15 times and there are no records for nine years. Unfortunately, they don’t offer many statistics on Phil’s accuracy.
Well, I guess this gives Jarrod plenty of time to get his rides ready for spring and his upcoming “The Man Trip.” All of my toys are tucked away in the family room staying nice and warm. Unfortunately, a foot of snow outside the back door effectively blocks any temptations to take advantage of a near 50-degree day like we had this past Sunday afternoon.
Given Phil’s prediction, I guess the plan is back to six more weeks of bench racing and hanging out at local motorcycle shops on Saturday afternoons. The guys over at Ducati Indianapolis are always waiting with open arms for serious bench racers to stop by for a steaming hot cup of espresso. Travis has lots of catalogs of performance parts for you to peruse through and the 42-inch high-definition TV is usually warmed up and ready to go with lots of racing videos to satisfy your need for speed.
Another great option to wile away your time if you’re stuck in the frigid Midwest is a day trip over to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame museum out on W. 16th Street in Indianapolis. You could easily spend a day exploring the Museum’s collection of historic race cars, motorcycles and vast collection of 100 years of racing memorabilia.
A day trip to the Hall of Fame Museum also would give you a chance to peruse the vast collection of photography that spans the 100-year history of this historic racing landmark. Be sure to give Dave in the photo shop my greetings.
To top off your day, you could pick up all kinds of great racing memorabilia for your own collection at the Hall of Fame Gift Shop. Here’s a link to the IMS Online Store so you can get your shopping list compiled and ready to go. Indianapolis Motor Speedway Online Store
Oh, and while you are there you should go ahead and order your tickets for the 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Aug. 28-30.
Well, it’s time to get back to my bench racing plans for at least the next six weeks, and I’ll see you all here next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
Can’t believe I found another one!
If you remember from my entry a couple weeks ago, the weather here in central Indiana has gotten full swing into the winter mode. Temperatures are consistently below 40 degrees F, and the snow is flying pretty good just north of Indianapolis. Also, I don’t have any of that slick, heated cold-weather riding gear a lot of my riding buddies are using now. I know: I’m a lightweight. In fact, it’s so cold outside; I’ve moved all the motorcycles into the family room of my house so they don’t have to suffer through the cold in the garage.
Well, I had a chance to spend a long weekend in San Francisco as a “tourist,” which is very different than my normal business travel mode. In fact, I’m writing the Experience to you all from a lovely old Victorian house in the Noe Valley area of San Francisco.
This spur-of-the-moment trip gave me the opportunity to experience the grand-spanking-new Weir Cook International Terminal at the Indianapolis International Airport that just opened for business a week ago. A direct and simple arrival to the new terminal from the new exit #68 off I-70 was followed by an effortless check-in at the Delta ticket counter in a beautifully designed terminal building.
The next test of this new facility is typically one of the most stressful experiences in today’s world of airline travel – the TSA security screening area. Well, the folks out at the Indianapolis International Airport did a grand job of designing a generously sized area to accommodate a smooth and expeditious trip through the security area and deliver you into a gate concourse full of surprises.
While I was getting ready to go through the X-ray equipment, a young lady behind me commented on the bright red Ducati Corse sweatshirt I was wearing. Wow, there are Ducati fans everywhere you go!
Now I’m past security and walking into the B concourse toward my departure gate and what do I see? I find myself standing right in front of a South Bend Chocolate Company store with the siren lure of chocolate delights whiffing out into the concourse. Not only am I a lightweight, I also have no willpower when it comes to chocolate, so I am obliged to check out this new establishment that is a kin to one of our favorite places to stop in downtown Indianapolis for treats.
Guess who I see behind the counter at the Chocolate Café but none other than the young lady who complimented me on my bright red Ducati Corse sweatshirt at the TSA security screening area. Liz proceeded to make me the most decadent cup of white chocolate hot chocolate I have ever experienced. Wow, what a delightful experience chatting with Liz and indulging in a steaming hot cup of chocolate ecstasy!
So all you fans who plan to visit Indianapolis next year and attend the 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Aug. 30, 2009, be sure to stop by the Chocolate Café if you are arriving at the new Weir Cook Terminal at the Indianapolis International Airport.
Anyway, I need to sign off for now, but I’ll see you all in a couple weeks at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
Bring on the “leafers”
This time of year in central Indiana can be full of interesting surprises from Mother Nature. Those of you who experienced the inaugural running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP back in September can certainly vouch for that! Fortunately, this past weekend was a glorious example of how great the combination of clear, warm, sunny days can be with the onset of the fall symphony of colors across the Hoosier state.
After two solid weeks of business travel with all the associated joys of airports, hotels and alien cities, I ended up with a long weekend that was blessed with unbelievable weather for this time of the year. One thing I have learned over all the years of travel is the humor you can find wherever you may be stuck. I hope this pilot figured out where he was going!
I decided to forgo all the fall chores around the homestead and ended up spending most of all three days exploring the twisty routes around central and southern Indiana. The onset of the traditional fall foliage has also brought out hordes of “leafers” out for leisurely drives to gawk at the colors of the fall season.
This past Sunday, Oct. 12 also marked the monthly meeting of the HSTA (Honda Sport Touring Association). Our meeting 
destination this month was the 58 Café in Kurtz, Ind. Being only four blocks long and three blocks wide, you would miss it if you blinked twice during a spirited blast across IN SR 58. Well, based on previous blogs about the HSTA group, you should remember that indulging in culinary delights is one of our main mission statements. The breaded tenderloins and homemade pies definitely put the town of Kurtz and the 58 Café high on the HSTA destination list.
We’ll have to ask fellow HSTA’er Mike Harrell if the coconut cream pie at the 58 Café even comes close to the brownie fudge caramel ice cream delight at the South Bend Chocolate Company on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis.
Fortunately, the monthly meeting agenda items were handled expeditiously, giving all the attendees plenty of time to enjoy a hardy lunch prior to round two of one of our favorite fall pastimes; dodging the meandering stream of fall “leafers.”
My trip back up to Indy also included one of the ultimate surprises for a sport bike rider; a 14-mile long, curvy ribbon of freshly laid pavement across IN SR 45 between Unionville and Beanblossom, Ind. What better experience could one ask for to wrap up a glorious fall weekend in central Indiana.
I’ll see you all in a couple weeks at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
Next week is going to be historic!
By this time next week, the first event of the inaugural 2008 Red Bull Indianapolis GP will be kicking off an epic week of activities. The Kick Start Celebration will take 
place at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9 on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis. If you are at all able to sneak out of the office for a long lunch, what better way to start off a week of MotoGP experiences than this two hour kickoff event.
Rumors have it a parade of motorcycles will be escorted onto Monument Circle to start off the week-long celebration of two-wheeled racing events. Be sure to check out the schedule of events and the newly posted Guest Guide at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com. The folks out on West 16th Street have also posted a very useful Event Planner to help you out-of-towners locate all the local motorcycle shops, eateries, lodging, off-track events and lots more.
The activities over at the track have definitely picked up this week. New grandstands are going up around the new GP course, tents are being erected, trailers of equipment are coming in, and crews of support people are getting geared up to put on what will undoubtedly be the two-wheeled equivalent of “The Greatest Spectacle In Racing.”
While checking out the Event Planner, I also noticed there are a bunch of neat events on the schedule. The Red Bull TNT Freestyle Motocross will be taking over 62nd Street in Broad Ripple Thursday evening and the XDL Sportbike Freestyle Championship at Indy will be downtown on North Street Friday evening with practice Thursday.
The AMA Flat Track bikes are coming back to the Indiana State Fairgrounds Saturday evening, Sept. 13 with the Lucas Oil Indy Mile AMA Flat Track Grand National. A couple teams were at the fairgrounds the end of July testing, and the sound of those big twins ripping around the mile-long dirt track was a spine-tingling experience. See the video below.
For all of you riding into town next week, be sure to check out Motorcycles on Meridian Friday and Saturday nights starting around 7 p.m. The city is shutting down Meridian Street each night from Maryland Street down to South Street for motorcycle traffic and parking only, providing a perfect opportunity for riders and fans to check out the exciting restaurants and downtown nightlife.
After more than a year of anticipation that started off with the Red Bull Indianapolis GP event introduction back on July 16, 2007, the count down is just a week to go. Be sure to check out all the events on the schedule and make you plans to experience the biggest two-wheeled celebration to hit the city of Indianapolis in almost 100 years.
If you haven’t got your tickets yet, go to www.redbullindianapolisgp.com for purchase information, and I’ll see you all next week in Indianapolis.
Greg
What’s that hump on your back?
I was over at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum offices last week to pick up some forms for the new Indiana special-recognition Hall of Fame Museum motorcycle license plates. I figured if I was going to get special plates for the bikes, I might as well support the folks out on West 16th Street with the group fees.
After Greta took care of all the paperwork, her curiosity got the best of her and she had to ask what the hump was on the back of my leathers. Oh, yes, I do suit up with all the protective gear whenever I’m on two wheels as I was this day. After she had broken the ice, several other gals in the office also added their inquiry about “the hump,” to Greta’s curiosity.
In past editions of “The Experience,” I’ve shared with you my position on always wearing the right riding gear whenever I swing a leg over a motorcycle seat. Yes, I do get a lot of curious looks, but it’s also amazing how many people appreciate the purpose of the right gear. Remember my soap box?
Well, Greta’s inquiry about “the hump” on the back of my leathers is probably the most asked question I get from people.
In just over two weeks, the Red Bull Indianapolis GP will be making its debut at the Brickyard. For only the second time in 100 years, motorcycles will be laying down rubber across that Yard of Bricks on the new GP course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Rider equipment has changed significantly over the past 100 years. Back in 1909, rider safety gear consisted of a leather jacket, leather pants, gloves, lace-up boots and a leather “helmet” with goggles. At 80 mph, even the thought of bailing off must have been pretty painful.
The advancements in motorcycle technology have been equally matched in rider safety equipment. A bail-off at 150 mph speeds or more with today’s protective gear usually results in not much more than a few bumps and bruises. Today’s leather road race suits are chock full of protective padding, armor, ventilation, hydration and aerodynamics. Several manufacturers are even working to integrate airbag technology into the suits to protect today’s racers.
So then, what is that “hump” on the back of my riding suit that so many people ask about?
The “hump” actually serves several purposes. First and foremost, it provides a lot of upper spine protection to the rider in the event of a fall. It also limits how far the rider’s helmeted head can snap back in a tumble. From a performance standpoint, the “hump” acts as an extension of the rider’s helmet to smooth out the airflow over his back, reducing air drag and helmet buffeting. A more recent innovation has added a water bladder inside the hump with a sipper tube for rider hydration during endurance events. 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz talks about rider gear in his “MotoGP 101” video from the MotoGP test this July at the Brickyard. Kevin also addresses a question from the press group about the “hump.”
Greta, I hope this answers your question about the “hump,” and I look forward to seeing you all next week at redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
Time flies by way too fast…
Wow, it’s amazing how fast four weeks can fly by. Well, the vacation has come and gone. I barely managed to find my way back to the office Monday morning. Thank goodness it’s in Speedway, Ind., pretty near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where I spent some of my time off hanging out at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP tests earlier this month.
The last weekend of my summer vacation ended up with a lot of saddle time. Ducati Indianapolis celebrated their one-year anniversary Friday and Saturday with a very successful open house. Ducati North America brought out the Duc Truck for the event with a fleet of Ducati demo bikes.
The Red Bull Indianapolis GP Fan Tour attended Friday with a great display, passing out posters, magnets, decals and ticket information.
I ended up helping out with over two dozen demo rides as a control rider over the two-day celebration. It was quite a job keeping all these Ducs in a row! Of course, no experience is complete without some great gastronomic treats. Carraba’s Italian Restaurant in Carmel, Ind., catered an outstanding lunch Saturday afternoon. Yum!
Not to be boastful, I also broke my own earlier record of riding five different bikes in 24 hours. Jarrod, the gauntlet has been thrown down! The new target is now 14 different bikes in 30 hours!
After Friday’s activities, the Red Bull Indianapolis GP Fan Tour headed over to the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, for the rest of the weekend. Former Indiana Pacers star Rik Smits enjoyed a demo ride on the Ducati Hypermotard. He definitely gives this bike a new size perspective since he is 7-foot-4! When straddling the Hyper, I can barely touch my size 7 feet to the ground.
Rik would definitely need a bigger soap box than the one I stood on last week.
Earlier last week, the weekly HSTA Two Wheeled Tuesday meeting at Hoghead’s BBQ in Broadripple also had a special visit from the Red Bull Indianapolis GP Fan Tour. Many of the Broadripple locals had the opportunity to touch and feel one of the Ducati Desmosedici GP8 MotoGP race bikes as well as the new Ducati Hypermotard street bike. We all shared some tall stories and enjoyed some lip-smacking barbeque. Yum!
This past weekend was definitely a great finale of experiences to a very relaxing month away from the normal work week, but the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP is now only six weeks away and counting!
See you all next week at redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
Lets go racing…
When Mari Hulman George, chairman of the board of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, gave the most famous command in racing for the 91st Indianapolis 500, she said, “Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!” For the first time in the history of this event, “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” three women were among the 33 starters of this traditionally male-dominated race.
Several weeks ago I shared with you the track day experiences of Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) executive Mel Harder and the opportunity these types of events provide for many weekend warriors across the country. A motorcycle track day is a great opportunity for anyone who rides a bike, male or female, young or old, to get out on a closed course and experience a little taste of the competitive spirit of racing and the thrill of speed.
I’ve had several people ask me how to get involved in a track day event. Really all you need is a bike, a good full-face helmet, a set of one or two-piece leathers, a back protector, some over-the-ankle boots and some sturdy, gauntlet-style motorcycle gloves. A typical track day is set up with three different rider skill groups, beginner, intermediate and advanced. Most organizations will offer instruction and training sessions for track day beginners to help make your day an enjoyable learning experience.
If you are located in the Indianapolis area or anywhere in the mid-Great Lakes area, we have a great track located in Mount Meridian, Ind., Putnam Park Road Course. Check out their Web site and schedule for upcoming motorcycle track day events: www.putnampark.com.
A quick check shows an event coming up the weekend of July 26-27, sponsored by Sportbike Track Time. Our local Ducati dealership, Ducati Indianapolis, is co-sponsoring a track day on Monday, July 28. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Monday than skipping out of work and experiencing the thrill of speed at the Putnam Park road course! I’m sure your boss would understand.
So, ladies and gentlemen, start your own engines and let’s get geared up and go racing at the next motorcycle track day in your neck of the woods.
See you all next week at redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg