U.S. Grand Prix Seating

[crt360]

Despite last year's debacle, I'm thinking about going to the U.S. Grand Prix in July.  I've never been to Indy and aside from watching the race on TV and knowing the track layout, I have little info. regarding choice seating.  It looks to me like something in C or H might be good, but I'd really like some input from people who have been.  Any help would be appreciated.

Also, what's the hotel scene like there?  I'm guessing one has to make reservations way in advance to get anything for the weekend.  Are there places I should avoid at all cost?

[jefnvk]

Skip C.  Sat there for the 500, it is set back 15-20 feet further from the track than the covered sections, meaning you have a hard time seeing to the south end (the end the cars will be coming from).  Honestly, if they have it, I would just get the daily infield admission.  Wandered over to the infield on a rain delay, and they had as good as seats as we did.

Hotel?  Take a tent and camp in the parking lot (let us at the 500, but dunno about the GP).  Lots more fun.

[TarpleyG]

IIRC, they run that course backward so I would try and sit down in turn 1 on the left side of the grandstand (if you are facing the straightaway).  LOTS of good stuff going into that turn, especially at the start.

Greg

[El Tejon]

Around Turn 1 is generally thought to be the best for the road race.  Turn 4, up on the top, is where we had seats growing up for the 500.  Those are great seats for the 500.  The best seats I had was when I worked at IMS (in the warehouse in the basement of the museum); they would let us on top of the museum on that knoll and you could see all the way around the track.

One thing Indy has with all the sports, races and conventions is plenty of hotels.  Have a preference for a type or chain?  Want to stay near the track or downtown or by the airport (also on westside)?

[garrettwc]

Stand E on the outside of corner 11 (turn 1 on the oval) high speed section of the track and should give you a view all the way down the front straightaway.

Stand H on the outside of corner 1 (main straight on the oval) this one is the inverse of Stand E. You have the view of them coming at you down the straightaway and a view of the braking area entering turn 1. You should be able to see a portion of the next three corners if you are high enough up.

C10T -Corner Ten Terrace (right behind the museum) this is the chicane at the end of the back(infield) straightaway. Very busy corner. A couple of the big spins were in this area couple of years ago.

Link to a map showing the track and the stands:
http://www.usgpindy.com/modules/images/trackmap/usgp05-map-lrg.jpg

[CatsDieNow]

I was at last year's travesty and will be going again this year.  I got seats in section J (first turn) which were decent, although I should have gotten a few rows higher - say about 10 up because of the protective fence.

That's where the spinouts all happened.  (edit - apparently all the ones I could see - based on the above post)

I also got into a fight with a Kimi fan and his kid who had his flag pole over his shoulder and smacked me in the face twice.  I told him to watch were he was swinging that thing.  He snarkily says "Welcome to Formula One".  I grab the pole, break it over my knee toss it under the stands and say "Welcome to Indiana".

I will say this about it, buy a parking pass and get there early.  Good times.

[TarpleyG]

I grab the pole, break it over my knee toss it under the stands and say "Welcome to Indiana".

LOL...Hoosier daddy now beeyotch!!!  Gotta love IN.

Greg

[CatsDieNow]

LOL...Hoosier daddy now beeyotch!!!  Gotta love IN.

Well, except that I am female...yeah!   Which is probably why he didn't try to hit me afterwards.

There are times that I miss living in Indiana and then there's Winter (or Not-hot season as we call it down here in Texas).

[garrettwc]

There are times that I miss living in Indiana and then there's Winter (or Not-hot season as we call it down here in Texas).

That's it rub it in. Hey it's not to bad today. 13 degrees with the wind chill.

[El Tejon]

Fie, cowboy up there, gar.  Cold air is just God killing bugs and helping clean the track!:D

[garrettwc]

Cold air is just God killing bugs and helping clean the track!

Well since you put it that way

[crt360]

Thanks for all the quick responses.  jefnvk, thanks for the heads up on C.  I think I'll try to get something in the first turn area, probably H or J.

CatsDieNow, did you mean ten rows up from the bottom or from where you were?

The best seats I had was when I worked at IMS (in the warehouse in the basement of the museum); they would let us on top of the museum on that knoll and you could see all the way around the track.

El T, you gave up a fine job like that for a legal career?

God kills bugs and cleans the track for y'all?  We must be sinners down here because he lets our bugs procreate, multiply, divide and conquer year round.

[Ron]

+1 on H, sat there in 2002 and was happy with the action.  It is a big track and I don't think there is a place to sit to see everything.

[garrettwc]

CatsDieNow, did you mean ten rows up from the bottom or from where you were?

I'm not CatsDie, but I can tell you, need to be at least 10 rows up from the bottom.

Ground level for the stands along the front staight is below the track surface level so the first 8 rows or so you can only see the wings on the tops of the cars as they go by due to the high wall.

I know when I sit in the turns I try to get in the low double alpha (AA, BB, etc) rows. You are high enough then to get a nice panorama view of the area. Don't go too high though or your view will be partially blocked by the upper deck of the main grandstand.

[crt360]

garrettwc, thanks, that's what I was trying to figure out.

[El Tejon]

crt, LOL!  What a gig it was, my friend.  14 years old, $3.35 an hour and I got to drive a golf cart loaded down with t-shirts and shot glasses to all 8 of the track's gift shops.  And the French benefits!  Why the bigwigs that would come down for the private tours would give us hats, food or even passes to the pits.  Plus, the tour bus drivers taught us poker (may my Methodist mother never know this).

When I wasn't sorting t-shirts and postcards in the warehouse in the basement, they made us polish the cars (Tony kept the surplus cars in the museum in the basement and at a warehouse in Terre Haute) or sweep the floors.  When I turned 16, they let me drive my 1965 Pontiac Lemans convertible around IMS!  I may the only person at APS that has turned a lap at the Indy 500 (of course it was in a '65 Pontiac and it was October).

Cold air, like anything there is good and bad.  Have been out skiing in say January or February and hit by that Alberta Clipper, aka the Spear of God, you want to die!:D

So, where in Indy do you want to stay?

[CatsDieNow]

crt360,

Yup, what garrettwc said.  

I was in row D (and will be again to get the free bonus tickets).  I could see in front of me great, but looking down the straight through the fence was not so good.  I recommend at least 10 rows up from the rail.  Bring your earplugs, too.

GoRon is right, unless you are in the tower, excuse me - the pagoda, no seat has a view of the entire track.  I picked section J due to the braking after the straight and maximum visibility of twisty parts and spinouts.  The seat others suggested are great too, I almost got section C seats instead.

Edit - El T: Actually, anyone can pay their $50 and get a lap now.  Sorry.

[El Tejon]

What!  When did this start?  *kicks rocks*

[El Tejon]

Oh, man, she's not kidding.  I called IMS and it's called "Community Day" the Wednesday prior to the Indy 500.  They let anyone pay a lousy $5.00 and drive a lap around the oval.

IMS has a cool website, fwiw.

[CatsDieNow]

Oooh.  $5 is much better than the $50 they wanted on the day before the F1 race.   I'll have do do that some year.

Well, you did your lap first - back when it was cool.

[garrettwc]

Well, you did your lap first - back when it was cool.

And probably a lot faster than the 5mph parade speed that everyone gets to ride around on community day or after the mayor's breakfast.

[El Tejon]

gar, the LeMans only had the 289, not the GTO engine, but since I had a Holley and a rebuilt transmission passing gear and new exhaust system (plus I ran Turbo Orange gas [138] purchased at IRP), I could bury the needle in the straightaways, but the suspension was not made for that speed on turning, even on IMS's low grade turns.

[garrettwc]

I could bury the needle in the straightaways, but the suspension was not made for that speed on turning, even on IMS's low grade turns.big_smile

Just do like my kids do on the Nascar video game. Run high into turn 1 and just ride the wall until you can straighten 'er out again.

[crt360]

El T, that might possibly be the coolest teen job I've ever heard of.  It beats the hell out of working in a law office - filing documents, sorting files, delivering documents, stamping and delivering incoming mail, updating books (replace these old 203 pages with these new 246 pages, one at a time), making copies, entering timeslips, etc.

I have not figured out where I'm staying.  The only thing I know about Indianapolis is it's in Indiana, has IMS and the Colts.  I've never even been to Indiana.  I have relatives that run a music store up in Valparaiso, but I've never even been there.  I'm thinking about taking a week off so I can drive up to Indy and see what's between here and there.  As far as hotels go, cheap is good.  I don't plan on spending any more time in it than I have to, so as long as it's clean, has hot water and not too many bullet holes or bed bugs I'll be fine.

[El Tejon]

gar, regarding my lack of driving skills, well, Jeff Gordon was around to teach me but he was a couple of years behind me.  Think he was still running dirt midgets when I was working at IMS.

crt, it was a cool job, especially as you say for a teenager.  There are a s-load of hotels on the westside (some do not charge by the hour).  A google search should be able to turn up the cheapest.  I thought downtown because I thought you might want to check out the touristy stuff--museums, shoppes, the war monuments, inter alia, but the prices are higher.