2011 Indianapolis MotoGP Race Weekend

Meridian Street in downtown Indianapolis was closed to cars and opened to thousands of motorcycles on Friday and Saturday nights.

The police had a strong presence, but were tolerant of the revved up crowd. Probably because they were bikers themselves...

I saw every size and shape at Motorcycles on Meridian. What is that front wheel - 26 inches?

There were a lot of sport bikes with extended swingarms that mimic drag bikes, but I only saw one guy crazy enough to roll with drag bar and deflated rear tire.

Extended swingarms weren't exclusive to modern bikes. This stunning 70's Kawasaki KZ900 was in on the action.

I don't know if this gag continues to work, but I give him credit for the beard, offset by the excessive use of smiley faces.

Underbody LED lights contributed to the carnival-like atmosphere on Meridian Street, especially late at night.

Modern Harley-Davidsons and sport bikes were the norm, but there were a decent number of vintage bikes including this Shovelhead.

A line of Harley-Davidson V-Rod's including the new <a href="http://www.heavy.com/moto/2011/08/harley-davidson-introduces-the-2012-night-rod-special/">Night Rod Special</a> on Meridian Street.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has capacity for 400,000 spectators, making it the largest and highest-capacity sporting facility in the world.

Plenty of eye candy on display at the Ducati exhibit.

An immaculate Ducati 750 Super Sport. Bella Vida!

There were an incredibile number of Moto Girls holding umbrellas at the track. Kept expecting to run into Mary Poppins.

Yamaha reminded everyone that you are never too young to start riding.

Vendors had plenty of motorcycles on hand to jump on, like Harley-Davidson in the shadow of the pagoda.

Two Harley-Davidson XR1200's set up on a dyno so fans could race head-to-head. A helluva lot of fun, but I felt sorry for the transmissions.

Some guys have all the luck.

A race fan sizes up a Harley-Davidson / Vance & Hines drag bike.

Mary Poppins?

God Save the Queen!

Pure Power! Indeed.

Incredible wheels on a custom motorcycle at the Akrapovic exhibit.

"Honey, have you seen the cat?"

The FBI was on-hand to investigate the excessive speeds at the track.

I can't say I like the taste of Jaegermeister, but their taste in girls? That's another story.

A Honda JCR Racing Baja 1000 race bike on display. Some nifty custom features like an oil line routed to the radiator.

Red Bull gives you Schwings!

The famous Gasoline Alley garage area.

Bill Davidson, great-grandson of company co-founder William Davidson, was on hand to watch the first Harley-Davidsons race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in more than a century.

The bikes in the Harley-Davidson XR1200 series are evenly matched which leads to close, exciting races. Tyler O'Hara won this first XR1200 race by a matter of feet.

Tyler O'Hara builds dairy barns during the week, but rules the track on the weekend. He placed 1st and 3rd in the two XR1200 races. I think we'll see more of him.

Does your gas come adorned with a 6 legged fire breathing beast?

Dani Pedrosa of the Repsol Honda Team fields questions before the Moto GP race.

Medical and Track personnel were stationed all over the course in case of emergency.

The course was spread out, but fans never missed the action thanks to the eye in the sky.

Riders square off in the 2011 Red Bull Indianapolis GP.

Nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi of the Ducati team placed a disappointing 10th.

Ben Spies of Yamaha Factory Racing, an American, was a crowd favorite and placed 3rd.

The Repsol Honda Team continued their MotoGP dominance with Dani Pedrosa finishing second.

Casey Stoner was the fastest man on the track all weekend. He set a new course record, won the race and leads the overall standings for MotoGP.

Casey Stoner takes a well deserved break, moments after crossing the finish line.