By Phil Huff
June 28 2005

Just hours before the seven Michelin shod teams appear before the FIA's World Motor Sport Council, the French tyre manufacturer have taken the incredible step of refunding the fans at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This means that every single visitor to the United States Grand Prix will be compensated for the cost of their tickets, although the offer stops short of covering all the costs that race goers faced.

Michelin will also purchase an additional 20,000 tickets for next years race at Indianapolis, handing them out to fans who visited the Grand Prix last week. A significant number of people will, therefore, end up visiting two Grands Prix without having to pay for their tickets.

In their statement, Michelin comment that "Michelin wishes to make a sincere gesture of goodwill towards the people present at the GP, a group whose passion for F1 is encouraging in the development of this sport in the United States.

"Michelin deeply regrets that the public was deprived of an exciting race and therefore wishes to be the first, among the different groups involved in the Indianapolis race, to make a strong gesture towards the spectators."

"It is the spirit of respect for the spectators that brought us, with our partners, to propose solutions to allow the race to take place in total safety. It is this same spirit that leads us today to make this gesture."

Well done, Michelin.

Details of how to claim your refund will be revealed in due course.