2008 Indianapolis MotoGP

This was a trip I was looking forward to for some time - my first ever MotoGP race. Ever since it was announced for Indy I wanted to go. I used to follow the races back in the early 90's when it was all 500's, highsides, Rainey, Doohan, Schwants, Biaggo, and cigarette ads. Since I got back in motorcycling in 06 I started watching again, although it's not quite as thrilling as the "good old days". Still, I'd love a chance to watch the boys do their thing in person.

When I met Jim at Americade in June I had mentioned going to MotoGP to him, and his eyebrows went up. He really wanted to go, but wasn't sure he could make it work. I knew I was going, so I bought a ticket in the Ducati Island section. Jim was unsure until the middle of August, then his vacation plans came through and he got the green light. We made a plan to ride the twisties to get there, spend as much time as possible at the track, get in some demos if possible (we're both addicted to them), then do the whole ride home (670+ miles) on Monday.

 

Wednesday
NJ to VA
Thursday
VA to OH via Twisties
Friday
MotoGP Practice
Saturday
MotoGP Practice and Qualifying
Sunday
Race Day!
Monday
Marathon Ride Home

Just the Action Pictures

Final Thoughts

One of the best trips I've ever done. The full day of WV and OH twisties was great, but just being at Indy for the whole GP spectacle was unbelievable. I read someone say that it's like "Woodstock for bikes", and that's true. It's 3 days (or more if you get there on Thursday) of immersing yourself in MotoGP. Practice, qualifying, support races, vendors, demos, other bikers, it's pretty overwhelming. The 45 minute race is just the icing on the very large cake. Even though our race got cut short, that was only a little disappointing. That was just one part of the whole package.

I'm certainly going next year.