Bike legend says strategy in MotoGP will add to drama of inaugural event at IMS INDIANAPOLIS, Friday, Sept. 5, 2008 Motorcycle racing legend Jeff Ward is ecstatic about the opportunity to return to the place that made him famous in four-wheeled racing: the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Ward will serve as rider analyst on the IMS Radio Network’s broadcast of the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP race on Sunday, Sept. 14, the first time motorcycles will compete at the “Racing Capital of the World” since Aug. 14, 1909. He knows the Speedway well, having competed in the Indianapolis 500 seven times, and has media experience from doing television work at past AMA events. “It’s going to be a lot of fun, just being a driver there at Indianapolis and (knowing) the magnitude of that racetrack,” Ward said. “To have the inaugural GP there and to be a part of it, it’s going to be extremely exciting. I’m looking forward to going back and giving my input to it.” After failing to qualify for the 1995 Indianapolis 500, Ward returned in 1997 with Team Cheever and finished third, earning the prestigious Indianapolis 500 Chase Rookie of the Year award. He also competed from 1998-2002 and again in 2005, with a best finish of second in 1999. Ward, who lives in Southern California, became a superstar in AMA motocross and supercross competition in the 1980s and early 1990s. He was the first rider ever to win every major AMA national motocross title when he took the national 500cc motocross title in 1989. He also found a “fountain of youth” of sorts, when a return to AMA competition after his IndyCar career resulted in the 2004 Supermoto Championship at age 43. He won it again in 2006, and won the X Games Supermoto Championship in 2006 and again in 2008 at age 47. Some of Ward’s competitors were a quarter of a century younger than him. Ward’s unique racing background will help him convey the big contrast between competition in the IndyCar Series and MotoGP. The Indianapolis 500 is a three-hour marathon featuring multiple caution flags, multiple pit stops and ample time to “dial in” the car’s handling for a run to the checkered flag. The Red Bull Indianapolis GP will feature four classes of motorcycles competing on Race Day, Sunday, Sept. 14. Races will last from 35 to 50 minutes, with no yellow flags and no pit stops. But Ward said the amount of strategy that MotoGP teams must employ to win is no less than what IndyCar Series teams develop over the course of 500 miles on the IMS oval. “The ‘500’ is an extremely long race, (and) you have a lot of time to set up your car during pit stops; there’s a lot of strategy and luck to get to the end,” Ward said. “Everybody works to put their car at their best to do that final stint, which is basically a sprint race to the finish. “It’s the same with GP bikes. They do their practicing and qualifying of course, they have qualifying tires that will get you that optimal lap but (in practice) they’re trying to get their bike to work over the long run, which requires different tire choices. It has to do with the weather, setup, other factors.” The Red Bull Indianapolis GP will not be just a 45-minute sprint riders and teams have to know what their competition is doing and plan accordingly, Ward said. “During the race, you have to have a game plan of how you’re going to run it, depending on your setup and how your bike works,” he said. “So there’s a complete strategy, not just an all-out sprint. There’s a lot of things play into it, like the tire you’ve picked and how hard you can go, and other riders study that. They study their competition and what they have. “Guys will try to ‘gap’ other guys because they have new tires and get that gap, and when the other guy starts to close up on them at the end, hopefully his tires will go off before he can get to you. There’s a lot of game-playing going on in the racing, but you don’t have pit stops to come in and fix something, so your practice sessions are crucial. If you pick the wrong setup, you’re basically done. It’s a long day.” Ward said the Red Bull Indianapolis GP will provide plenty of excitement for a wide variety of fans, whether they’re IMS regulars or MotoGP fans who never have visited the “Racing Capital of the World.” “The atmosphere is going to be the same as any other race at Indy, you can’t help but be excited,” Ward said. “I mean, if they were racing lawnmowers around the place it would still be exciting. I think people will be extremely impressed with the speed these bikes have, the corner speeds, the talent these guys bring to the table. The racing is spectacular. “Just being at the Speedway amplifies everything. The electricity’s in the air. I’m sure the fans are going to take the sport to heart.” *** Red Bull Indianapolis GP tickets: Tickets are on sale for the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14, 2008. Three-day tickets can be purchased either online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com at any time; on the phone by calling (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area or (317) 492-6700 locally between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday; or visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Ticket Office on the first floor of the IMS Administration Building at 4790 W. 16th St. in Indianapolis from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Single-day general admission tickets will be available at the gate Friday, Sept. 12 and Saturday, Sept. 13. The one-day tickets are $10 each Friday and $20 each Saturday. These tickets only can be purchased at the gates with cash.