Corry

Hello - My boss is going to the F1 races in Indianapolis this year and I am wondering about which hotel I should book for him - his taste in hotels can be posh but we probably don't want to spend over $300 a night. I am completely unsure as to what would be best as far as distances to the track go, although I think he would want to be close to decent restaurants in the evening. Any general advice about the whole F1 weekend experience would be appreciated, he (nor I and I'm just booking not going!) have ever been to Indianapolis and he is wondering about traffic issues from track to hotel, the necessity of restaurant reservations, etc.

wsoxrebel

Are F1 races a part of Indy500? When we lived in the Chicago area, DH was invited to an all day junket to Indy500. He said it was a good experience but he would never do it again. Very, very loud. If your boss is sensitive to noise, I would pack some earplugs for him to discreetly use. Also, no alcohol was sold at Indy500 and all the men had to cart their own beer. I don't know what that was all about either.

indytravel

While Tony Hulman's wife was alive and an influence on the Indy 500, she swore alcohol would never be served at the race track. Her body hadn't become cold in her grave when they started serving alcohol. That's been 5 or so years now.

All three events Indy 500 (IRL) Memorial Day weekend, Brickyard 400 (NASCAR) first weekend in August, and the F1 race in September serve alcohol now. Beer and no real bar, but set drinks like a mudslide or Jack Daniels and lemonade. Stuff they think is popular and can sell out of tent.

Small coolers without glass containers are still allowed in. I always take in at least a 6 pack of beer to help offset the stadium cost of beer.

You do NOT want to stay around the track. Probably the best hotel is a Super 8 that won't be too nice. Downtown is the place to be. Nicer hotels are the Westin, Hyatt, the new Marriott and the Canterbury. Since I live in the area I've never had a hotel the night before a race. I'm sure they're expensive. I don't know if they have minimum stays or not either.

Dinner reservations will be mandatory the night before for anything nice. There was a 1.5 hour wait at 6:00pm at PF Changs this past New Year's Eve. Any racing event is way bigger than NYE in Indy.

The F1 is the least attended of the 3 events, a mere 150,000 or so of your closest friends. Traffic won't be as bad, but will be an issue. Over the last 15 years of attending races I've developed this plan for parking.

Take Indiana Ave. northwest to 16th street. Turn left on 16th getting into the far right lane of 16th. Drive west about 1.5 mile. Just over the White River bridge turn right onto Lafayette Rd. Head north west up Lafayette Rd. about 1.5 miles and just before 30th street turn left into a strip mall. There's an Am Vets there too. Park at the back of the strip mall. From here it's about a 1 mile walk down 30th street to the north entrance to the track. Reverse the directions to get out. Doing this I've never sat still in my car more than the 5 minutes. It can be quite a haul especially if your seats are on the south side of the track. I'd say close to 4 miles round trip. It's worth the walk to me. Any closer to the track and the time you sit in your car keeps going up.

wsoxrebel is right about the noise. I thought the Indy cars were loud. The F1 cars are even louder. If you're in the canyon (all the stands along the main straightaway) it's worse than a jet taking off. You really need earplugs, lots of people wear them. There are even ear plug vendors.

dln

Indytravel has it pretty well covered. Yes, yes, yes to earplugs! And to staying downtown. Your boss should pick up a copy of the paper when he arrives, as they'll be plenty of coverage. The Friday paper has the calendar of events. The magazine Indianapolis Monthly is also a good source for local info regarding restaraunt reviews, what's happening, etc. The F1 attracts more of a European crowd than does the 500. My husband works at Rolls (they have a big plant in the city) and it's funny how every year all the people in the UK branch of the business "conveniently" have urgent meeting the same week as the F1 races run...! If you use the search box and type in Indianapolis, you'll come up with a fair bit. And yes, traffic to the track will be slow, so allow for plenty of time. And make reservations for dinner.

benderbabe

We have found another good alternative to traditional earplugs at these races is earphones...you know, the kind that you use at a gun shooting range?

That way, you can actually bring a small radio with small earphones attached which can fit inside the noise dampeners!

Haven't been to the F1 at the Indy track, but it IS becoming more and more popular in the US. I've only been to the Australian and Italian F1s so far!

Lots of fun, lots of noise, lots of alcohol, and hotels are expensive during that time.

cmeyer54

We went in September 03 to Indy for the F1 qualifying and the full race weekend in '02. Stay downtown - Westin, Hyatt or Marriott all are good choices and walking distance to downtown restaurants. There will be shuttle service to and from the track - these hotels may even have full race packages. You'll need reservations for dinner regardless of the weekend....the race itself is a blast - you can walk under the main track and into the infield of the '500' track to get closer to the action; there are lots of displays, merchandise tents, etc. Our kids really liked the event and I'm sure we'll go back - or try to catch a race in Europe. Its contagious and tons of fun to see just how psyched the fans get for their driver.

Corry

Thank you all for this advice! It is absolutely priceless and has proven so valuable already as I plan this weekend.

bunniepoof

I'm also planning to attend the F1 race in June. I was looking at the website and see that row P in corner 6 terrace is available. Could someone please tell me if that's a good seat? Is it high enough that I can see more than 1 turn OK?

indytravel

Sorry I can't help you with seat locations bunniepoof, I'm not into the races that much. Besides topping I wanted to mention the F1 race has moved to June not September this year.

It's Sunday June 20th at noon Eastern STANDARD Time. Remember Indiana is weird about time. Noon EST in Indiana in June is 1:00pm EDT in NYC and 12:00pm CDT in Chicago.

www.usgpindy.com

orangetravelcat

I just found this website with a wealth of info about the F1 weekend. I want to surprise my husband with a trip to see the F1 race in June. Sounds like downtown is the best place to stay as far as hotels; what about seats at the race? I have no idea what seats to reserve. Suggestions?

mhulot

We went last year and the traffic entering was very easy (compared to the Indy500). Leaving was a pain.

I disagree with the earplugs suggestions. The F1 cars are much quieter than other types of cars. I brought some, but never needed to use them.

We had seats in the H section, but in the lower rows. We were about 50 meters from turn 1, but because of the wall, it was sometimes difficult to see the cars passing. Higher up would probably have been better.

On the plus side, we got to see the passing in turn 1, plus the cars decelerating from top speed at the end of the straight. We could also see across the infield to turns 6 and 7.

As for the race, it was great. Bring a fast camera and wear Ferrari gear.

amwosu

Restaurant suggestions (and you WILL need ressies for nice places)... Dunaways and Scholars Inn are both nice, upscale, non chain type restaurants in the downtown area although not walking distance from the downtown hotels. A quick cab ride though.

As for chains there is Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Oceannaire, and PF Changs downtown within walking distance of most hotels. The local steakhouse is St. Elmo's right by the Canterbury but I only like their absolutely eyewatering, sinus clearing cocktail sause with the shrimp cocktail. It is made with freshly grated horseradish and it is rumored that Mick Jagger has had it flown in when hosting parties. I would eat the shrimp cocktail at the bar with drinks then hit other places for dinner.

snowrooster

I've stayed at the Caterbury before and it was very nice. The rooms aren't huge, but they are nicely decorated and it is a charming older hotel. It is also in the heart of the city so you can walk to a lot of places (mall, dining). We don't have a Ruth's Chris locally so that's where we ate - with late night milkshakes from the Steak&Shake across the street!!