Indy Repave Completed

Cycle News Staff | July 8, 2011

The repaving of the infield section of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course is complete – well ahead of the August 26-28 running of the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix.Crews repaved 1.5 miles of the circuit from turn five through turn 16 with the existing asphalt ground down and then repaved with fresh asphalt to create a surface consistent with the other sections of the course.

“It’s always great when the track is investing and making the surface better for the riders,” American MotoGP star Ben Spies said in an IMS release. “I’m much happier that it’s been repaved, and I’m very much appreciative of Indy doing that. It will make it a little more consistent for us riders.”Turn five is where the course leaves the short chute between turns one and two of the oval. Turn 16 is where the circuit leaves the infield near the start of the front straightaway at the exit of turn four of the oval.It’s the first time this section of the course was resurfaced since it was built in 2000. Turns one through four of the 2.621-mile circuit – located inside turn one of the oval – were created in 2008 for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP and those corners were not repaved during this project.The FIM’s Road Racing Commission President Claude Danis inspected the facility yesterday.

“It looks very, very good,” Danis said. “I see a very big improvement compared to years before. The track is fast, and the grip looks good. I’m very happy with the work they did.”