In one of the better publicity stunts in recent years, Marco Andretti took to the wheel of his Dallara-Honda Indycar to race MotoGP ace Dani Pedrosa around the IMS road course to create some buzz ahead of this weekend’s Red Bull Grand Prix.
It’s the kind of head to head diehard racing fans and the general public can both get behind. Though a one lap demonstration only, both Andretti and Pedrosa gave it their all at least on the straights and clearly enjoyed seeing one another’s machinery on track.
I enjoyed it very much. It’s always special to do something like this, I was hearing his engine more than mine, but it was very nice when we were in a straight line together at full speed. I’d like some day to try one of these cars, I can see it’s very, very powerful. Marco also wants to ride my bike, so maybe one day we can change.
The 350 lb, 240 hp bike and the 1,600 lb, 700 hp Indycar proved quite an even match for one another. The MotoGP machine quicker in a straight line, the downforce of the Indycar quicker in the corners. It was a thrilling spectacle for those in attendance and just the kind of publicity to increase interest in MotoGP in the states and IndyCar abroad.
