We slept in today, skipping the warm up sessions and getting to the track around 10:30am. Our hospitality room was buzzing, nearly doubling the number of people than the day before. We ate an early lunch to be ready for the Noon kickoff of the races with the 125cc riders. There were a lot of wrecks, indicative of how tough the hot track conditions were.
Luckily no one was injured during this race.
The Moto2 riders were next, and we were rooting for Spaniard Tony Elias (#24) and Americans Roger Hayden (#34), Nicky’s younger brother, and Kenny Noyes (#9).
Within minutes, there were eight riders involved in a crash, which caused a red flag and a restart. There was great excitement around the track as everyone waited to see what would happen. Tony ended up winning the race, and later told press that he had been ill with a fever all week. It’s amazing that not being in 100% condition he was able to pull off the win.
Approaching 2:45pm, the air temperature was 93 degrees with the track temp at 133 degrees! The riders were cooking on the grid. Before the start, we sang the national anthem and had a flyover from a C130 from the Kentucky Air National Guard.
Rob’s large camera lens allowed for this close photo, it actually was not as close as it appears!
The race was underway at 3pm. After a few laps, Ben Spies could not hold off Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, but we cheered for Ben during each lap as he securely held second place.
The race lasted 29 laps, exciting as always, but so much better to watch in person than on TV. Dani held on to win, with Ben in second beating out Jorge Lorenze (championship leader). The crowd was so happy for him and this was his best finish as a rookie MotoGP rider.
The racers came around for a victory lap, with Nicky being kind enough to wave specifically to Michele in the stands.
Our race weekend was better than we could have expected, with great weather, exceptional hospitality at the track and good times spent with our friend, Mike. We were saddened to hear that earlier that morning, one of the Morigawa riders, a 13-year old boy, had been struck on the track and killed. It breaks our heart for his family and friends, and puts in perspective the dangerous nature of a sport that we love.
Tomorrow we bid Indianapolis goodbye until next year, and head back home with a 6am departure.
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