History will be made this weekend when MotoGP explodes into life around the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time. American fans get their second helping of MotoGP action in 2008 and also their first glance at the 125cc and 250cc paddocks as neither category makes the trip to Laguna Seca.

It will be a completely fresh start for all the riders as none of them have had the opportunity to ride the circuit on their machinery yet, only a tire test session undertaken by test riders or wildcards has been sanctioned allowing both Michelin and Bridgestone to gain valuable data for the race weekend.

After winning the last three races Valentino Rossi has a somewhat secure buffer at the top of the championship standings, however with five rounds to go championship contenders Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa will continue to push for the win hoping for an uncharacteristic mistake from the doctor. The championship gap is substantial but if the season so far has shown us anything, it is that you just can not predict this championship.

Dani Pedrosa will have an additional challenge to master at the new circuit as he attempts to adapt to Bridgestone tires on his Honda RC212V. Dani made the switch from Michelin to Bridgestone post Misano and apart from a day of intense testing has no previous experience on the tires.

Toni Elias will be hoping to make it a happy return to America with a third straight MotoGP podium. It was back at Laguna Seca when Toni’s form really took a turn for the better as he managed to bring his Alicè Ducati home in seventh position, he then backed this up with a second in Brno and a third in Misano. Elias is one of the on form riders at the moment and he will be hoping that he can learn the new circuit quickly and challenge for his first win since Portugal 2006.

Three riders keen to impress will be the trio of American hopefuls in the form of Nicky Hayden, John Hopkins and wildcard Ben Spies.

Nicky who has already won twice in front of his home crowd in MotoGP with victories at Laguna Seca in 2005 & 2006, will be hoping he can repeat the feat on the series’ inaugural trip to Indy. Hayden struggled at Laguna earlier in the year when a tire issue meant the best he could hope for was a hard earned fifth place.
Nicky, who’s home state of Kentucky borders the state of Indiana will be hoping that the home crowd support will give him the boost he needs to win.
“For me it’s crazy to be racing a GP three hours from my house. It’s a good time to go home and get some support from the fans. We´ll give it all we’ve got and try to get a good result for them.”

John Hopkins will also be looking to show his potential to the home crowd after missing Laguna Seca through injury. John agonizingly had to sit on the pit wall for his home GP after a big crash in Assen just four weeks prior to the race.

Three time AMA champion Ben Spies will be hoping to impress the MotoGP paddock bosses this weekend as he looks at securing a ride on the grid for 2009. Having recently won his third AMA title Ben will be a popular wildcard addition with the local crowd.

For the 250cc field it’s a chance to show America what the class is all about. Marco Simoncelli heads into the race still leading the championship, but Mika Kallio and Alvaro Bautista will be hoping that they can further close the gap to the leading Gilera rider.
Hector Barbera will be hoping his return to form continues after a battling display in Misano saw him back on the podium.
Roberto Locatelli just missed out on a podium at his home race in Misano last time out. The plucky Italian will be looking to go one better this weekend and assist his team mate in the battle for the championship.

The 125cc class will also be making its debut appearance stateside with Mike Di Melgio still leading the way despite crashing out at Misano. Spain’s Marc Marquez put in another sterling performance in Misano with a gutsy ride to fourth. He and fellow KTM riders Tomi Koyama and Randy Krummenacher will be hoping to dazzle the crowds on their first appearance as they try to break America.

Also this weekend the Red Bull rookies will be taking to the track in a battle of Europe vs America in the Riders Cup. There are currently two Red Bull rookies championships, the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and the Red Bull AMA Rookies Cup. The top ten riders from each series will compete in the first of a two race series this weekend, with the deciding round to be held at Valencia at the end of October. These truly are the MotoGP stars of tomorrow as they have been hand picked by series organizers Red Bull and Dorna, so maybe one of the riders that America sees this weekend could be MotoGP champion in 10 years time.

The races are scheduled to start at 18:00 (CET)