Motorsports

Tire fiasco or not, F1 will race at Indy track

INDIANAPOLIS - Formula One will return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next year despite the fiasco surrounding June's boycotted race.

Speedway officials announced Wednesday the U.S. Grand Prix will be run July 2, making it the seventh year the race has been run at the track.

The race's future had been in question after only six drivers competed in the June 19 race as seven F1 teams pulled their cars off the track to protest safety concerns with Michelin tires. Those teams wanted to use fresh tires or have an extra chicane put in the track's 13th turn, but F1 officials opted to make no changes.

"Preparations for all three of our events begin more than a year in advance," speedway president Joie Chitwood said. "Despite the events that took place during this year's USGP and the cloud that lingered over the race, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway staff never stopped working on 2006 and promoting Formula One racing in the U.S.

Michelin offered to refund the tickets for the estimated 100,000 fans at June's race and has said it would buy 20,000 tickets for fans to return for the 2006 race.

Henry Price, an Indianapolis attorney who has filed a lawsuit on behalf of fans against F1, Michelin and others seeking refunds for travel and other costs, said many race fans were still angry over the boycott.

"If they want fans in the stands, they'd better settle this and take care of it before next year's race," Price said Wednesday.

Sports marketer Mark Ganis of Sportscorp Ltd. in Chicago said next year's race could determine the future of F1 racing in the United States. He said Indianapolis was the best place in the U.S. for an F1 event.

"They'd better have this race go off without a hitch and find some fan-friendly activities," he said. "It left a bad taste in a lot of fans' mouths. They must make sure nothing goes wrong."

Ganis said F1's drivers needed to reach out to the American fans the way NASCAR drivers have.

"If our auto racing stars were arrogant and aloof, that's what we would expect from F1 racing," he said. "We have the exact opposite. Our drivers are very friendly, very solicitous of fans. That's what has made racing big in the U.S."

The scheduling of the U.S. Grand Prix on July 2 would have it running the same day as the Indy Racing League's event in Kansas City.

The helmet that Robby Gordon threw at Michael Waltrip was pulled off the online auction site eBay after bidding exceeded $10-million.

The site ended the auction because it was unable to verify the legitimacy of the bids and because Gordon didn't have the proper documentation showing that he planned to donate the proceeds of the sale to charity, said eBay spokesman Hani Durzy.

The helmet was scheduled to be re-listed with AuctionCause, a site known for assisting in fundraising efforts with experience in prequalifying bidders.

[Last modified September 22, 2005, 01:04:14]