George admits he had doubts over GP

The race, only the second GP at the legendary Indiana track, will be the biggest international sporting event in America since terrorists crashed three hijacked passenger planes into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon on September 11 with a catastrophic loss of life.

"I went through a number of mind changes following the tragedy, but I felt we have done the right thing in carrying on with this event," said George. "I think it is going to be a great weekend, but it will be a special race for a number of reasons.

"I think it's important we try to get back to carrying on with our normal lives, even though our lives won't be normal again. They will forever be changed, but we have to get back to doing what we do, which is putting the event on and Formula 1 putting the championship on.

"From the first conversations I had with Bernie (Ecclestone) and Max (Mosley) it was felt we needed to go forward," he added. "This has been a very difficult challenge for everybody in the last two weeks. At the outset I was concerned, as everybody was, with whether the event would come off, but it shows our resolve.

Although many questioned publicly whether the race should go ahead following the suicide attacks, there is now a growing tide of support behind the decision to run the event - not least from local residents, who fly the Stars and Stripes in vast numbers on their houses and in their gardens.

"I think you're going to see a very united people this weekend," said George. "They're here for I'm sure a great event and a great time. All will be here to show their resolve as human beings and it's a case of united we stand.

"I think everyone is probably looking for this event to have some special meaning. It will be a great platform to show our compassion. In the early days, things seemed to change every 15 minutes, then it changed by the hour. But as time went by it seemed more capable to get the race on.

"A lot of extra effort has been put in and there was an extraordinary effort on the other side of the Atlantic to get the equipment here, and we tried to do our best once things started arriving here."

George says the Grand Prix had more time to decide its future than the Ryder Cup, which should have taken place this weekend, but was postponed for a year.

"I am not really sure what the rationale was behind the Ryder Cup being postponed," he added. "We were fortunate that we had two weeks to organise this and had time to assess the situation.

"Sales were pretty steady in the weeks leading up to September 11, but it's been heartening to know that the pace has picked up since that day. We are looking forward to a good crowd this weekend and, for the most part, people are ready to get back to a normal daily activity."

The crowd is expected to be the biggest of the year - but still down on last season's inaugural 225,000 total. And a massive security blanket has been thrown over the event to protect the public. Cooler bags, which could carry explosives or guns, have been banned.

"This is a big event, but it's just a sporting event and it's different to the type of attack that took place where they really struck at the heart of the economic system," he said. "But it is a large gathering and we have taken steps.

"It is inappropriate to talk about all the measures we have taken this week. Some of them will be noticeable, but some of them won't be. There is a heightened awareness and a heightened security.

"We have 85 years' experience of putting on large sporting events. We feel we are very well covered."