This Sunday we’re glad to be back in action with the 10th round of the 2014 MotoGP championship, an event which will take place at the iconic Brickyard, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For the 2014 race, the infield track of the Brickyard has been completely resurfaced, and this makes us wonder whether we are going to see chaos once more, similar to what we had last year at the Phillip Island.
Given the very nature of the Indy track, the bikes had to cope with multiple asphalt textures, and this was one of the biggest complaints from the pilots. The infield track bears this name for a very good reason: about half of the MotoGP strip is laid out inside the famous oval track, and it appears like the transitions from one type of surface to the other were one thing everyone hated.
The management of the IMS chose a different coating technology for the new surface. The old surface of the Indy track has been completely removed and replaced with around 25,000 tons of iron ore slag or cinder and other materials, instead of the traditional tar-coated gravel. The new surface promises much better grip, with the particles being used for it with a diameter no bigger than 9.5mm (0.4”). The resulting surface is denser and rougher than the traditional asphalt, and while providing better traction, it will also destroy the tires much faster.
We can hope that Bridgestone learned their lesson last year and will provide the teams with a suitable assortment of tires. The Japanese tire supplier is said to only bring the Soft, Medium and Hard compounds in Indy.
MotoGP came to Indianapolis in 2008, with Valentino Rossi winning the inaugural race. Jorge Lorenzo has 4 podiums at Indy, followed by Dani Pedrosa with three, and Nicky Hayden and Ben Spies with two each. Pedrosa also holds several more records here: the 1’38.813 track record, two MotoGP wins (2010 and 2012) and two poles. The first motorized race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was also a motorcycle race held on 14 August 1909.
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