Neveu, Fillon Visit Indy 500

Photo: WEC

FIA World Endurance Championship CEO Gerard Neveu and ACO President Pierre Fillon were among the dignitaries on hand at today’s 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, having been invited as guests to take in the historic running of the race.

Both Neveu and Fillon met with Mark Miles, the President and CEO of Hulman & Company (pictured above), while also making visits with Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi, including a tour of CGR’s Indianapolis headquarters.

“Just like Le Mans, the Indy 500 is a huge event both in terms of its recognition throughout the world and as a sporting occasion for fans, and it’s always really interesting to see how it works,” Neveu said.

The WEC had been in previous talks with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the possibility of a WEC event at the famed speedway.

For now, the championship’s primary focus in the U.S. remains at Circuit of The Americas, which will again host the Lone Star Le Mans event in September.

An estimated 400,000 fans were on hand at Indianapolis today for the sold-out race, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans being another one of the world’s largest spectator sporting events.

“In three weeks over 260,000 fans will be gathered at Le Mans in France for the Le Mans 24 Hours and we really look forward to welcoming every one of them for what is likely to be an amazing spectacle on and off track,” Fillon added.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John