 FORMULA 1 |
F1 Circus Back Home Again in Indiana
| |  | | | They'll be going the wrong way at Indianapolis again starting this Friday. (Photo: LAT Photographic) | | |
Indianapolis, Ind., Sept. 24 — The cars and stars of the Formula 1 World Championship, and many planeloads of accompanying equipment and television production facilities, are arriving in Indianapolis this week as Circle City gears up for the second annual SAP United States Grand Prix at the world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The teams shipped out their chassis and cargo pallets late last week. Most had to be shipped from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, as heightened security regulation demand that everything be x-rayed and the only two airports in Europe with adequate facilites are in Luxembourg and Amsterdam. Ferrari's equipment was shipped from Milan's Malapensa airport, where it was subjected to what was described as a "correspondingly rigorous examination."
In addition to added shipping difficulties, the Minardi team had a problem obtaining visas for its crew, but that has been resolved and the team is on its way.
After some initial concerns that the event might be postponed or cancelled in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, all parties concerned have settled down to the business at hand.
Heightened security will be in place for the event, as the Speedway has been working in concert with local, state and federal agencies to ensure safety for the teams and spectators.
"Public safety is our first priority, and I am grateful to the law enforcement and emergency response community for their cooperation in reviewing and strengthening the plans for the SAP United States Grand Prix," IMS president Tony George said. "A number of additional measures will be taken, some our fans will see, some they won't, but all of them are being taken to assure we are doing what needs to be done for the security of all."
Visible increased security measures will include strict enforcement on rules relating to the size of coolers allowed to be brought into the Speedway and stringent inspection of same, in addition to a more visible presence by uniformed officers.
The remainder of the security arrangements remain confidential.
"We have a model safety and security plan in place that has been refined during the last 30 years, and it has been copied and applied at other large venues around the country," said Jeff Dine, chief of police for the Town of Speedway, Ind., and chair of the Law Enforcement Safety Group that coordinates security for the Speedway's three annual events.
"Federal, state and local agencies all work together here seamlessly, and all have reviewed and updated the procedures in light of the current situation. Many of our efforts have and will go unnoticed, and that is the intended purpose."
Public safety officers at the Speedway work under a coordinated command with the ability to communicate across agency lines.
"There is no better system at any large event anywhere than what we have in place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway," Dine said.
The increased security will take its toll on the speed with which spectators can file through the gates.
"I know our fans will understand and welcome the additional measures that we are putting in place," George said. "Entry into the facility may be slowed, so it will be very helpful for fans to come early and even out the flow into the Speedway."
The festivities will get underway on Thursday, with a press conference that is expected to feature Juan Pablo Montoya, Jacques Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Raikkonen and Pedro de la Rosa. Cars will take to the track for the first time on Friday, for two one-hour practice sessions, followed by a press conference featuring Michael Schumacher, Eddie Irvine, Gerhard Berger, Flavio Briatore, Eddie Jordan and Sir Frank Williams. There will be two 45min practice sessions and an hour-long qualifying session on Saturday, with a half-hour warm-up and the race on Sunday.
Support events for the weekend include the Ferrari Challenge, the Porsche Supercup and a demonstration of historic Formula 1 cars.
Speedvision will have live coverage of every minute of on-track action, except for the race. Every practice session, the qualifying session and the warm-up will all be televised live, with Speedvision's customary Formula 1 analysis team of Bob Varsha, Sam Posey, David Hobbs and Steve Matchett. However, the live-broadcast rights for the race itself have been granted to ABC. Speedvision will have a special-edition tape-delayed broadcast of the race on Sunday, Oct. 7 that will feature much access that has not before been granted to U.S. audiences.
Speedvision's USGP Schedule (all times EDT):
Thursday, Sept. 27:
8:00 p.m. U.S. Grand Prixview
Friday, Sept. 28:
12:00 a.m. U.S. Grand Prixview
11:30 a.m. U.S. Grand Prixview
12:00 p.m. USGP Friday Practice 1 (live)
2:00 p.m. USGP Friday Practice 2 (live)
10:00 p.m. USGP Friday Practice (combined)
Saturday, Sept. 29:
2:00 a.m. USGP Friday Practice (combined)
9:00 a.m. USGP Friday Practice (combined)
10:00 a.m. USGP Saturday Practice (live)
1:30 p.m. USGP Qualifying (live)
8:00 p.m. USGP Qualifying
Sunday, Sept. 30:
9:30 a.m. USGP Warm-Up (live)
12:00 p.m. U.S. Grand Prix - Heritage Reborn
Sunday, Oct. 7:
8:00 p.m. USGP Special-Edition Race Broadcast (tape-delayed)
— John Gardner, News Bureau Editor, RACER (Photo: LAT Photographic)
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