Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
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| IndyCar Series | |
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| Location | St. Petersburg, Florida, USA 27°45′59″N 82°37′45″W / 27.76639°N 82.62917°WCoordinates: 27°45′59″N 82°37′45″W / 27.76639°N 82.62917°W |
| Corporate sponsor | Honda |
| First race | 1985 |
| First IRL race | 2005 |
| Distance | 180 mi (290 km) |
| Previous names | St. Petersburg Grand Prix (1985-1990) Kash n' Karry Florida Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (1996-1997) Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (2003) |
| Most wins (driver) | Hélio Castroneves (2) |
| Most wins (team) | Team Penske (4) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Dallara (6) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt/Concrete |
| Length | 1.8 mi (2.9 km) |
| Turns | 14 |
| Lap record | Sébastien Bourdais (1:00.928, Lola B02/00-Ford Cosworth, 2003, Champ Car) |
The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is an IndyCar Series race held in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Contents |
[edit] History
Racing in the St. Petersburg area dates back to 1985. The SCCA Trans-Am Series held a race on a downtown waterfront circuit from 1985-1990. Local residents and businesses complained about noise, and the event was put on hiatus. Racing in the Tampa Bay Area also included an IMSA race at the Florida State Fairgrounds. But it only lasted two years (1989–1990).
In 1996-1997, the St. Petersburg race was revived on a course around Tropicana Field. Along with the Trans-Am Series, support races included U.S. FF2000, World Challenge, Pro SRF, and Barber Dodge. The event was well-received, but the course was considered unsatisfactory. The event went again on hiatus for several years.
In 2003, the event was revived once again. The race was first run as a Champ Car event in 2003. It utilitzed a modified version of the original 1985–90 waterfront circuit.
For 2004, however, the event was cancelled due to a dispute between the promoters. When the race returned in 2005, it switched to the IndyCar Series, and marked the first non-oval event for the Indy Racing League. Starting in 2007, the race weekend was expanded to include an ALMS event.
It was announced during 2008 race that Andretti Green Promotions, the organization that owns and operates the event, signed a contract extension with the city of St. Petersburg through 2013, and city officials hope to extend it through 2014.[1]
[edit] Past winners
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine | Team | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CART World Series history | ||||||
| 2003 | February 23 |  Paul Tracy |
Lola | Ford-Cosworth | Forsythe Racing | Report |
| IRL IndyCar Series history | ||||||
| 2005 | April 3 |  Dan Wheldon |
Dallara | Honda | Andretti Green Racing | Report |
| 2006 | April 2 |  Hélio Castroneves |
Dallara | Honda | Team Penske | Report |
| 2007 | April 1 | Hélio Castroneves |
Dallara | Honda | Team Penske | Report |
| 2008 | April 6 |  Graham Rahal |
Dallara | Honda | Newman/Haas Racing | Report |
| 2009 | April 5 |  Ryan Briscoe |
Dallara | Honda | Team Penske | Report |
| 2010 | March 29A | Will Power |
Dallara | Honda | Team Penske | Report |
| 2011 | March 27 | Dario Franchitti |
Dallara | Honda | Target Chip Ganassi Racing | Report |
^A 2010 race postponed from March 28 due to inclement weather[2]
[edit] Firestone Indy Lights Series
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | April 3 | Marco Andretti |
Dallara | Infiniti |
| 2006 | April 1 (1st race) | Raphael Matos |
Dallara | Infiniti |
| April 2 (2nd race) | Raphael Matos |
Dallara | Infiniti | |
| 2007 | March 31 (1st race) | Alex Lloyd |
Dallara | |
| April 1 (2nd race) | Alex Lloyd |
Dallara | ||
| 2008 | April 5 (1st race) | Raphael Matos |
Dallara | |
| April 6 (2nd race) | Richard Antinucci |
Dallara | ||
| 2009 | April 4 (1st race) |  Junior Strous |
Dallara | |
| April 5 (2nd race) | Junior Strous |
Dallara | ||
| 2010 | March 28 |  Jean Karl Vernay |
Dallara | |
| 2011 | March 27 | Josef Newgarden |
Dallara |
[edit] American Le Mans Series
Overall winner in bold.
| Season | LMP1 Winning Team | LMP2 Winning Team | GT1 Winning Team | GT2 Winning Team | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LMP1 Winning Drivers | LMP2 Winning Drivers | GT1 Winning Drivers | GT2 Winning Drivers | ||
| 2007 | #1 Audi Sport North America |
#6 Penske Racing |
#4 Corvette Racing |
#62 Risi Competizione |
report |
 Rinaldo Capello Allan McNish |
 Sascha Maassen Ryan Briscoe |
Oliver Gavin Olivier Beretta |
 Mika Salo Jaime Melo |
||
| 2008 | #2 Audi Sport North America |
#7 Penske Racing |
#4 Corvette Racing |
#71 Tafel Racing |
report |
| Marco Werner Lucas Luhr |
Timo Bernhard Romain Dumas |
Olivier Beretta Oliver Gavin |
Dominik Farnbacher Dirk Müller |
||
| 2009 | #9 Patrón Highcroft Racing |
 #15 Lowe's Fernández Racing |
No entry | #45 Flying Lizard Motorsports |
report |
| David Brabham Scott Sharp |
Adrian Fernández Luis Díaz |
No entry | Patrick Long Jörg Bergmeister |
[edit] SCCA Trans-Am
- 1985 Willy T. Ribbs
- 1986 Pete Halsmer
- 1987 Scott Pruett
- 1988 Walter Röhrl
- 1989 Irv Hoerr
- 1990 Chris Kneifel
- 1996 Ron Fellows
- 1997 Tommy Kendall
- 2003 Scott Pruett
[edit] IMSA (fairgrounds)
- 1989 Price Cobb
- 1990 James Weaver
[edit] Course
The Streets of St. Petersburg course is a street circuit connecting existing roads with one of the two landing strips of Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg, Florida. It also dips into the parking lot at Progress Energy Park.
[edit] First bayfront course
The original 1985 Trans-Am course utilized a similar layout to the course used today. For the first year the track actually ran out to the pier, made a 180 degree turn and returned. At the end of Bayshore Drive, rather than diverting off to the airport runways, the course circled around 5th Avenue Southeast around Bayfront Arena, and the start/finish line was located just south of the paddock (the parking lot of Bayfront Arena). In addition, the old course traveled further up Beach Drive Northeast, all the way to 5th Avenue Northeast. 5th Ave. NE was a very narrow segment. The course came south down Bayshore Drive Northeast, and passed by The Pier.
[edit] Tropicana Field course
The second course at Tropicana Field was located about a mile west of the waterfront location. The circuit used the roads around the perimeter of the parking lot of the stadium.
[edit] Second Bayfront course
When the course was reconfigured, the northbound segment turned at Central Avenue instead, and did not go as far as The Pier. The pits and main straight were moved to the airport, and a paddock area was paved next to the runway. The Albert Whitted park was reconfigured/relocated, and the entire course layout was repaved.
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The circuit layout from 1985 to 1991
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The circuit layout from 1996 to 2000
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The circuit layout from 2003 to present
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[edit] Telecast History
| Season | Date | US TV Channel | Lay-by-lap | Driver Analyst(s) | Pit Reporters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | February 23 | Speed Channel | Bob Varsha | Tommy Kendall | Unknown |
| 2005 | April 3 | ESPN | Todd Harris | Scott Goodyear | Jack Arute, Dr. Jerry Punch, & Jamie Little |
| 2006 | April 2 | ESPN | Marty Reid | Scott Goodyear & Rusty Wallace | Jack Arute, Dr. Jerry Punch, & Jamie Little |
| 2007 | April 1 | ESPN | Marty Reid | Scott Goodyear | Jack Arute, Vince Welch, & Brienne Pedigo |
| 2008 | April 6 | ESPN | Marty Reid | Scott Goodyear | Jack Arute, Vince Welch, & Brienne Pedigo |
| 2009 | April 5 | Versus | Bob Jenkins | Jon Beekhuis & Robbie Buhl | Jack Arute, Robbie Floyd, & Lindy Thackston |
| 2010 | March 28 | ABC | Marty Reid | Scott Goodyear | Jamie Little, Rick DeBruhl, & Vince Welch |
| March 29 | ESPN2 |
[edit] References
- ^ Brassfield, Mike (6 April 2009). "Grand Prix is a winner for St. Petersburg". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/tourism/article989967.ece. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ Auman, Greg (29 March 2010). "Grand Prix of St. Petersburg postponed until Monday". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.tampabay.com/sports/autoracing/article1083479.ece. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
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