Cycle News Staff | August 25, 2011
Fans of the Indy Mile were shocked to hear that the 2011 race was cancelled due to the tragedy that occurred at the state fairgrounds on August 6th. Mid-America Speedway had scheduled their August 26th event as a lead up to the mile and to allow the riders the chance to make an extra payday. Once the announcement was made that the mile was cancelled it was decided that the Mid-America event would be moved to Saturday, August 27th. Mid-America is running a full program of flat track on this special night, but with three changes that will make for an action packed night of racing.
The biggest change is that the 450 class is paying $1500 to win with a $3500 total purse. Several Expert and Pro riders have committed to the event and are enthused that they still get to come to Indianapolis to race during the MotoGP weekend. We anticipate having no less than 30 riders in the 450 class. The complete list of riders will be posted at www.midamspeedway.com later in the week as commitments are still coming in. We spoke to several riders and fans at the Galesburg short track, and at the Peoria TT this past weekend and they are excited that they will be able to attend a flat track in Indianapolis.
The Speedway class is paying $1000 to win with a total purse of $2100. We currently have riders coming from CA, NY, IL, OH, PA, and Poland. The speedway bikes will hit in excess of 80 mph on the wide and smooth Mid-America oval.
New this year is the Bob Stark Indian Arrow Challenge. This class has riders on identically prepared 1949 Indian Arrows. These machines have not been raced in several years and Mike O’Neill has been gracious enough to get them in top running order and back out on the track again. The lineup for this class is nearly complete with just one spot to be named.
Schedule
1:00pm Gates open
3:00pm Signup
4:00pm Mandatory Riders Meeting
4:30pm 1st of two, four lap practice sessions
7:00pm Heats begin
Grandstand tickets are $10 for age 10 and over, kids 5-9 are $5, and ages 4 and under are free.
Pit Passes if purchased before 5:00pm are $10 for age 10 and over, kids 5-9 are $5, and ages 4 and under are free. At 5:00pm Pit passes will go up by $5. Please note that due to the anticipated rider turnout only vehicles hauling a motorcycle/quad will be permitted in the pits. If you have a trailer and are able to unhook the trailer and park outside of the pits it will ease the congestion for everybody.
Entry fees for youth classes are $20, adult classes (not including 450 and Speedway) are $25. Entry for the 450 and Speedway class is $50 which includes the pit pass.
Mid-America Speedway is located at the Marion County Fairgrounds at the southeast corner of Indianapolis near the intersections of I-465 and I-74 7300 East Troy Ave, Indianapolis, IN. From either direction on I-465 take exit 49, and follow the signs for Southeastern Ave/Marion Co. Fairgrounds. Go 1/2 mile and turn left on Southeastern Ave, go to “T” and turn left. Go over the overpass, and bear left after overpass. Fairgrounds are 1/4 mile on the left.
For more information please view Mid-America’s website at www.midamspeedway.com or contact Jim Terchila at 317.871.4392 or email info@midamspeedway.com.
