Motorcycles At Indianapolis

Sunday's Moto Grand Prix race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was certainly amazing to see. My Reasons for watching?:

• Its the first time since 1909 the year the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened that motorcycles had raced there
• Nicky Hayden - a local, from Owensboro, Kentucky finished second, and it was a great finish for him, and his first podium for 2008.
• Racing in the rain - Indy isn't well known for racing in the rain, mostly because of constant rained out Indy 500's & Brickyard 400's, and the fact that GP raced there, flying down the straightaway close to 200 miles per hour amazed me, and all in the rain- unbelieveable!

Valentino Rossi Came away with the win, with the race being red flagged with 8 laps remaining due to heavy wind & rain - remnants from Hurricane Ike.


Video Courtesy: Speed Channel, Brightcove

Canadians Finish 1-2 @ Giles Villenuve, NASCAR Finally Races in The Rain - Officially

Ron Fellows has finally won the racetrack that has eluded him for so many years. Saturday was the race for the NASCAR Nationwide Series @ Circuit Gilles Villenuve in Montreal, Canada, which not only was history for the winner, and the entire nation - considering Fellows, and fellow Canadian, Patrick Carpentier finished first and second, but it also was history for NASCAR itself. This race was the very first point paying race that NASCAR has ever run in the rain. What was the only other race they ever had under wet conditions before that? - an exhibition race held at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan, in 1997.


This is incredible to finally win here," - Ron Fellows, as he brought his wife & family into the victory lane garage celebration."It's a great day for Canadians and it's very special here at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Gilles was a hero of mine."

Fellows is definitely no stranger to wet weather driving- or winning, for that matter. He has run the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the wet with the GM Corvette Racing Factory Team for the better part of the decade taking multiple GT class victories. I can now honestly say that NASCAR no longer has to deal with the old saying of "go fast & turn left" as much, because they actually were able to do more than that, and has totally taken me by surprise driving in wet conditions. It looks like Formula One may just have some competition for wet weather driving, after all.

Photo Courtesy: The National Post, Reuters
Video Courtesy: ESPN, You Tube