Press Release | August 19, 2009
The following is from IMS…Imagine walking the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval during a tour guided by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears in the Month of May.Motorcycle racing enthusiasts can have this kind of once-in-a-lifetime experience as 1993 World Champion Kevin Schwantz will provide a guided tour of the 2.621-mile road course for Corner 9 Club customers at 5:40 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28 during the Red Bull Indianapolis GP.Various reserved seat and general admission Corner 9 Club packages are available online at the Tickets section of www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com through Monday, Aug. 24 or by calling (800) 822-INDY, (317) 492-6713 or (317) 492-6513.All Corner 9 Club customers, new and existing, can participate in the tour.Both reserved and general admission Corner 9 Club packages include motorcycle or car parking, admission to the IMS grounds, admission to the Plaza Hospitality Village and the Corner 9 Club, which is climate-controlled and include closed-circuit television. Packages also include MotoGP paddock access and the fully catered Corner 9 Club in the Plaza Hospitality Village.Reserved Corner 9 Club packages include a seat in the Corner 9 reserved stand, which offers one of the most up-close views of exciting MotoGP action anywhere in the world. Fans in the Corner 9 reserved stand have a great view of Turns 6 through 9 of the course.The Corner 9 Club puts fans into the heart of the action at this exciting event. The Paddock, Vendor Marketplace, stage, interactive displays and Corner 9 reserved stand are just yards away, and motorcycle parking is just feet away.***Gear check offered for riders at IMS: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway once again will provide multiple gear check locations for Red Bull Indianapolis GP fans to check helmets, leathers and any other motorcycle gear at the track.Fans can visit any of the five locations on the IMS grounds and place any gear in plastic bags to be securely stored and picked up upon exiting the facility for the day.A new location in the Vendor Marketplace will allow fans to store any large purchases made during the day. Other gear check locations are: Main Gate West parking lot, Lot 3 Pavement parking lot, Lot 8 parking lot and a concession stand along the backstretch parking area. The service is free and available all three days of the Aug. 28-30 event.***Red Bull Indianapolis GP Alpinestars gear available: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is offering an assortment of custom Red Bull Indianapolis GP merchandise by motorcycle accessory and clothing giant Alpinestars.Gear includes technical leather riding jackets, polos, crew shirts, long-sleeve raglan shirts, hats and a zip-up fleece hoodie. Shop for the available items in the Red Bull Indianapolis GP/Alpinestars section of the IMS Online Store at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.Schwantz School at Indy: A few spots are still available for the Schwantz School, a high-performance motorcycle riding school led by 1993 World Champion Kevin Schwantz, on Aug. 21-22 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.Riders will receive instruction in the classroom and on the 2.621-mile road course at IMS from legendary American rider Schwantz, who won 25 races during his illustrious Grand Prix career. School participants will ride Michelin Pilot Power-shod Honda CBR600RR and Suzuki GSX-R600 motorcycles.Registration will be accepted through noon (ET) Thursday, Aug. 20 for riders who have their own helmet and safety gear. More details and registration are available at www.schwantzschool.com or by calling (205) 702-2712.***Pramac names replacement: Spanish rider Aleix Espargaro will replace Michel Fabrizio on the Pramac Racing Team in the MotoGP class at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP.Fabrizio raced in the Czech Republic Grand Prix on Aug. 16 as a replacement for Mika Kallio, who was promoted to the factory Ducati team as a substitute for 2007 World Champion Casey Stoner, who is sidelined until early October due to illness.Espargaro is a veteran of the 125cc and 250cc World Championship classes and has served as a test rider this year for Moto2, the class that will replace 250cc starting in 2010. He participated in 250cc activity last September at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, but that class did not race due to adverse weather.***2009 IMS tickets: Established in 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has long prevailed as an icon of motorsports excellence. Beginning in 2009, the Speedway celebrates its Centennial Era, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the facility in 2009 and the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in 2011.Tickets for the final event of 2009 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – the Red Bull Indianapolis GP – can be purchased online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time and start as low as $75 for a three-day General Admission ticket.Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.
