IndyCar Series Teams Load Up for Trip to Japan
Written by Douglas Brown · April 18, 2005
Remember that move into your first “real” apartment? How about the transit of exponentially more possessions to your second house? Remember that strain and stress? Sorry to have hit a nerve.
Twin Ring Motegi: Home Page
Motorsport.com: Motegi gets SAFER
Go to the Race: Motegi Information
Anyone who has made a major household move can appreciate Indy Racing League senior director of operations John Lewis’ attention to detail for the IndyCar Series’ third trip to Japan for the April 30 Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi.
The logistics and paperwork of a 13,000-mile roundtrip move of more than 420,000 pounds of equipment – everything from race cars to the sanctioning body’s technical inspection station – is mind-boggling. Oh, and throw in the 14-hour time difference and customs clearances.
“I actually divide my season in two halves,” said Lewis, who will direct the loading of two chartered Nippon Cargo Airlines 747s this week at Indianapolis International Airport for the trip to New Tokyo Airport (Narita Airport) and subsequent move to the facility three hours north.
“From Jan. 1 to getting back from Motegi is one half, and then the month of May starts my second half. Once I get the Japan race over, it’s really a different mind-set. If you forget to take something to the race in Kentucky, it’s not that important.”
Constricting the schedule was last week’s Open Test at Infineon Raceway in northern California. Most team haulers returned to their bases by April 15. That gave crews two days to transform the cars from their road-course packages to oval aerodynamic and brake packages and load them for the jaunt to the airport.
“We’ll have the same challenge on the download side due to the closeness of opening day (May 8) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” Lewis says matter-of-factly. “Teams should have everything back from clearing customs on May 4 and manufacturers on the 5th. All they should have to do is change the motor and change to the Speedway trim. Hopefully, they’ll get a day off.”
IndyCar Series teams will deliver their pre-packed containers for inspection at Indianapolis International Airport on April 20. Cars are loaded two-high onto specially built 18- and 10-foot pallets and secured by team and IRL personnel. All containers are verified for weight and checked against the team’s manifest.
The freighters have a maintenance stop in Anchorage, Alaska, before heading across the Pacific Ocean. After cargo is unloaded and trucked to Twin Ring Motegi, it will clear customs and be available for teams to unpack.
“We’re in a bonded area at the racetrack, so you clear customs when you leave the U.S. and you clear Japan customs at the track,” Lewis said. “Everything goes back to Japan customs in that same configuration to come back and clear customs here. Everything that came must go; it will come out the same way it came in.”
Lewis certainly hopes so for the third leg of this four-part adventure in moving.
— IRL —
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