Testing At The Indy Mile

Paul Carruthers | August 13, 2008
The following is from Family Events…

Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory rider Kenny Coolbeth and his team were in Indy between races and took the opportunity to run the legendary Indy Mile on the evening of Tuesday, July 29th. Also testing was Harley Davidson Wrecking Crew member Joe Kopp. The Lucas Oil Indy Mile AMA Grand National will return to the legendary course at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Saturday, September 13, 2008. The test was held in the evening in an effort to preview the conditions expected when heats and features are run on September 13th.

Harley-Davidson, long the dominant bike builder in AMA Grand National Flat Track, promises to be very tough to beat at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile. Through the end of July, Coolbeth has four Grand National Twins Championship wins and leads Kopp in season Championship points by a narrow margin. Coolbeth has won the series Championship in each of the past two seasons. Kopp has three series wins on the season through July. Efforts such as the private test on the Indy Mile demonstrate the meticulous dedication to winning that is the hallmark of Harley-Davidson’s Screamin’ Eagles team.

Officials of Family Events, producers of the Lucas Oil Indy Mile also used the test as an opportunity to evaluate lighting and sightlines for the September 13 race. Mike Moore, president of Family Events says: “We are committed to doing everything necessary to make the return of the Indy Mile event a great event for both the racers and the spectators. We were able to see what changes we need to make to the lighting on the track, and track setup. We are thankful to Harley-Davidson racing for allowing us to make our evaluations during their track session.”

After an absence since 1999, the Lucas Oil Indy Mile AMA Grand National returns to the Indiana State Fairgrounds on the same weekend as the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP. Thousands motorcycle racing enthusiasts in Indy for the weekend who have never had the opportunity to witness the tight dirt track competition of flat track racing are expected to attend. They will experience first-hand the intense drafting wars, and multiple lead changes on every lap that the Indy Mile course has regularly delivered.

The Lucas Oil Indy Mile gates will open at 4:00pm at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. After the rider autograph session from 5:30pm to 6:30pm, the opening ceremonies commence at 7:00pm followed by racing at 7:30pm. The Expert Twins main event is scheduled for 9:10pm followed by the AMA main racing finals at 9:30pm. Tickets are on sale now at any Ticketmaster location, www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling (317) 239-5151.

Information The latest information on the Lucas Oil Indy Mile AMA Flat Track Grand National and a schedule of events may be found at www.familyevents.com, www.amaflattrack.com, or contact Family Events by calling (317) 236-6515.

Paul Carruthers | Editor

Paul Carruthers took over as the editor of Cycle News in 1993 after serving as associate editor since starting his career at the publication in 1985. Carruthers has covered every facet of the sport in his near-28-year tenure at America's Daily Motorcycle News Source.