United States Grand Prix: 19 June
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Race Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Location: Indianapolis
Raceday: Sunday, 19 June 2005
Time: Monday 0200 (race) [Local time]
2004 winner: Michael Schumacher
The oldest track still in use today, Indianapolis is a true motor sport institution. Built in 1908, the original track cost $75,000 to build and was originally constructed of crushed stone and tar. Following a spate of accidents however, the decision was taken to replace the surface with bricks: 3.2 million of them to be precise. Thus the legend of 'the brickyard' was born.
The first Indianapolis 500 took place in 1911 and when Formula One was incepted in 1950, the Indy 500 was a championship round. And so it remained for 11 seasons, its final running as a Formula One event coming in 1960. Formula One teams carried on turning up to Indy for the fun of it and, following the resurfacing of the brickyard in asphalt in the early '60s, the rear-engined cars of Lotus blew the chunky American roadsters out of the water. Jim Clark scored a memorable victory in 1965 and Graham Hill took the spoils in 1966.
In 1998 Indianapolis made a deal with Formula One to host a round of the World Championship again. A brand new infield course was constructed and in 2000, almost a century after the track was built, Formula One racing returned to the world's most revered circuit. With the sport building its fan base up in America every year, this is one race that looks sure to go from strength to strength.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is located at the north-east corner of 16th Street & Georgetown Road, approximately 11km north-west of downtown Indianapolis.
From the city's airport, take Interstate 465 North-bound to the Crawfordsville Road exit. There, turn East onto Crawfordsville Road and the track is located approximately 5km away. Normal travel time from the airport to the track is approximately 15 minutes, but during events, it may be considerably longer so allow for additional travel time.
The circuit recommends using the IndyGo bus service, which leaves from the airport and downtown Indianapolis on a regular basis. -
Villeneuve Predicts Sunday Thriller; M. Schumacher Is Easy Rider
By Dan Knutson
usgpindy.com
Friday, June 17, 2005
Jacques Villeneuve, winner of the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and the 1997 World Championship, predicts that SundayÂ’s United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be an exciting race for the fans and drivers.
“It is always a fun race here,” he said. “There is always a lot of action in the race, so I am definitely looking forward to it.”
Villeneuve is enjoying the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of the F1 paddock area at Indianapolis.
“Here at Indy, it is one of the most relaxed paddocks that we go to,” he said. “There is a lot of space, and after the hectic weekend of Montreal, here feels really relaxed. Canada was great. I had a great time in Canada even though there were some hectic moments with the media.”
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Easy rider: Three-time United States Grand Prix winner Michael Schumacher went for a motorcycle tour with friends between the F1 races in Montreal and Indianapolis. Their ride took them from Asheville, N.C., up to Indianapolis.
“You have great spots country-wise,” he said of the U.S. “We stayed in this Blue Ridge Parkway area. We spent about one and a half days there. Then we went to Dealer’s Point; we did this run. And that was just awesome. You have so many beautiful places to experience, and having the chance to come here to race, I obviously want to take the opportunity and see the country.”
Schumacher, who rides a Harley-Davidson and always wears a helmet, enjoys the freedom that motorcycles give him.
“I love biking, particularly because you just feel so free,” he said. “You get the air, you feel like you’re in the open sky. It’s like (scuba) diving in a way. That’s on the opposite side, you’re in the water, you glide, and you feel a bit like flying.”
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Hard riding: BMW WilliamsF1 Team driver Mark Webber and Red Bull Racing driver Christian Klien visited the Trek bicycle factory in Madison, Wis., on the way to Indianapolis. They met up with Tom Danielson (winner of the Tour de Georgia) and Michael Creed, who are two members of Lance ArmstrongÂ’s Discovery Channel cycling team, discussed various aspects of both their sports and went on some tough training rides.
“It was very windy, which made it quite hard to ride,” Webber said. “We had a reasonable size group of riders and did over 200 km (120 miles.)”
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Schumacher enjoys fansÂ’ welcome: Michael Schumacher enjoys visiting Indianapolis and the enthusiasm of the F1 fans here.
“I very much like coming to this motorsport city, because I don’t think there are many races that draw this many fans,” he said. “Sometimes you get the impression that all Europeans living in the U.S.A. gather for this event. We always receive a rapturous welcome, and sometimes the enthusiasm is even bigger than at some of the European races.”
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Results from Friday Practice 1:
Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
Result from Friday practice 2:
1 10 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 1:12.027
2 38 Ricardo Zonta Toyota 1:12.085
3 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:12.666
4 8 Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 1:12.804
5 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 1:12.865
6 35 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 1:12.913
7 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 1:13.013
8 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:13.024
9 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 1:13.082
10 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:13.242
11 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:13.245
12 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:13.461
13 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:13.683
14 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 1:13.740
15 37 Scott Speed Red Bull Racing 1:13.846
16 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 1:14.444
17 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 1:14.637
18 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 1:14.696
19 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 1:14.803
20 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 1:14.978
21 39 Robert Doornbos Jordan-Toyota 1:15.791
22 20 Patrick Friesacher Minardi-Cosworth 1:16.343
23 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 1:16.357
24 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-MercedesPos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 10 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 1:11.118
2 9 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:11.228
3 2 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:11.746
4 1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:11.758
5 8 Nick Heidfeld Williams-BMW 1:11.825
6 14 David Coulthard Red Bull Racing 1:12.076
7 35 Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 1:12.119
8 37 Scott Speed Red Bull Racing 1:12.143
9 5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:12.265
10 16 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:12.344
11 6 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:12.384
12 12 Felipe Massa Sauber-Petronas 1:12.464
13 7 Mark Webber Williams-BMW 1:12.578
14 15 Christian Klien Red Bull Racing 1:12.664
15 3 Jenson Button BAR-Honda 1:12.803
16 4 Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 1:13.037
17 11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-Petronas 1:13.079
18 39 Robert Doornbos Jordan-Toyota 1:13.361
19 38 Ricardo Zonta Toyota 1:13.567
20 20 Patrick Friesacher Minardi-Cosworth 1:13.783
21 21 Christijan Albers Minardi-Cosworth 1:13.963
22 19 Narain Karthikeyan Jordan-Toyota 1:14.008
23 18 Tiago Monteiro Jordan-Toyota 1:14.336
24 17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota -
issit tomorrow?
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It's live on Monday morning, Singapore time.
Ralf had a massive accident in Free Practice 2 yesterday. The car went into a spin around the banked last corner at 180mph, hit the outside barrier and skated across the pit straight. He is alright but the left-side wheels and sidepod and the front and rear wings were destroyed. -
Free practice 2 meaning they can change tires rite...without costing them rite?Originally posted by Kuali Baba:It's live on Monday morning, Singapore time.
Ralf had a massive accident in Free Practice 2 yesterday. The car went into a spin around the banked last corner at 180mph, hit the outside barrier and skated across the pit straight. He is alright but the left-side wheels and sidepod and the front and rear wings were destroyed. -
i am a mcClaren fan. must watch now that they are on a winning streak.
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They will be changing tyres before qualifying today. Anyway, Toyota won't be penalised - it's obvious that they cannot continue using those tyres!Originally posted by SBS9828X:Free practice 2 meaning they can change tires rite...without costing them rite?
Glory-hunter?Originally posted by dragg:i am a mcClaren fan. must watch now that they are on a winning streak.
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another win will mean that alonso and raikonnen have 4 wins under their belt for this sesasonOriginally posted by dragg:i am a mcClaren fan. must watch now that they are on a winning streak. -
hows the map?
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Very nice but it makes the whole thing go widescreen...arrgh!
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Can the map be resized to fit the screen better?
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Ralf Schumacher has pulled out of the Grand Prix. He will be deputised by Ricardo Zonta today and tomorrow.
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can but u cnt see the words...Originally posted by iveco:Can the map be resized to fit the screen better? -
trulli with pole for tomorrows race... seeme thatmost car are running heavy on fuel...
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what time is the race?
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race? up there (^^,)Originally posted by dragg:what time is the race? -
It may not even happen at all. Michelin are concerned about the integrity of their tyres and are bringing in a new batch - which means tyre changes, a special dispensation from Mad Max, and unanimous agreement from ALL the teams. BAR, Toyota and Renault are already threatening a boycott. The possible solutions:
- All the teams are allowed to make a tyre change, either before the race or during a scheduled pitstop
- The Michelin runners boycott the banked corner and drive through the pitlane
- A chicane is set up just before the said corner -
Only 6 cars are racing! The crowds are stunned!
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Watching the rerun now, the crowd is furious, jeering at the entire race. Tsk tsk tsk. Can you believe this F1 race? Only 6 cars are running!
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The first time toyota got pole position number 1 and they had to take themselves out. What a parody.
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Jordan or Minardi for the podium?
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Is that a trick question?Originally posted by Kuali Baba:Jordan or Minardi for the podium? -
Jordon for me !Originally posted by Kuali Baba:Jordan or Minardi for the podium? -
Ferrari almost took ferrari out of the race when M schumacher exited the pit lane.