A week of unprecedented parades and parties make F1's return to Indianapolis a curious study in who needs whom.
One year ago today the scandal of the 2005 United States Grand Prix was only a week old, and there was speculation that America's sole stop on the Formula 1 circuit was history.
In the aftermath of the Michelin Tire debacle the Federation Internationale d'Automobile first confronted, then finally collaborated with, the seven Michelin Teams to work a financial package for promoter Tony George of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that averted a summary dismissal of F1 from his grounds altogether.
After purchasing twenty thousand tickets for this year's 2006 U.S. Grand Prix and refunding fans who purchased tickets for last year's race, Michelin and other Formula 1 partners have gone even further by sponsoring more F1-related fan activities than any year previously. The events continue throughout this week with a Pit WalkAbout Thursday morning prior to the beginning of F1 practices on Friday and qualification on Saturday.
"We know we're going to have a great event this year. All the cars are going to run. And we've got a great crowd, our ticket sales are frankly stronger than we thought they would be, so we've been pleasantly surprised with that," 
said Terry Angstadt, VP of marketing for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"We took last year's event seriously and we wanted to try to develop some new programming and content and try to repair the damage that was done, frankly, and hold up that deal with our fans to put on a good event this year. So that's part of the thinking behind this year,"
Angstadt continued.
A full list of the activities by day follows:
Follow up:
THURSDAY'S PIT WALKABOUT
Race Day ticket holders have the rare opportunity to get an up-close look at the Formula One pits and enjoy other fan-friendly activities all day during a free USGP Pit Walkabout on Thursday, June 29. Gate 2 (main gate/tunnel on 16th Street) and Gate 7 (located on Georgetown Road) will open to pedestrian and automobile traffic at 7 a.m.
The USGP Pit Walkabout has become a popular attraction since it debuted with great success in 2003. Thousands of Formula One fans will stream onto the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s legendary pit lane to get an up-close view of Formula One cars and team members from 8 a.m.-noon.
A variety of other exciting USGP-related activities also will take place from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Speedway’s Pagoda Plaza, including driver autograph sessions, driver question-and-answer sessions, live entertainment and displays. IMS gift shops and concession stands adjacent to the Pagoda Plaza and the Hall of Fame Museum, and the Formula One team/driver official merchandise trailers, located in the east parking lot of the museum, also will be open all day.
Driver autograph sessions and interactive fan question-and-answer sessions with Formula One drivers will take place from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Pagoda Plaza. SPEED television’s Formula One broadcast team members Bob Varsha, David Hobbs and Steve Matchett will play host to the Q&A sessions, which will take place on the Pagoda Plaza stage.
Drivers scheduled to participate include former Indianapolis 500 winners Juan Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve, defending World Champion Fernando Alonso, seven-time World Champion and four-time USGP winner Michael Schumacher, rookie sensation Nico Rosberg, Christijan Albers, Jenson Button, Christian Klien, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Franck Montagny, Tiago Monteiro, Takuma Sato, Ralf Schumacher and Mark Webber.
Face painting, IMS Hall of Fame Museum cars on display, photo opportunities with the USGP’s popular Grid Girls, a Bridgestone display featuring a Michael Schumacher Ferrari race car and two F1 racing simulators, and live music by Josh Holmes from 3-4 p.m. are among the many other attractions planned for the Pit Walkabout.
United States Grand Prix ticket holders must display their race ticket for admission to the walkabout. No separate walkabout passes will be issued.
EVERY DAY GATE HANDOUT:
The 2006 United States Grand Prix Gate Handout, which is free, will be available at all IMS public gates, the IMS ticket office, credential office, the IMS Hall of Fame Museum and all Guest Services kiosks.
The gate handout features a detailed schedule of events for the entire USGP weekend, plus a map of the IMS grounds highlighting gate and grandstand locations, and amenities.
IN THE COMMUNITY:
WEDNESDAY “Grand Week” in Indianapolis:
Indianapolis will be alive with numerous cultural events June 28-July 1, leading up to the United States Grand Prix. A full range of activities and social events are planned as part of the “Grand Week in Indy, presented by Michelin,” celebrating the seventh running of the United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis. A number of musical and theatrical productions, plus art, zoological and museum exhibits are ongoing around the metropolitan area. For a complete list of activities, visit the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association’s Web site.
“Grand Week in Indy, presented by Michelin” Kickoff Event at Monument Circle
•11 a.m.-2 p.m., Wednesday, June 28. The official kick-off of “Grand Week” in Indianapolis events, featuring a parade of vintage cars, USGP Grid Girls, live music from the INergy band and food.
THURSDAY Concerts on the Canal – Cool City Swing Band:
•6 p.m. Thursday, June 29 at Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis. Enjoy smooth and swinging jazz with vocals by the popular Shannon Forsell and the legendary Jimmy Guilford. Admission is free. Visit www.indianahistory.org for details.
THURSDAY thru SUNDAY “Dreamgirls”
•Enjoy the Madame Walker Theatre’s presentation of “Dreamgirls” nightly at 7:30 p.m. on June 29-July 2. The theatre is located at 617 Indiana Ave. in downtown Indianapolis. Tickets are available via ticketmaster or by calling the theatre box office at (317) 236-2099.
FRIDAY and SATURDAY “Grand Week” Car Cruises and Gathering of Ferraris – Bigger in 2006:
•The Grand Week in Indy Car Cruises in downtown Indianapolis will feature some of the world’s fastest and most exotic street automobiles. Due to the popularity of the car cruises during USGP weekend, two additional cruises have been added for 2006.
Car brands included in the “Grand Week” cruises are Ferrari, Mercedes, BMW, Lotus, Corvette, Porsche, Jaguar, Mini Cooper and Miata, plus a mix of other vintage automobiles. Car cruises will take place between 3:30-7:45 p.m. Friday, June 30 and 4:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 1. Most cruises will start and end at the Indianapolis Zoo parking lot, traversing downtown in the process.
The Ferrari cruise June 30 will start at the Zoo at 3:30 p.m. and end at Monument Circle. This cruise will lead into the Ferrari Club of America’s “A Gathering of Ferraris” display from 4-8 p.m. at Monument Circle.
FRIDAY thru SUNDAY USGP Car Corral:
•Visitors to IMS during USGP activities Friday, June 30 through Sunday, July 2 also can view dozens of exotic vehicles up-close at the IMS Car Corral from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. June 30-July 1 and from 6 a.m.-5 p.m. on Race Day, Sunday, July 2.
The corral will be located on the backstretch of the Speedway’s famous 2.5-mile oval.
SATURDAY The Chrysler Indianapolis Concours GP
•More than 150 cars, including antique automobiles, muscle cars, prototypes and exotic sports and race cars, will gather on Monument Circle from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, July 1, with additional music and entertainment provided. Admission is free.
SATURDAY USAC double-header at O’Reilly Raceway Park
•The Toyota USAC Racing Classic, presented by Comfort Suites of Brownsburg, will take place at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park) Saturday, July 1 with a USAC Midget and Sprint car double-header.
This will mark the first time since 2001 that the track has played host to a twin USAC bill. Contact O’Reilly Raceway Park at (317) 291-4090 for details or log on to O'Reilly Raceway
SATURDAY thru TUESDAY Patriotic Pops and Fireworks at Marsh Symphony on the Prairie
•Hear traditional patriotic favorites such as Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” and “Yankee Doodle” on the evenings of July 1-4. It all starts with “The Star Spangled Banner” and ends with fireworks.
Symphony on the Prairie takes place at Conner Prairie, located just northeast of Indianapolis in Fishers, Ind., on Allisonville Road 6 miles north of Interstate 465. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. For information, contact the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra at (800) 366-8457 or log on to Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
