If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you know I’m a big fan of motorcycles. This weekend was probably the pinnacle of motorcycle fandom, as our fair city’s beloved Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted the first-ever Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix. Unfortunately, the fates also decided that Indy would also play host to the remnants of Hurricane Ike, making for quite an interesting race.
As winds whipped up to 60 mph and torrential rains poured, the brave souls on those superbikes pushed their machines around the course at speeds up to 200 mph. Around the course, similarly brave (yet less endangered) souls in ponchos and slickers did their best to keep upright and dry as they watched the race. Unfortunately (or fortunately, for the safety of the riders), the 28-lap race was called off after 20 laps in due to the high winds. Valentino Rossi, who’s won the MotoGP championship series multiple times, won the race.
I enjoyed everything, despite a.) trying to find a poncho or raincoat beforehand after nearly every store sold out in the pre-race rush, and b.) walking around for three hours with soaked and muddy shoes and shorts.
My favorite part, other than the race itself, was the manufacturers’ tents (although the Yamaha tent blew over in the wind!) — though they made me realize how badly I want to purchase a new motorcycle.
Since we have the Soap Box Derby at Angie’s List to go with the Indy 500, what do you think the odds are that we could have a Big Wheels GP to go with the MotoGP next year?