A
side from getting beaten
by Marc Marquez every
weekend, there's one
regular thing that all MotoGP rid-
ers share. The annual visit to the
Indianapolis State Fairground,
where the Harleys etc. thunder
around the mile-long oval dirt-
track for a legendary round of
the AMA Grand National Cham-
pionship. The series that gave
rise to a generation of Grand Prix
heroes nowadays couldn't be
further removed from the road-
racing world. They watch open-
mouthed.
The Harleys have been en-
gaged in the same battle for nigh
on 40 years… fighting off the
challenge from Japan. Currently
Kawasaki is giving the good ol'
boys a tough time, but they ain't
giving up.
Marquez was Grand Marshal
this year, but didn't try a fast
lap on the Honda 'tracker pre-
pared for him. Not that he is any
stranger to slinging a dirt bike (or
indeed a 1000cc GP bike) side-
ways, completing the corner rid-
ing the front while the rear leaves
a rooster-tail (or a rubber slick) as
a memento.
"But you see them coming in
at maybe 160 km/h [100 mph],
and the barrier is right there…"
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
NO GRAND PRIX
PUSHRODS, PLEASE
P138
