Questions About Motogp At Indianapolis Speedway

I have never been to a race at the Indianapolis Speedway. When I go to the MotoGP site, I see general admission (GA)  tickets for all three days and reserved seating on just the last day only. So where do people sit for GA? Is it just a mad rush a-holes and elbows to secure the best seat? Do they congregate around the infield and sit on lawn chairs? 

Also, where do people usually stay? A hotel? An RV (Redneck Vacation home)? or what?

I've gone twice, but only for the race days.
That said, since the first two days are just practice days, there isn't any reason for reserve seating.
I'm sure the penthouse and suite seating is always restricted, but all else would be 1st come, 1st serve.

Since Indy has been a big race town for a long time, they're pretty well set up with regard to hotel/motel availability.

The 1st year I went (2008) , we just drove from Dayton OH to Indy on the day of the race and drove back afterwards.
The following year, we stayed at a hotel (Hampton Inn, I think) about 10 miles east of the track.

One really nice perk they do at Indy:
When the race is over, the cops keep 16th street cleared for raceway traffic heading east most of the way back towards downtown and Interstate 65.
No stopping for lights or cross-traffic for about 3 miles.

I suspect they do the same heading west on Crawfordsville towards the 465/74 interchange.
 

I have been every year it has been in Indy. The first couple of years I had a vending booth right outside the main entrance (SW side of the track). I parked my motorhome there and was able to walk across the street and up into my reserved seats. I bought the reserved seats because I wanted to sit somewhat close to my booth so I could close down during the main race, run in, watch the race, then get back to the booth quickly.

Since I now go to just watch and enjoy myself, I do the general admission seats. Friday and Saturday, you can sit pretty much anywhere, so I sit on the start/finish line for a while, up in the stands as high as you can go in turn 1 for a while, hang out on the infield, etc. Just checking out different views. These are the 2 days that we walk around the vendors too.

Sunday morning we get there about 9 am and head to our seats and someone stays there at all times to keep them. We sit up high on the south end of the track. If you get high enough in the main stands, there is another strip of seats (a few rows) above you which give some shade. From that vantage point, you can see turns 1-5 and there is a big jumbo vision directly across from you so you can see the rest of the race.

I have a friend that lives in Greenfield and we stayed with him a couple of years, but then decided staying in a hotel would be easier on his wife and kids. We still wanted to be able to hang out with him though, so stay at a hotel right at the Greenfield exit. A little bit of a ride to and from the track, but not a big deal. Probably way cheaper than anything near the track.

Finding GA seats on Friday and Saturday shouldn't be a problem.  The track is set up to accommodate 300K + for the Indy 500.  MotoGP draws less than a third as many people.  I usually spend Friday and Saturday in the infield, exploring different vantage points and checking out the vendors.  (Don't forget to check out the museum.)  One year I sat in the SW Vista.  The 2nd time I went, I sat in H stand at the north west end.  Both have good views and the all important Jumbotron.  Last year I flagged the race on the back straight.  Very cool experience, but I felt like I missed a lot.  I'm going back as a spectator this year, but doing GA for the weekend. 

I do the motel thing.  Air conditioning and a shower are wonderful things after being at the track all day.  Shop now for a room.  Prices aren't too bad.  I just reserved a Quality Inn 20 minutes from the track for $75 per night.

Thanks for all the info, I really appreciate it. You see, I would be going alone. I don't have any friends or family, so I have no one to guard my seat. But like you said, MotoGP does not draw the biggest crowded, so it sounds like its not a problem. Is is also possible to watch the race from the infield? The closer to the bikes I can get all the better. I would like to watch the pit crews in action.

Just hook up with someone on the list and hang with them. You can sit with us if you want. There are usually 7 or 8 of us.

I might be going this year with a friend or so. Not sure if we are riding in or not. I'm game for wasting the tires on the ST. 

 Is is also possible to watch the race from the infield? The closer to the bikes I can get all the better.

I plan to watch from the infield this year.  The spectator mounds at T9 and T10 look like they may be good choices.

[image: indy_track_map.jpg]

Now yall have my mental gears turning... Gotta figure out how to make this trip happen.

It's a good time, all the info above describes my experience there perfectly. Only thing I would add is that if you're there on Friday, I recommend doing the track lap. It's like $40. You go out in groups with a marshall out front on a little TTR125 or something like that, and they're supposed to keep everyone below 35mph but I remember looking down on the front straight and seeing 70 indicated. But just getting to turn a wheel on that track is quite a rush.