Indianapolis Road Course Web Gems

From Good…To Ugly

History, no matter how rich and full of excitement, is never without its blunders and blemishes, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway certainly has had theirs. Arguably the biggest of these was the travesty that became the 2005 Formula One United States Grand Prix.

IMS has a very unique surface for cars to race on, a diamond cut surface that has a history of eating up tires. In the tire-battle days of Formula One, both Bridgestone and Michelin provided the rubber for the F1 field. At Indianapolis, however, there was a distinct advantage to the Bridgestone teams, as many of the Michelin teams experienced major issues with the life of their tires, so much so that the tire manufacturer warned them against running more than ten laps.

Concerns would grow over the race weekend for the Michelin teams that they would be risking their driver’s safety if they ran the full distance. Compounding the matter further was the FIA’s unwillingness to reach a compromise with the majority of the teams to make the event safer. This would in the end lead to the majority of the field parking, and only six cars completing the event.

“Indygate” as it was called at the time was a huge black eye not only for Formula One but also for Indianapolis, which cast doubt over the race’s future in America.

Next: Two Wheels Versus Four