MotoGP PREVIEW: RED BULL INDIANAPOLIS GP

EVENT: Red Bull Indianapolis GP

WHERE: Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Circuit is 2.621 miles (4.218 km), with 16 turns. Race is 28 laps.

WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 14. It is the 14th of 18 events this season.

U.S. TV: 3-4 p.m. (ET), Sunday, Sept. 14, NBC.

THE AMERICANS: U.S. riders Colin Edwards (Houston, Yamaha Tech 3), Nicky Hayden (Owensboro, Ky., Repsol Honda Team), John Hopkins (Ramona, Calif., Kawasaki Racing Team) and Ben Spies (Longview, Texas, Rizla Suzuki MotoGP) will compete in this race. Edwards, Hayden and Hopkins are full-time riders in the world’s most prestigious motorcycle series; three-time AMA Superbike champion Spies is a wild-card rider at this event. Hayden is returning to action after missing the last two races with a heel injury.

•Colin Edwards: (About racing on a new circuit): “I think it balances the scales, to a point. We’re all going there not knowing what to expect. Usually the guys who learn the track the quickest tend to come out on top. It could be a crapshoot, there’s no question about that. Generally, I’ve always been a quick learner when it comes down to learning racetracks. I’ve always gotten along with that. Having the confidence, that’s the key. Knowing that everything is under you and everything is going to stay there, that’s the big key of really learning a track.” (About racing in home country): “It’s cool. To have a sport that was basically invented in Europe and come here, any time you come to the U.S. is cool. Anything can happen at any moment. The excitement of the bikes doing 200 mph right beside you is something special.”

•Nicky Hayden: “Indy’s going to be a big challenge for everyone, but I quite enjoy going to new circuits. We will use the data the test teams got when they tested there in July to help line up the transmission and so on. The track layout doesn’t look so spectacular, because it’s inside an oval so there’s not a lot of room for them to work with, and it’s quite flat. But Indy has a long history and a big tradition, and they know how to promote a race. I think they’re going to smash it – put on an awesome event. For me, it’s crazy to be racing a GP three hours from my house! I just wish I was going into it healthy. It’s not been long since Misano, though going left should be better for my right foot. It’s a good time to go home and get some support from the fans. We’ll give it all we’ve got and try to get a good result for them.”

•John Hopkins: “I'm really excited about Indianapolis as it’s my second home round and unfortunately I missed Laguna Seca because I was injured. Not only that, but I grew up around the racing world, and although two-wheeled motorsport is my favorite, the family would all get together to watch races like the Brickyard and the Indianapolis 500 at this track. It’s a very special feeling to be racing in MotoGP there, and although I’m not familiar with the circuit, I’m incredibly motivated for this event. I’ve been studying the track layout and Olivier (Jacque) tested the Ninja ZX-RR earlier this year, so we have a little bit of feedback from that, but being in front of my home fans at such an incredible place is going to be fantastic. I just can’t wait to get out there.”

•Ben Spies: “I’m really looking forward to racing a MotoGP bike again on American soil, and I’ve been lucky enough to have done some laps on the Indy circuit, so I am pretty comfortable with it. I am looking for a pretty good weekend, and it looks like the Suzuki has been working well over the last few races, so that should help us to be competitive. It should be fun, and we’ll try our best to get a good result for all the American fans that will be turning up to watch us.”

THEY SAID IT: “I am looking forward to it though as I used to watch the Indy 500 on TV, and now it will be great to race a MotoGP bike at such a famous venue. I just hope we can put on a good show to convert some the American car fans into bike fans!” – Rizla Suzuki MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen, about the Red Bull Indianapolis GP.

FAST FACTS: Valentino Rossi can become the winningest MotoGP/500cc rider in history with a victory at this event. Rossi tied fellow Italian legend Giacomo Agostini with his 68th premier-class victory on Aug. 31 in the Grand Prix of San Marino at Misano, Italy … Agostini earned his 68 victories in 119 starts, for a strike rate of 57.1 percent. Rossi has won 68 of his 145 starts, a 46.9 percent strike rate … Rossi has won the last three races of the season and leads second-place Casey Stoner by 75 points … Reigning World Champion Stoner has won seven consecutive poles this season entering this event, the longest pole streak in the premier class since fellow Australian World Champion Mick Doohan won 12 consecutive poles in 1997 … Dani Pedrosa will switch from Michelin to Bridgestone tires starting at this event on his Repsol Honda Team bike. His teammate, 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden, will stay on Michelin tires. Repsol Honda Team becomes the second team in MotoGP this seaso n with split tire loyalties, as Rossi has been on Bridgestones all season on his Fiat Yamaha Team machine while teammate Jorge Lorenzo has been on Michelins … The Red Bull Indianapolis GP is the 13th motorcycle Grand Prix race in America. The first was in 1964 at Daytona International Speedway, with the latest in July at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, won by Rossi … If American Colin Edwards finishes third or better at this event, he will equal the 124 points he has earned each of the last two seasons in MotoGP … The 125cc and 250cc classes also compete this weekend. American Stevie Bonsey, from Salinas, Calif., is 14th in the 125cc standings for the DeGraaf Grand Prix team … The Red Bull Riders Cup and Red Bull AMA U.S. Rookies Cup classes, for 13- to 16-year-old riders, also is competing at IMS this weekend.

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Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: Tickets are on sale for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14, 2008.

Three-day tickets can be purchased either online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time; on the phone by calling (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; or visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office on the first floor of the IMS Administration Building at 4790 W. 16th St. in Indianapolis from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Single-day general admission tickets will be available at the gate Friday, Sept. 12 and Saturday, Sept. 13. The one-day tickets are $10 each Friday and $20 each Saturday. These tickets only can be purchased at the gates with cash.