I’m in the City of Champions, Edmonton, Canada. Home of the Edmonton Oilers. The hockey team that “The Great One” went to after spending some of his junior years on none other than the Indianapolis Racers while attending Broad Ripple High School. Wayne Gretzky would go on to win four Stanley Cups with the Oilers.
I’m in Edmonton for the IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights races this weekend. The city is complete jacked up about the race this weekend. Everywhere you go there are billboards, advertisements, fan guides and displays highlighting the Rexall Edmonton Indy. It’s a great atmosphere.
Likewise in Indianapolis, Indy is putting on the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Then, Indy will be turning the track over for the two-wheeled animals that participate in MotoGP’s three championship levels during the Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Aug. 28-30.
Not sure if everyone saw the announcement or not, but former 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz is putting on a two-day clinic on the IMS MotoGP circuit.
You can find out more at http://www.schwantzschool.com/
Enjoy the weekend and be careful on the bikes if you are traveling around Indy for the Brickyard.
See you in a couple of weeks.
Jarrod
Finally, a few days off. The IndyCar Series takes its first weekend off in four weeks, and it’s much deserved. For most in the “traveling circus”, the weekend off is time to catch up with family, friends and sleep.
The same is said for the MotoGP paddock, as well. It started at Assen then a weekend off, Laguna, Sachsenring, Donington Park followed by a few weeks before and after Brno. It’s a grueling schedule across large bodies of sea! This is the most tiring stretch of races for all three classes in MotoGP. Luckily for Red Bull Indianapolis GP fans, the riders will be well rested before they hit the bricks at IMS on Aug. 28-30.
On Wednesday, July 15, I took a stroll over to the IMS Hall of Fame Museum to check out the eagerly anticipated Alpinestars line of Red Bull Indianapolis GP clothing. It’s a fair amount of articles ranging from T’s to hoodies for both men and women.
Here are my picks!
1) Vintage Inspired T with Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a Picture of Nicky on the Vintage Indian.
2) Black AStars Hoodie (I like)
3) Black and White Petite polo(Women’s)
4) Flat Billed AStars hat
5) Black Woven Crew Shirt (I like)
I couldn’t resist the crew shirt and hoodie. I wanted to get the entire line, but I figured it would be a little much to be head-to-toe event gear. Perhaps I could get a few pieces for writing this blog?
Most don’t know but Red Bull is extremely sensitive with their brand being associated with other brands. This is a very unique line of clothing that blends Alpinestars(the official clothing line of MotoGP), Red Bull, MotoGP and the IMS Centennial Logo all on great-looking products.
All of these products are available at the IMS Online Store and Hall of Fame Museum Gift Shop. Act fast, though, because the gear is flying off the shelves. Seriously, I had to order my size!
Buy tickets for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard!
Jarrod
The family and I are off to Watkins Glen for the Camping World Grand Prix at the Glen and Corning 100 races. A true family road trip in a rental RV.
I took a day off to spend a little time on the road with my wife, dog, child and future child. We set off on our little journey late evening on Wednesday and set off for a Wal-Mart! That’s right, it’s not a myth: Campers are welcomed at Wal-Mart.
My original route was going to take us to Cleveland for the night. Then we were going to proceed to our “Griswald”-type excursion at the Niagara Falls. None of us have been there before and since its only three hours away from The Glen, we thought it would be a great way to utilize the RV. We spent most of the day walking around. The falls, Canadian and American, are rather impressive. But I thought that Niagara was going to be bigger, really.
Perhaps the highlight of the trip was our voyage on the Maid of the Mist. Each of us adorned our “recyclable” blue ponchos. Good thing, really. As we walked on the boat, I heard a lady comment, “Are there any good places to stand?” The operator responded, “There really aren’t any dry places on the boat.” It was fun, 22 minutes dock to dock and a true misting at the base of both American and Canadian falls.
At first I was very unexcited about the trip, but I warmed up to the idea and became a tourist for the afternoon.
Once we completed our voyage, the family, sans Rex, our dog, marched to the RV for our final leg of the trip, “The Glen”.
We are here, a Thursday night at The Glen in the swampy campground. It’s been raining here for about a week. Van likes it, though, because there are plenty of puddles and mud to play with. Rex, on the other hand, is still torn up after he nearly ripped the awning off the RV.
Catch the “Return” next week!
Jarrod