IndyCar’s Grand Prix of Indianapolis will occur May 10, 2014, on a revised version of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
The course will be adjusted to 2.434 miles and feature several alterations from the version raced by Formula One and more recently, GRAND-AM. The race will also feature a standing start.
The IndyCars will run the clockwise direction with the right-handed, sharp Turn 1 to lead from before oval Turn 4 onto the road course. Turns 2, 3, 4 remain the same before an adjusted chicane that will be Turns 5 and 6, and lead onto the Hulman Blvd. straight. Turn 7 will be a tight, 90-degree left-hander following the flow through Turns 8 and 9, leading back onto the oval Turn 2, road course Turns 10 and 11, and then through the MotoGP section of course to bypass oval Turn 1 and create road course Turns 12, 13 and 14 leading back onto the front straight.
Spectator mounds will be increased and heightened to enhance viewing opportunities. Track officials hope to have a resurfacing complete by December 1 and testing held in the spring.
Tickets go on sale starting on Oct. 14, with the goal outlined by IMS President Doug Boles and Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles to create a family-friendly weekend. Miles outlined a weekend family package for $50. Race Day reserved seat prices will range from $40-75. Existing ticket customers to any 2014 IMS event will receive a $10 discount on reserved seats ($30-65). Race Day general admission tickets are $25 for all customers. A separate website, gpofindianapolis.com, has been created for further information.
The race will be televised live on ABC, including in the Indianapolis market (it’s blacked out locally for the Indianapolis 500). Thursday and Friday will serve as practice and qualifying days. All rungs of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder will also race at the track that weekend.
A title sponsor for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis was not announced, but potentially will be at a later date.
Miles said he wanted to “elevate the month of May” as part of a grander plan to increase attendance and the Speedway, and therefore INDYCAR’s, bottom line over the next five years through 2018.
Boles hopes for a crowd in the 40 to 50,000 range, if not greater, and said the Speedway will “resize the stadium” to give a feel of a big event and give spectators the best viewing access.