Motorcyclist Of The Year

[cosworth151]

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Chief Executive Officer Tony George has been named 2008 "Motorcyclist of the Year" by Motorcyclist, the largest motorcycle magazine in the United States, for his efforts to bring the Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP race to the "Racing Capital of the World."

The inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP will take place Sept. 12-14 on a new 2.621-mile road course built for the event at IMS. It is the first motorcycle race at the Speedway in 99 years, as the initial motor race at the fabled facility was a bike event Aug. 14, 1909.

"Demonstrating motorcycle racing in front of our other audiences builds interest for us," George said. "We have a number of fans that are fans of the Speedway itself and anything we do here. From a stature standpoint, MotoGP belongs here."

George is a longstanding American Motorcyclist Association member and experienced street and off-road motorcyclist.

George has stated that he still intends to have F1 return to IMS. The search for a title sponsor is continuing.