F1: Indy Road Course Could Switch to Counter-Clockwise

Formula 1

F1: Indy Road Course Could Switch to Counter-Clockwise

Change expected to be adopted if IMS lands MotoGP race.

Kevin Krefting | Posted March 05, 2007 Indianapolis, Ind.

The USGP is the sole event that runs clockwise at Indy. (LAT Photo)

Due to safety concerns regarding a possible MotoGP race, Formula 1's USGP at Indy could switch to a counter-clockwise orientation on the track, autosport.com reports.

With the Indianapolis Motor Speedway believed to be closer than ever to adding a fourth event to its annual calendar, the controversial Turn 13 on the road course (Turn 1 on the oval) would be ill-suited for the MotoGP bikes, as the riders would exit the bend at high speed towards the front straight's outside wall.

Switching the F1 course to counter-clockwise would not only end the risk of a repeat of the 2005 tire fiasco � when Michelin-shod cars couldn't stand the loads going through the bend � but also put all four IMS events running on the same orientation: the IndyCar Series' Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on the oval, and the USGP and MotoGP race on the road course.

The switch, however, isn't expected to happen before 2008 at the earliest, when the rumored bike event at IMS is expected to take place.