Hoosiers would enjoy Grand-Am

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January 27, 2010

Anonymous The Kokomo Tribune Wed Jan 27, 2010, 05:25 PM EST

Last September, Grand-Am Road Racing drivers and officials participated in a sanctioned test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Nine Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series teams sped around the track in a pair of two-hour sessions. Most of the test was spent on the 2.5-mile, 13-turn Formula One course, although teams spent some time on the 2.6-mile, MotoGP setup.

“Let’s go racing,” said Scott Pruett who, with Memo Rojas, pilots the No. 1 TELMEX Lexus Riley. “I think we’d put on a heck of a show. I have no question in our mind, compatibility is not an issue. The biggest question for me is, when are we going to race?”

An answer to Pruett’s question concerning a Grand-Am event at the Speedway is overdue. Formed in 1999, the series has had many Indy connections.

Between 2003 and 2007, two of the seven sanctioned chassis constructors for the series’ Daytona Prototype cars were headquartered in Indianapolis: Fabcar and Riley, though the latter relocated to North Carolina in 2006.

Also, EMCO Gears, one of two sanctioned transmission builders, has its technical support of its racing products located in Indy.

“We put on spectacular racing, and I think we’d be able to do that here, too,” said the No. 99 GAINSCO Racing driver Jon Fogarty last September.

“Judging by the number of fans we had here, just for the test, there seemed to be a lot of interest, which is great,” Fogarty said. “As a driver, you want to go where people appreciate what you do, and people in Indianapolis know racing.”

Hoosier racing fans certainly would appreciate Grand-Am.

The sports-car series’ first event of the season, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, starts up Friday. Outside of Le Mans, it arguably is the most prestigious distance event in auto racing.

We hope Grand-Am and Speedway officials announce a 2011 distance race for Indianapolis in the coming months.

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