I wanted to relay some information about the MotoGp in September for those that are wanting to go. We as a Ducati club have a 3 day event planned, and much like my club, is not limited to Ducati ownership.
Since no other board links are allowed here I'll cut and paste all the important info for you guys. It's a 17 page thread I'll spare you the BS. If you need further information shoot me a PM and I'll direct you.
If you can swing it don't miss it, it'll be an event to remember.
I'd like to give you an update on how things are going. (standard disclaimer: everything is still in the planning stages, things could change, etc. but since this is "our" project I want everybody to know what's potentially on the table so far)
HOTEL D.O.C Central - I have reserved a whole hotel for D.O.C. members only. The idea is to give preference to people who bring Ducati's to the weekend in order to get some parking lot synergy going, which I hope you will agree is a big part of what makes a great club weekend. This hotel has the basics - it's a good price by race weekend standards ($139 for a regular double and $75 for the Thursday and Monday), parking for trailers, a staff that is OK with us commandeering the parking lot in total and Italian and Mexican within walking distance. It also has a conference room for our use, is near to the Indy dealer which I think might be a secondary center of action and is just far enough from the raceway that we can have an organized "red snake" ride to the track like they do at WDW. It's a good idea to gather a list of who in your club wants to reserve rooms, it will be first come first serve, and must be approved through the club President in order to keep the rooms from going to non-Ducati owners. I hope to be able to open the reservations next week, I have submitted the contract and am just waiting to hear it has been received in the mail. Reservations will be made on an individual basis through the hotel once I give them the list of names.
PARTY - There will probably be a party at the dealer one night, Thursday is what's being discussed but this could change. Once the planning is a little further along there will of course be more details but ideally, in the European tradition it would be nice to have the racers attend. We all know you can't just pick up the phone and request Casey Stoner but I'm going to try. I am, as some of you know, an excellent begger. More importantly, so is Andrea Venturi. I beg Andrea, Andrea begs Corse, etc. etc. :-)
D.O.C. GRANDSTAND - The grandstand selection is progressing and the track is considering building us something special - good viewing is the big issue of course but there are several locations that accomplish this. The plan is to try and keep us as close as possible to the Ducati North America "Ducati Island" area. If you have ever been to Indy speedway you know how big the place is, minimizing mandatory walking is always a good plan. The idea is to stage a "Mugello Grandstand", where we all use red and white cards to spell DUCATI. This has never been properly done outside of the Mugello race (and it's been attempted all over Europe) so it's a matter of National D.O.C. Pride that we pull this off. I'll need your help getting your members to understand how big a feat this really is. Failure is NOT and option. :-)
Ducati Track Lap - In an effort to get as many people to bring bikes as possible we are asking for a Ducati only track lap. Keep your fingers crossed that they work with us on this, a lap of Indianoplis Motor Speedway with nothing but the sound of Ducati engine music would be somewhat epic in my opinion and the perfect highlight to the weekend.
For the record, this whole project is the result of a number of great ideas and a whole lot of initiative on the part of about 10 D.O.C.s (and more getting involved all the time) so I really want to thank you all for embracing this. We will go a lot farther working as a group than any of us can go as a single club. I'd like to have all Presidents interested in being involved meet in a chat room for a general discussion. I'll email everybody with a time we and place for this as soon as I have a few more things in place. In the meanwhile please feel free to contact me directly with suggestions or questions.
There's more, organized group rides/drives in from around the US, hopefully some space we can fund raise and member prospect from in the DNA area, volunteer staffing - lots of details that are still in the planning and not ready to announce yet.
Bottom line: This is a weekend that's long on the real world touching, feeling and hearing of Ducati's, meeting other enthusiasts and sharing the Ducati Passion while keeping it as short on cost as I can make it. No VIP's, we're all DIP's, Ducati Important People and this weekend is for US! :-)
The hotel is the Country Inn and Suites in Carmel, Ind. It's a non-smoking hotel, if this is a problem there are a couple of hotels near by we can overflow to. Prices are $139 for a standard double, $149 for a suite and $159 for a jaccuzi suite. 2 night minimum, either Sat/Sun or Friday/Sat Rooms on Thursday and Monday are $75 for a standard double.
This hotel will be D.O.C. Central, please make members arriving with Ducati's a priority. Clubs more heavily involved in Project Mugello will be given priority since they will be helping staff the weekend.
Deadline for names is Thursday October 25th. Your members should be able to contact the hotel on Friday with a credit card to secure the room. If they are not on the list they will not take the reservation. (I'm not trying to be tough or controlling here, just making certain this hotel is 100% full with D.O.C. members) I expect we will fill this hotel no problem and there will be some people turned away. I apologize in advance. The parking lot "scene", on the other hand, will welcome those that have to stay nearby so while the absolute convience might not be available to everybody, the Ducati comraderie will be.
The hotel has trailer parking in the back of the parking lot. There is Italian, Mexican and a couple of other food sources within walking distance. It's about a mile from Ducati Indianapolis and roughly 15 miles from the track.
Hotel
Holiday Inn INDIANAPOLIS Hotels | INDIANAPOLIS-N @ THE PYRAMIDS | Welcome 317-872-9790
We are making great progress on "Project Mugello" at Indy MotoGP and I've recently received confirmation that Ducati Grandstand tickets will be ready to go on sale in two weeks. Price including General Admission and the grandstand seating will be $125.
If you have members who have already purchased tickets from the speedway, but would now like to exchange them for seats in the Ducati Project Mugello grandstand, this will be possible as well. The entire process is all being handled through a special liaison in the group sales ticket office, so it will be simple "one stop shopping" - exchange the ticket and get the new one with one phone call.
The speedway is constructing a special grandstand for the DOC club members and Ducatisti with the emphasis on great viewing and nearness to "Ducati Island". Anybody that has ever been to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway can tell you that the size and layout of the facility produces a staggering amount of walking so efforts between the Speedway management and Ducati North America to make sure we are well taken care of have been tremendous. You may want to go exploring but you won't have to, Ducati Island, Ducati parking, and the Ducati Clubs grandstands are all coordinated together.
Finally, please let anybody that has asked for a hotel room in one of the DOC hotels that has not called and reserved it on a credit card know that the remaining rooms will be reallocated to those on the waiting list in a few days. So if they want a room, and have not made final arrangements, they will find themselves at the bottom of the waiting list if they don't get organized immediately.
More details when the ticket sales open,
I am really happy to announce that Project Mugello at Indygp is officially open with the availability of special grandstand seating for the Desmo Owners Clubs. The battle you always fight with seating at a large track like Indy is that the competition is waaaay down below these giant grandstands that offer a sweeping view of tiny little machines battling it out below. We have that battle won. These seats offer prime viewing of the Turn 1 – 4 infield. The grandstand is roughly 15 feet from Pit Out and 25-30 feet from the apex of Turn 2, which is expected to be a massive passing zone. This is serious real estate - fans will find themselves 10’ from Casey Stoner as he rides out for his sighting lap, and 30 feet from one of the top passing zones on the track, all the while having a excellent view of 4 – 5 corners all within 150 yards.
It's an extension of Ducati Island, so all the activity and Ducati Only Parking will be right there just yards from your seat. What better place to show our team spirit by re-enacting the famous Italian Mugello grandstand Ducatisti Display? At the beginning of the warm up lap everyone seated in this grandstand will be part of this world famous tradition.
Tickets are $125 which includes general admission ($50) and a seat in the Ducati "Project Mugello" grandstand ($75). To purchase tickets contact Zack Houston at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway who is our group sales agent. 317 - 492- 8411. Ask for a seat in the "Project Mugello" grandstand. Your members must be able to verify which club they belong to and the name of the club President. Zack can also exchange any previously purchased tickets for these seats. These tickets also include a special Project Mugello fan package that among other items includes a lap of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on your Ducati!
These 1000 premium seats are being pre-offered to Desmo Owners Clubs exclusively so please make sure that your members understand they need to buy tickets immediately. We are planning to show the world that US D.O.C. members are "super enthusiasts" and that we take our red passion seriously. Please fill these seats with people that share our spirit and our determination to show the Ducati Corse team and Casey Stoner how much we appreciate what they did last year and how much we would love to see Ducati have another year like the one that just passed.
One final note. If you have members that still need hotels I have some still in the DOC Central Hotel immediate area. I will send out an email next week with availability and pricing.
Indianapolis MotoGp Sept 14th information.
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