Race cars aren’t the only vehicles hitting the world-famous oval track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year. For the first time, the Racing Capital of the World welcomes the 23rd annual national motor scooter rally, Amerivespa, from June 11-14.
Hundreds of scooter enthusiasts, or scooterists, from across the country and around the world will be racing to Speedway for a weekend of events sponsored by the Vespa Club of America (VCOA), The North American Racing Association (NASRA) and the Indy Scooter Club (Indy SC) to promote scooter culture here in Indianapolis.
“We’re really excited to show off Indianapolis,” says Chris Sublett, president of Indy SC. “Indianapolis has a strong scooter culture and we’ve been working really hard to plan an event that will show off the best of our city. Also, we would like to give a special thank you to the dedicated employees and officials of Speedway, IN. They’ve made Main Street the perfect place to hold so many of our amazing activities.”
The event kicks off at 9 a.m. Thursday morning with a scenic ride through the hills of southern Indiana. Participants will mingle at a meet-and-greet inside the Dallara IndyCar Factory at Lino’s Italian Café Thursday evening. Then, on Friday, the riders will take part in a Poker Run leading them to the IMS for a lap on the famous track and will conclude the evening with a party at Radio Radio & Revolucion. On Saturday, the scooterists will make an appearance in the Indiana Pride Parade. While crossing the finish line on Main Street in Speedway, riders can compete in a gymkhana course to showcase their scooter skills.
“A ride around the Indy 500 Track is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says Jac Carolan, president of VCOA. “Indy SC’s passion for riding and raising scooter awareness was also very evident in their proposal.”
“NASRA looks forward to having the opportunity to showcase scooter racing in a gymkhana format,” says Jeremy Hall, president of NASRA. “It allows us to try some new things and expand on the traditional layout. We’re stoked to have the opportunity!”
In addition to riding on the track, activities will include organized tours of the city, a vendor marketplace, evening hangouts and a formal banquet.
“It is a complete privilege to bring such a popular, long-standing national event to Speedway,” said David Lindsey, Speedway Town Council president. “This is an iconic location for Vespa racing because of our rich sense of racing pride and history and strong ties with Italy – with Italian companies Lino’s Coffee and OMR Automotive having their only U.S. locations in Speedway. Large events like Amerivespa coming to Main Street further demonstrates that our community’s economic development is creating a place where people want to gather year round.”
For a full list of events and registration information, visit the Amerivespa event website, http://amerivespa.org/.
