Social networking on two wheels…
Each of us has different passions that we like to share with others. In today’s world of instant global communication over the information superhighway, face-to-face social networking seems to be evolving away. With Internet social networks like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube, to name a few, keeping us glued to computer monitors, many of the old skills like writing letters, sending cards or meeting face-to-face seems to be evolving away from today’s society.
Not so in the motorcycle community!
You may have noticed over the past year and a half I’ve penned The Experience here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com, many of the experiences I’ve shared with you focus around a variety of social networks that generally involves a gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts.
The weekly “meeting” of the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association (MSTA) group on Tuesday evenings for dinner is a chance for like-minded motorcycle enthusiasts to share their experiences. Likewise, the new iDESMO club is a social network of motorcycle enthusiasts who have formed a bond of camaraderie around a common passion for Ducati motorcycles.
These gatherings take on all sorts of forms. I recently discovered a weekly bike night at Cheese Burger in Paradise on the south side of Indianapolis. A couple of us cruised down there last Tuesday after our MSTA “meeting” to check it out. Wow, what an awesome event! There was a wide variety of motorcycles from cruisers to sport bikes to exotic customs to touring bikes. I rolled in on my ’06 Ducati 999R Xerox, and a young enthusiast instantly sought me out in his excitement of seeing what he proudly stated to be the best example of a Ducati superbike ever produced!
The occasional cruise to downtown Indianapolis’ Monument Circle for a tasty treat at the South Bend Chocolate Company, hanging out with the Shell’s Angels or the weekly Saturday gathering at The Suds in Greenwood, Ind., are all alternative forms of social networking. Each of these venues offers the opportunity to share experiences face-to-face.
What may soon become the “grand daddy” of motorcycle gatherings in Indianapolis is just around the corner. The second running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP will take place at The Brickyard out on West 16th Street on August 28, 29 & 30, 2009. Three days of race activities will 
encompass events not only at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway but also dirt track racing at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, speedway racing at the Marion County Fairgrounds, motorcycle stunt shows downtown and probably the biggest Bike Night of the year Friday and Saturday evenings stretching from Monument Circle down to Union Station on South Meridian Street.
So if you want to experience the biggest motorcycling event at the grandest racing venue in the world, be sure to make your plans to join us here in Indianapolis at the end of August and keep internetworking by your favorite social network for more details.
I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
Big fish stories…
OK, I’m a week into my summer vacation and so far not a single “chore” on the decade old “need fixing” list has been done. Now that’s what I call a good start to a lazy month of July! I think the only constructive thing I’ve accomplished so far is writing “The Experience” blog for my friends out on West 16th Street the past two weeks.
I have managed to spend a fair amount of time on two wheels in-between spouts of rain, storms and cutting grass. Two Sundays ago, Ducati Indianapolis and Commonwealth Motorcycles in Louisville, Ky., hosted a track day out at Putnam Park Road Course. I picked a nice, twisty back road route out to Mount Meridian, Ind., and spent the afternoon watching the guys play.
It’s always fun to hear the stories from the day of exploring the limits of man and machine. One of the guys from Ducati Indianapolis experienced his first knee plant during the day. We’ve all seen the pro’s dragging their knees around a road race course but the first time you plant and drag your knee pucks on a set of race leathers is a big story to share with your friends. If Mike could only get his elbows on the pavement, we could call him “Elbowz II.”
This past weekend saw the MotoGP teams journey over the big pond to central California with the running of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix on July 5 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Our local MotoGP hero, Nicky Hayden, had the best event yet in his maiden season aboard a Ducati, qualifing in eighth position and finishing fifth behind his teammate, Casey Stoner in fourth place. Check out the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Race Report by Paul Kelly at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com.
The big story of the Laguna Seca weekend was the unveiling of the 2010 Ducati 848 Nicky Hayden Edition by Ducati North America. This US-exclusive model features an American inspired paint scheme, aptly fit for its introduction on the 4th of July and personally autographed on the gas tank by Nicky himself. You can visit the Nicky Hayden Web site to get all the details; www.nickyhayden.com.
Well, like all big secrets, this one was all over the motorcycle forums for weeks before with photos popping up during the preceeding week. Given my passion for very special motorcycles, several friends were immediately teasing me that this could be the next addition to the collection. The power of digital photo editing dangled one big fish that took several of my buddies hook, line and sinker. Gotcha, Paul!
I think my stable of bikes is max’d out for now, and I’m not sure Greta over at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum would let me order any more specialty license plates! If you want to check out the 2010 Ducati 848 Nicky Hayden Edition, rumor has it Ducati Indianapolis is uncrating one today up in Zionsville, Ind., and that’s not a “big fish” story.
I’ll see you all next week with more vacation experiences at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
Motorcyclists in the neighborhood
This past weekend proved to be a pretty busy one with loads of special events all over the City of Indianapolis, starting off with an annual Italian Street Festival Friday and Saturday evening.
The Italian Heritage Society of Indiana and the Holy Rosary Catholic Church celebrate everything Italian each year with a street festival on the near-south side of Indianapolis. What better place for the new Indy DESMO Owner’s Club to gather to show off some of the fine two-wheeled machinery from Bologna, Italy?
Friday evening saw almost two dozen iDESMO members arrive with a large variety of Ducati motorcycles to tingle the senses of 
thousands of visitors to the festival. My favorite senses were totally overwhelmed with the vast variety of Italian treats like manicotti, lasagna, Italian sausages, raviolis, biscotti, cannoli, tiramisu, tortoni, zeppole and zabaglione, to name just a few! Wow, sensory overload!
After two evenings of Italian culinary indulgences, Sunday dawned a bit overcast for a very special event out on West 16th Street. Back in April, I wrote 
about the Ride for Kids® program to benefit the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF). Several of us from the iDESMO group met up out the Brickyard Sunday morning to participate in the Indianapolis Ride for Kids® hosted by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Through the generosity of several hundred motorcycle enthusiasts, dealers and clubs, a very generous check was presented to Mark Muhlenfeld representing the PBTF along with four very special children; Hannah, Blake, Juliana and Connor, who each shared their survival stories with us. I’d like to recognize Bill Carr from Ducati Indianapolis and the members of the Indy DESMO Owners Club who came together, making the fourth-largest group donation for this event.
It’s events like this where people from all walks of life can come together as a group to make a significant difference in the lives of o
thers through our combined generosity.
With a great weekend of community events behind me, Monday morning offered another motorcycling opportunity with the 18th Annual International Motorcycle & Scooter Ride to Work Day. Our friends over at Red Bull opened up their downtown warehouse early Monday morning welcoming commuters on their two-wheeled vehicles with a little morning jolt of Red Bull.
To wrap up this celebration of two-wheeled transportation, a group of motorcycle enthusiasts, including a contingent from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, descended on the Indy 500 Grill at the new Col. H. Weir Cook Terminal at the Indianapolis International Airport for lunch. Talk about some nervous airport security folks seeing a herd of 20 motorcyclists with helmets, jackets and riding suits walking through the terminal. That was definitely an experience for them to remember!
I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
A historic weekend comes to a close
Remember as a kid how the day after Christmas seemed so blah? The weeks and months of anticipation and planning all came down to a single day of excitement.
Well, it’s Tuesday morning after the inaugural running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, and it sure feels like the day after Christmas! However, rather than one day of fun, the folks out on West 16th Street and the City of Indianapolis put together six days of events that culminated with the first motorcycles to race at the Brickyard in 99 years this past Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008.
Tuesday’s MotoGP kickoff event on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis was a great time. Some of the Red Bull Rookies led a parade of motorcycles through the downtown area, gathering around Monument Circle for the kickoff celebration. Fans of all ages were treated to a display of race motorcycles from the past and the present.
The Experience visited the FOX 59 Indianapolis studios Thursday morning and put on a segment about the protective gear worn by motorcycle racers. Morning anchor Angela Ganote quizzed me about all the various pieces of safety equipment I had on and how it protects the racers in the event of a fall.
Mother Nature didn’t fully cooperate over the course of the week. We started off with several glorious days until Friday when the rain began to fall. The wet weather at least gave the teams and riders a chance to work out their wet-weather setups. This also kept the Moto Taxi team pretty busy on the KTM 990 Adventure bikes retrieving fallen riders and giving them a lift back to their garages. Saturday greeted the teams with some sunny, dry conditions, and the teams treated the spectators to some great practice and qualifying sessions.
It appeared Mother Nature might give us a break Sunday morning. The day started off with some blue skies peeking through as the day’s activities started to crank up. The Red Bull Riders Cup race was ran under dry but windy conditions, but the western skies didn’t look promising. Hurricane Ike decided to add a bit of excitement to the remainder of the day. Both the 125 GP and MotoGP events were ended early with red flags, and the 250 GP event was completely cancelled due to the severe weather. Check out www.redbullindianapolisgp.com for full race details.
Even with the wild weather Sunday afternoon, the first running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP was a spectacular event, and I believe everyone who braved the weather left with an experience to remember.
If you all remember, about a month ago I discovered a great way to wrap up a weekend by starting off the week with a bit of knee-dragging of my own. Ducati North American and Ducati Indianapolis sponsored a Ducati track day Monday, Sept. 15 at Putnam Park Road Course in Mount Meridian, Ind. Those of us attending also were treated to a surprise with legendary Ducati racers Paul Smart and Cook Neilson attending. They both suiting up and took a Ducati 1098R and Desmosedici RR out for some hot laps. What an historic experience for those guys who rode alongside these two great legends of the sport.
Well, a year of activities has come to an end, but it’s now time to start planning for next year’s running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Aug. 30, 2009.
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
Will spring ever come?
Being a motorcyclist this time of year in central Indiana can be a very frustrating experience. It has been three or four months of snow, sleet, rain, bone-chilling weather and short, sunless days. When March rolls around with April just around the corner, the glimmer of spring is in the air, and the siren song of two wheels begins to tempt the senses for the first ride of a new season.
One of the rituals of the impending new season is the annual Dealer News Powersports Expo at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. This is one of the largest gatherings of all things motorcycles in North America. If you are lucky enough to get an entry pass to this powersports dealer-only industry event, there are treats to tempt every facet of the motorcyclist experience.
Last week I shared with you my experience visiting the Hayden family compound in Owensboro, Ky., to pick up Nicky’s 2006 MotoGP championship-winning motorcycle. This very special machine spent the following weekend in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s exhibit at the Dealer News Powersports Expo, along with a KTM 125 GP bike from the Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup and a very special Indian from the IMS historic vehicle collection. Motorsports legend Army Armstrong shared some of his life experiences with up-and-coming Red Bull Rookie rider Jacob Cunningham while visiting the exhibit.
This event provided a great forum to share the plans for the September 2008 Red Bull Indianapolis GP with North American motorcycle and powersports dealers. Over the course of three days, thousands of Expo guests visited and experienced the IMS and Red Bull plans for this very special event kicking off the 
celebration of 100 years of racing in Speedway, Ind. One of the more notable motorcycle racing legends to visit the exhibit was 1993 World Champion Kevin Schwantz.
Now if only the spring weather would make its way to Indianapolis with some 50-degree-plus days, I will finally be able to get out of my four-wheel cage and back to the ride.
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg