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MotoGP attendance slips

Associated Press
August 29, 2010
Keywords
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Motorsports, Sporting Events, Sports Business
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Attendance fell for the second straight year at the Indianapolis MotoGP, days after it was announced that the motorcycle-racing event would return in 2011.

A total of 136,184 spectators attended the three days of action at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Sunday's total attendance of 62,794 fell from 75,130 last year, when the combined total for the weekend was 146,680.

The three-day total for the first event in 2008 was about 170,000.


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  • So True
    JeffAugust 31, 2010 5:11 PM
    Mike Lewis gets it RIGHT. This is a sport that you want to see up and close. Bring back the Turn 7 Terrace Seating, and work on installing seating in the other corners. When you sit outside the track, it can literally be a 3 mile walk to go into the vendor and paddock areas. Moto2 was a welcome addition this year on a positive note. Attendance is down for all motorsports. Even NASCAR, which was once booming, cannot sell out tracks such as Bristol.
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  • Burl Hatterley
    TAugust 30, 2010 5:11 PM
    Give me a break...IMS is not going anywhere. The speedway has never asked for any cash from the state and would if it actually needed it to keep it afloat. Plus you're insane if you think the city or the state would let it slip away...Try again.
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  • Roll out the big dogs
    Da HooeyAugust 30, 2010 2:10 PM
    2 parts here:

    1. You (the IBJ) can point me to how many articles leading up top the event this year? I can't seem to find them. And in particular, Anthony Schoettle's blog made ZERO mention of it this year, but instead carried countless weekly IMS press clippings of IndyCar. Where is the "get behind what is good for the city" attitude? Do you need me to write things and submit them? Its clear that this event is important to the local economy, and it is the business of sports....

    2. Because the IRL is such a failure, don't you see this is having an effect on this race? The "sunday SUNDAY SSUUNNDDAAYY!" type TV ads they ran were embarrassing. The IMS management and in particular their "Marketing" department have driven away the F1 race, most of the Indy500 fans, and are working on destroying what is left of the Brickyard. They need to clean house and hire professionals. You want a cause for declining attendance? How about lack of PR and paid media, and also sending out the wrong message that this is some sort of "supercross" event. IMS gets it wrong more than Dave Calabro.

    Finally, the group of a dozen or so I was with had 3 newbies in tow....and you know what? Hands down this event beats anything offered by the IRL or NASCAR, including the Indy 500.

    :throws chicken bucket on track:
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  • MotoGP
    Mike LewisAugust 30, 2010 1:20 PM
    This is a niche-market race...the MotoGP fans are for the most part die-hards and ride motorcycles to boot. The crowds are NOT going to be the size of Indy 500 or even the Brickyard. The racing is not boring like Nascar...did anyone notice the crowd was not rowdy? The Speedway needs to put butts in the seats where the action is and close the rest of the stands. My wife an I have attended all three events and will be back next year.
    As far as IMS looking for other races, how about an IRL race on the road course in the fall?
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    • MotoGP coverage
      IBJ ModeratorAugust 30, 2010 12:42 PM
      IBJ has published nearly 30 articles, columns or blog items about or mentioning the MotoGP in recent years, including several in-depth features about the race and its impact on Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
      Reply to CommentFlag Comment
    • Really?
      JoBuAugust 30, 2010 11:12 AM
      I could see the 3 day number down for sure, but Sunday? Maybe I have a short memory, but the weather was terrible last year on race day (cold/windy). There is no way there were more bodies at IMS last year on race day vs. this year. Tickets sold, maybe. But bums in the seats/mounds...no way. Took us an hour and a half to get home, that is a first for us at this event.
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    • Oh yeah?
      Da HooeyAugust 30, 2010 5:55 AM
      Still more loyal fans, and more fans on practice and quals days than anything the .1RL offers. See, these are RACE fans, not PLACE fans.

      Maybe if you would write some stories going into the event, and not just some regurgitated IMS press feeding, you might help get fans attention to the sport and event. Anthony writes 34,821 articles on the hapless .1RL, and ZERO about the Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP?

      You seem to be part of the problem here.
      Reply to CommentFlag Comment
      • Not surprised
        Burl HatterleyAugust 30, 2010 1:12 AM
        Racing is so over with at IMS. Even the bikes. The place has run its course, no pun intended. We are living in a time in which we are seeing a famous race track in its final years and a sport, Indy Car racing, ending soon before our very eyes. The bikes are only filler. And the Speedway knows that signing them up gives an illusion that the place will continue on. The truth of the matter is this: The IMS is going to be sold for redevelopment and it will happen soon after the 2011 calendar. IMS is done.
        Reply to CommentFlag Comment

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      1. City-County Councilor Angela Mansfield and Bob Lutz have a case of wishful thinking.

        They obviously don't really care about the cost.

        They should.

        Extending Federal Benefits to Same-Sex Couples Will Cost $898M, CBO Says

        http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/12/22/extending-federal-benefits-sex-couples-cost-m-cbo-says/

      2. Brett, be careful what you lie about, the truth always comes out.

        "IMS's George Honored: Tony George, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president and chief executive officer, received the inaugural Pioneering and Innovation Award at the Autosport Awards Dec. 5 in London for his leadership in the development of the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) Barrier. George received the award at the annual gala at the Grosvenor House on behalf of the creators of the SAFER Barrier from Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the leader of the Bahrain International Grand Prix circuit. This is the fourth major award that has been presented to honor George and the SAFER Barrier development team. The SAFER Barrier also received the Louis Schwitzer Award, SEMA Motorsports Engineering Award and GM Racing Pioneer Award in 2002. The SAFER Barrier was installed in all four turns of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway a pioneer in safety for drivers, cars and tracks -- in time for the 86th Indianapolis 500 in 2002. It since has been installed at more than a dozen other tracks, and the latest iteration will be installed at the Speedway in the spring.(IMS PR), see more on my Indy Track News page.(12-7-2004)"

        As far as the cart safety team, I cannot find anything on its date of creation. The Delphi Safety team was created in 1996. For some reason there is not much info out there on defunct racing series.

      3. Great article Anthony. Glad IMS is finally being run like a business and not a personal check book to finance the "Vision".

        Things are looking up but 15 years of scorched earth won't be fixed overnight. Unfortunately the TV ratings are still poor and that won't change anytime soon with the brilliant 10 year contract signed under the former regime.

      4. Brett not sure why you wonder what he said in his quote. "''I would like to jump in a time machine, go back to 1995, and tell the owners and Tony George not to split,'' Franchitti said. ''As soon as my time machine is done, I know where I'm going.''"

        Pretty clear, he would love to go back and tell TG and the team owners not to split.

        I am not sure there is anyone who wanted the split, and I don't think there is anyone who would not like to go back and prevent the split. But, as has been discussed ad nauseum, without the split carts management by team owners would have run all of ow racing into bankruptcy. If cart had such a wonderful product, then losing IMS would not have forced it into bankruptcy. If NASCAR lost Daytona or Charlotte, it would not fail like cart did.

        Truth,

        So you predicted that cart would go into bankruptcy and cease to exist while Indycar would continue on? I missed that prediction.

      5. I want to live in a city that has a garage structure to be proud of for it's innovating design!

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