Imagine what it would be like to pack your entire garage, cars included, onto a jetliner for a trip to South America. Now imagine packing 35 IndyCars, three emergency vehicles and all of the gear to run a race in San Paulo, Brazil. You’re probably going to need a bigger jet, maybe two.

That’s exactly what the Indy Racing League did this past week. Employees of IAS Air (Integrated Airline Services) were busy at the Indianapolis International Airport weighing, packing and wrapping everything from broadcast equipment to race cars for the flight to Brazil. The race is not until March 14 but it takes some time and preparationto move America’s premier open-wheel racing league and all of its trappings to another continent.

Racing in another country is nothing new to the IRL. In past years, IndyCars have raced in Canada, Japan and Australia. Canada was the easy one given the fact they could just haul the operation up there on trucks. The task becomes much more difficult when airplanes are required. The logistics alone are unimaginable.

“The most difficult part is making sure the [six copies for everything] paperwork is in order for customs,” Indy Racing League director of operations Bill van de Sandt said. “We’re a racing league and not a shipping company.”

That’s why the IRL has employed IAS Air and DB Schenker to assist in this monumental undertaking. IAS Air provides the cargo handling equipment and staff to load and unload the airplanes. DB Schenker handles all of the paperwork and scheduling to get the IRL from the U.S. to Brazil. Many details have to be worked out before the green flag can drop on the Indy 300 in the streets of San Paulo.

Teams unloaded their race cars, equipment and consumables March 3 at a staging area at the Indianapolis International Airport. In a free-form ballet of forklifts, equipment was weighed, placed on pallets and wrapped in plastic. Chassis, along with front and rear wing assemblies, were stacked and secured on specially-made racks. It was all loaded March 6 for the flight to Viracopos-Campinas International Airport in the state of San Paulo. Firestone Firehawk tires departed via ocean cargo vessel on Feb. 4.

That’s 400,000 total pounds swallowed by two Atlas Air 747-400F cargo planes for the 5,000-plus-mile ride between two continents, while making sure it arrives at the venue safely and on time.

Once on the ground in Brazil, the job continues. Upon arrival March 7, the freight is transferred to trucks to continue the journey to the Anhembi complex in the north-central section of the largest city in South America. Manifests are checked and spot customs inspections are conducted at the track in time for team personnel to unpack March 10 and begin preparations for the race weekend.

The job is not finished when the checkered flag waves over the winner. IAS Air and DB Schenker go to work immediately and repeat the drill for the return trip to Indianapolis.

“It’s multiple processes, but it’s very well-organized,” van de Sandt said. “The cooperation of the governments, the help of DB Schenker and the airlines works very well. It’s a process that is very effective and efficient.”

Asked about the cost of taking IndyCar to the streets of San Paulo, van de Sandt would only say that it “was in the millions.”



Bound for Brazil:

The Indy 300 will be the first IRL race ever held in South America. Several IndyCar drivers are Brazillian. That, combined with an already massive fan base in Brazil, means the Indy 300 South-American debut should be a big hit.

Scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m. you can watch it live on the Versus network. In addition, you can catch the live video stream with live timing and scoring on the IRL’s website at www.indyracingleague.com.