Hayes, Beaubier Set For Indy 500 Demo
MotoAmerica To Showcase Its Stars At The Indy 500
COSTA MESA, CA, MAY 21 – The MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Racing Championship will be exposed to 300,000 spectators and a potential viewership of some 6.2 million people when Josh Hayes and Cameron Beaubier perform a demonstration lap around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval prior to Sunday’s 99th running of America’s most revered motorsport event, the Indy 500.
Four-time AMA Superbike Champion Hayes and his MotoAmerica Superbike Championship-leading teammate Beaubier will ride their Monster Energy/Graves Motorsports Yamaha R1s around what is arguably the most famous 2.5 miles of pavement in the world at 9:54 a.m. (Eastern) just prior to the 12:15 p.m. (Eastern) start of the 99th running of the Indy 500. The pair will also spend time with other celebrities and dignitaries on the Red Carpet prior to and after their demonstration lap.
“I think it’s going to be really cool that we are going to get to race at the Brickyard this year, and to be asked to go and do a promotional event and see the Indy 500 is exceptionally cool,” said Hayes, fresh off his two Superbike wins at VIRginia International Raceway last weekend. “To be able to showcase the new R1 that Yamaha came out with this year to a new crowd of car people will hopefully entice a few of them to come to the motorcycle races. It’s something I’m happy to be a part of.”
To draw even more attention to the MotoAmerica Series and two of its biggest stars, both Hayes and Beaubier’s Yamaha R1 Superbikes will be equipped with special, prototype, MotoGP-style exhaust systems designed and built by Graves Motorsports. So the bikes will be loud.
Beaubier is also excited about his visit to the Brickyard.
“I’m really looking forward to watching the Indy cars go around, and I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity to ride our brand-new R1 Superbikes in front of a different group of motorsports fans,” the championship leader said. “I think it will draw some more attention to our sport. I can’t wait until this Sunday. It’s going to be fun.”
Last weekend at VIR, Hayes swept the MotoAmerica Superbike doubleheader with Beaubier finishing second in race one and third in race two. The wins were the 50th and 51st of Hayes’ stellar Superbike career.
The pair, who have three wins apiece in the series thus far, will see action again in round four of the 2015 MotoAmerica Superbike Championship, the MotoAmerica SUBWAY Superbike Doubleheader at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, May 29-31.
“First I want to thank the staff at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the invite to showcase MotoAmerica and two of its stars to a large audience of potential motorcycle road racing fans,” said Paul Carruthers, MotoAmerica’s Communications Manager. “I also want to thank Yamaha’s Keith McCarty, Tom Halverson and the rest of the team for their efforts in making this happen. And, of course, it wouldn’t be possible without Josh and Cameron taking time out from their hectic schedules to go with us to Indy. I’m looking forward to a great day.”
This weekend’s trip to Indy won’t be the only visit to the Brickyard for Hayes and Beaubier as the two will compete in round eight of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, August 7-9. Those two Superbike races, held in conjunction with the Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP, will mark the first-ever Superbike races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Indy 500 Facts:
* The average ticket price for the 2015 Indy 500 is $185.93
* There are 250,000 permanent seats at IMS
* The Speedway will rank as the 45th largest city in the U.S. when packed on Sunday
* The infield at IMS comprises of 253 acres, which is enough to house Churchill Downs, Yankee Stadium, the Rose Bowl, the Roman Colosseum and Vatican City
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is the new North American road racing series created in 2014. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership that includes three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Hall of Famer Wayne Rainey, ex-racer and former manager of Team Roberts Chuck Aksland, motorsports marketing executive Terry Karges, and businessman Richard Varner. For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.motoamerica.com.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.:
Four-Time Superbike Champ Hayes, Plus Current MotoAmerica Superbike Points Leader Beaubier, To Make On-Track Appearance Before Indy 500
Cypress, CA – May 21, 2015 – Prior to this Sunday’s 99th running of the prestigious Indy 500, Yamaha’s bLU cRU Superbike stars and Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha teammates Josh Hayes and Cameron Beaubier will make an on-track appearance and aboard their brand-new-for-2015 Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbikes. The announcement was made by Keith McCarty, Motorsports Racing Division Manager for Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.
Four-time and defending Superbike Champion Hayes will ride his #1 Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha R1 Superbike, the same machine on which he won both MotoAmerica Superbike races last weekend at VIRginia International Raceway, in Alton, VA. Joining Hayes on track and aboard his #6 Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha R1 Superbike will last year’s AMA Superbike Rookie of the Year and current MotoAmerica Superbike Championship points leader Cameron Beaubier.
Hayes and Beaubier are scheduled to be on track and aboard their Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha R1 Superbikes at 9:54 AM Central Time this Sunday, prior to the start of the Indy 500.
Both Yamaha R1 Superbikes will be equipped with special, prototype, MotoGP-style exhaust systems designed and built by Graves Motorsports. For a sneak preview of what the bike looks like with the new pipe installed, including how it sounds, click here: https://youtu.be/5JwvLuCFuOM.
When asked about appearing in front of the expected 300,000 fans who will be in attendance at the Indy 500 this Sunday–an event known worldwide as “The Greatest Spectacle In Racing”–Hayes said, “I’m really looking forward to showing our beautiful, new R1 Superbikes to a new crowd of motorsports fans, while also promoting our new MotoAmerica series. It’s also going to be awesome to see a live sporting event that I’ve heard so much about and watched on TV since I was a little kid. To be there in person will be something I’ll never forget.”
Beaubier added, “I’m really looking forward to watching the Indy cars go around, and I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity to ride our brand-new R1 Superbikes in front of a different group of motorsports fans. I think it will draw some more attention to our sport. I can’t wait till this Sunday. It’s going to be fun!”
For more Yamaha racing news, results, photos, and videos, visit http://www.YamahaMotorsports.com/Racing. Also, check out “YamahaMotorUSA” on all your favorite social media sites.