2009 IRL Rd. 1--Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

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Who will win the 2009 Honda Grand Prix of St. Pete?

Poll ended at Tue Apr 07, 2009 1:35 pm

Graham Rahal
1
33%
Ryan Briscoe
1
33%
Scott Dixon
1
33%
Tony Kanaan
0
No votes
none of the above
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 3

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2009 IRL Rd. 1--Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Post by mlittle » Sun Mar 15, 2009 1:35 pm

In 2005, the IRL began a new chapter in its' history with its' first non-oval event in St. Pete., an event marked by a 1-2-3-4 AGR sweep. Since then, the event has grown on the series, with great races each year.......2009 marks yet another chapter as the IndyCar Series will, for the first time, begin its' season at a non-oval course, and St. Pete. gets the nod. The mix of airport and streets is a challenge for all the drivers and this year, I suspect, will be no different.


Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Event Schedule
~~3 April 2009
Practice Session 1, 10:45am-12:15pm
Practice Session 2, 3:25-4:25pm
~~4 April 2009
Practice Session 3, 8:05-9:05am
Knockout Qualifying, 10:50am-12:20pm*
*--includes Firestone Pole Shootout
~~5 April 2009
Final Practice Session, 8:30-9am
Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, 2-5pm on VERSUS


--Domestic Television..................VERSUS
--Domestic AM Radio...................IMS Radio Network(available both on terrestrial radio and on Indycar.com)
--Satellite Radio..........................XM Radio Chs. 144(Sports Nation) & 145(IndyCar Racing)
--broadcast to also be simulcast internationally on ESPN International and via. the United States Armed Forces Network
Last edited by mlittle on Tue Apr 07, 2009 9:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Sponsors a-plenty in St. Pete

Post by mlittle » Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:25 am

(quoting AGP press release)
At a time when major events all across the nation are scaling back in one form or another due to reduced sponsorship activities and investments, the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is once again well positioned with a strong mix of local, national and regional sponsors.

“We feel fortunate to have such a strong and committed based of corporate and community support for this event,” said Tim Ramsberger, VP and General Manager of Andretti Green Promotions, promoters of the event. “These partnerships allow us to improve the Honda Grand Prix year after year and continue to bring a world class event to St. Petersburg.”

~~~American Honda is again utilizing the picturesque downtown St. Petersburg venue to showcase its Honda (Turn 2 sponsor) and Acura (Acura Advance Sponsor and Turn 10 sponsor) brands through entitlements on the weekend’s two feature races, the Honda Indy St. Pete and the Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg.

~~~Firestone (sponsor of Turns 1, 6 and 7) is back again in 2009 as the Official Tire of the Honda Grand Prix and will be showcasing an entitlement, as well, by way of a Firestone Indy Lights doubleheader to kick off the 2009 series season with 40-lap races on both Saturday and Sunday.

~~~Several local partners continue to make a significant contribution to the overall success of the annual event, including Progress Energy (Official Energy Provider), Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater and Bright House Networks (Official Cable, Internet and WiFi Provider and Turn 8 sponsor). St. Petersburg Times returns as the Official Print and Online Media Provider and Turn 3 sponsor. Other area organizations involved in the event include the City of St. Petersburg, Bayfront Medical and the St. Pete Chamber.

~~~Mars Snackfoods and its Snickers brand is the Official Chocolate and Turn 4 sponsor. M&M’s characters will also be on site during the weekend. National Guard also is making its first appearance at the event as a sponsor. Konica Minolta is back as the Official Business Machine Provider and will title the Konica Minolta Credential Center and the Konica Minolta Media Center. Great Bay Distributors and its Budweiser brand is the Official Domestic Beer and they will host a Budweiser beer garden adjacent to Progress Energy Park/Al Lang Field. This year,

~~~Tequila Patron is also involved in the Honda Grand Prix as sponsors of Turns 11 and 12 and 7-Eleven is the sponsor of Turn 5, while AirTran Airways returns as the Official Airline and the

~~~Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club is the Official Hotel/Resort.

~~~Other associate sponsors include Tissot (Official Watch), Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and its Dr. Pepper brand, Integrated Electrical Services, GTE Federal Credit Union (branding rights to the stage in Honda Plaza), Old World Industries and its Peak Motor Oil brand and Turn 9 sponsor Transitions Optical.
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Post by mlittle » Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:30 am

Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Entry List

(R)Raphael Matos, #2 McAfee AntiVirus
Will Power, #3 Team Penske
Dan Wheldon, #4 National Guard/Delphi
Mario Moraes, #5 KV Racing
Ryan Briscoe, #6 Team Penske
Danica Patrick, #7 Motorola
Scott Dixon, #9 Target
Dario Franchitti, #10 AirWick
Tony Kanaan, #11 Team 7-11
E.J. Viso, #13 PDVSA
Vitor Meira, #14 ABC Supply Co.
Justin Wilson, #19 Sonny's Real Pit BBQ
Ed Carpenter, #20 Menards
Ryan Hunter-Reay, #21 IZOD
Darren Manning, #23 Charter
(R)Mike Conway, #24 Dad's Root Beer
Marco Andretti, #26 Meijer
Hideki Mutoh, #27 Formula Dream
Alex Tagliani, #34 Northlands
(R)Stanton Barrett, #98 Interush/CURB
Graham Rahal, #02 McDonald's
(R)Robert Doornbos, #06 Muermans/Trust
Last edited by mlittle on Sat Apr 04, 2009 7:48 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Northlands to sponsor Tagliani at St. Pete.

Post by mlittle » Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:31 am

(Conquest Racing press release)
~~~Northlands To Sponsor Conquest Racing and Driver Alex Tagliani at IndyCar Series Race In St. Petersburg

INDIANAPOLIS (April 1, 2009) - Conquest Racing announced today that it has signed a partnership agreement with Northlands that will see the Edmonton-based organization and one of its signature events, the Rexall Edmonton Indy, become the primary sponsor of the #34 Conquest Racing car for this weekend's season opening Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The team also confirmed that Canadian fan favorite Alex Tagliani, will be back behind the wheel of the Conquest car for the first race of the 2009 season.

"Northlands is thrilled to be riding in the passenger seat beside Alex Tagliani as we kick off the 2009 IndyCar Series," said Ken Knowles, Northlands President. "As one of Canada's most successful open wheel drivers, we know that Alex and Conquest Racing will be a force to be reckoned with and an exciting addition to the Rexall Edmonton Indy from July 24-26."

Conquest Racing Team Owner Eric Bachelart added: "We're extremely pleased with the partnership that we have formed with Northlands and the Rexall Edmonton Indy. Northlands has done an amazing job with all their events in Edmonton, and we're proud to be able to help them promote their race and to have them on board as we start the season.

"We're also very excited to have Alex back in the car this weekend. He helped us demonstrate our potential at the end of last season, and we look to build on that this week. He's a pleasure to work with and everyone on the team is happy to have him back. Alex is not only good with the racing side of the business, but he is also a great ambassador for any sponsor, and being the only Canadian in the Series, he is a perfect fit for an organization such as Northlands."

While coming in at the last minute is not the ideal scenario, Alex Tagliani proved last season, when he joined Conquest Racing, that he was up to the task. In his first race aboard a Dallara Indy car at Detroit, he registered one of the fastest race laps and he followed that up by giving the team its best finish of the season with a fourth place at the non-points paying race at Surfers Paradise, Australia. Despite not having accumulated any testing miles during the off-season, the affable Canadian couldn't be happier to find himself behind the wheel of the Conquest car again.

"It's great to be going to the first race of the season," said Tagliani. "I'd like to thank Eric for giving me the opportunity to come back with the team, and Ian McGillivray at Oomph! Events who has been helping the team and me with our sponsorship hunt. Of course, a big thank you goes out to Northlands for believing in and supporting our program which once finalized with other players will reinforce Edmonton, Alberta's ties with racing. Northlands has put together a very successful race in Edmonton, and as a Canadian I'm honored to be able to help them promote their event and city, and what better way to do it than using the perfect plateau that is the IndyCar Series.

"It's been a pretty crazy winter and I'm happy to be getting back behind the wheel of a race car this weekend. I had an excellent experience with the team last year and I'm looking forward to continue what we started last season."

Conquest Racing will be on track Friday morning with the first practice session of the season at 10:45 a.m. Qualifications for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg take place Saturday at 10:50 a.m. with the race going green Sunday, April 6 at 2:45 p.m. (all times eastern). The race will be broadcast live on Versus starting at 2:00 p.m. eastern time.

About Northlands:
Northlands rocks Edmonton and Alberta with 2,500 events each year that attract over 4 million visitors to Alberta's Capital City. Think Rexall Edmonton Indy, Canadian Finals Rodeo, Farmfair International, Capital EX, the best of horse racing, headliner concerts, international events and all the trade shows you can handle. Visit northlands.com to find out more.
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Post by mlittle » Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:41 am

Firestone Fast Facts

Event: Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, round 1 of 17
Where: Streets of St. Petersburg
When: 5 April 2009, 2pm
Race Distance: 180 miles(100 laps, 1.8 mile circuit)
Television: VERSUS

Firestone Race Tire Specifications..................
* Primary (black-sidewall) dry-condition slicks: 702, each entry gets six sets (24 total tires)
* Alternate (red-sidewall) dry-condition slicks: 347, each entry gets three sets (12 total tires)
* Wet-condition (rain) tires with grooved tread pattern: 436, each entry gets four sets as needed
~~~Per IndyCar Series rules, each entry must declare to the league within one hour after qualifying on which dry-condition tire spec it intends to start the race. All cars must use at least one primary set and one new alternate set during the race, each for a minimum of two green-flag laps.

Al Speyer, Director, Firestone Racing,
Another IndyCar Series season is here, and for the first time we get to kick it off at one of the premier events, the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Firestone Racing has been a strong supporter of this event since it debuted in 2005, and we are continuing that role as the grand prix's official tire this year. The racing at St. Pete has always been exciting and unpredictable, and it should become even more so with the introduction of our alternate tire concept to IndyCar Series road and street courses this season. Each car will have a limited supply of the red-sidewall alternate tires, which possess a softer tread compound for faster lap times. But, by design, the Firehawk 'reds' trade away some tread compound durability over the long run, so teams will need to manage their tire use wisely to maximize their car's performance. This added strategy variable could yield even more unexpected results in both qualifying and the race. We're thrilled to see the alternate tire concept added to the competition, and we believe the IndyCar fans will enjoy it.
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A Lap at St. Petersburg

Post by mlittle » Fri Apr 03, 2009 3:58 pm

The race track at St. Petersburg, Fla., is not your typical tight, twisty, short street circuit. Its location in this medium sized city's waterfront area is ideal for both drivers and spectators. At just under two miles in length, there are a variety of long flat-out straights, high speed bends and tight back-to-back turns. Taking a lap of this track is a definite hair raising experience.

The front straight, dissected by the Start/Finish line, is the actual runway of the Albert Whitted Airport. Cars are at top gear crossing the line and continue another 2000 ft to Turn 1. The first turn is a 120 degree, bouncy, right-hander with plenty of runoff area. Turn 2 is an immediate quick left hander taken while accelerating up through the gears. Getting the third turn right is important because it leads out on to the first of three straightaways. The run from Turn 3 to turn four is three full city blocks. At the moment cars reach top gear, it is time to jab hard on the brakes for a very tight, narrow turn.

From Turn 4 through Turn 9, the track is a virtual rollercoaster. Right, left, left, right, right! It is a tight, single line section with no margin for error. Handling is paramount here. This is where the majority of drivers "just touch" the walls.

After turn nine, it's all about horsepower. The straightaway down to Turn 10 runs along the harbour. Past the yachts and bikinis, it has one of the most challenging kinks in racing. Most drivers do not admit that they lift here but if they don't, they are certainly swallowing hard. This quick stab to the left produces 3gs and the moment they make it and realize that everything is still intact, they are hard on the brakes to make the turn.

The distance from Turn 10 to Turn 13, is really a straightaway broken up by a pair of esses which are Turn 11 and Turn 12. This run is very fast with another two quick jabs, first to the right and then to the left. Both producing again 3gs laterally. Turn 11 is covered by the Acura bridge which produces a momentary blip of shade which can be distracting while concentrating on the apex of the 12th turn.

Turn 13 is a long 180 degree bend. Let me repeat that again. A very long bend that leads out on to the front straight. It is a "Monza Parabolica" type bend. Getting it right is very important because your exit speed will determine who gets to the finish line first.

As I just mentioned about the blip of shade. Being a street circuit with buildings and bridges, shadows are a real challenge for drivers here. Many turns are approached in the sunlight and taken in the shade. Many braking markers are in the shade while the track is bathed in sunlight. Many drivers have said that sometimes you just have to know where you are even if you can't see it.

Last year it rained and turned everything upside down. Graham Rahal took his first IndyCar win here. This year, the weather report is questionable. But, no matter rain or shine, racing at St. Petersburg will always be a challenge.
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Qualifying Primer

Post by mlittle » Sat Apr 04, 2009 1:56 am

There are three rounds of qualifications on road/street circuits to determine the starting order. It's not as easy as 1, 2, 3.

Segment 1: Cars are randomly assigned to Group 1 or 2, with each group on the track for 20-minute qualifying sessions. The six cars from each group with the best lap times advance to Segment 2. Not advancing cars determine 13th through the end on the starting grid ranked in order of fastest to slowest.

Segment 2: Times from Segment 1 are voided for the 12 participants. All cars are on track for 15-minute qualifying session. The six cars with the best lap times advance to the "Firestone Fast Six." Not advancing cars determine seventh through 12th on the starting grid ranked in order of fastest to slowest.

Segment 3: Times from Segment 2 are voided for the six participants. In the "Firestone Fast Six," all cars are on track for 10-minute qualifying session. Results determine first through sixth on the starting grid ranked in order of fastest to slowest.
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Post by mlittle » Sat Apr 04, 2009 9:49 am

St. Pete. Practice Session #1 top-5...................
1. 10 Dario Franchitti(Target/Ganassi Racing) 1:04.503 100.460
2. 9 Scott Dixon(Target/Ganassi Racing) 1:05.148 0.645 0.645 99.466
3. 19 Justin Wilson(Dale Coyne Racing) 1:05.184 0.036 0.681 99.412
4. 6 Ryan Briscoe(Team Penske) 1:05.206 0.022 0.703 99.378
5. 4 Dan Wheldon(Panther Racing) 1:05.339 0.133 0.836 99.175
L-R: position, car #, driver, (team), fast time, gap from next position, gap from 1st, speed[mph]
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Post by mlittle » Sat Apr 04, 2009 9:51 am

St. Pete Practice Session #2 top-5...............
1. 02 Graham Rahal(NHL Racing) 1:03.408 102.196
2. 19 Justin Wilson(Dale Coyne Racing) 1:03.588 0.180 0.180 101.906
3. 10 Dario Franchitti(Target/Ganassi Racing) 1:03.701 0.113 0.293 101.726
4. 13 EJ Viso(HVM Racing) 1:03.816 0.115 0.408 101.543
5. 11 Tony Kanaan(Andretti-Green Racing) 1:03.845 0.029 0.437 101.495
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Post by mlittle » Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:22 am

St. Pete Practice Session #3 top-5..................
1. 3 Will Power(Team Penske) 1:02.838 103.123
2. 10 Dario Franchitti(Target/Ganassi Racing) 1:02.957 0.119 0.119 102.928
3. 9 Scott Dixon(Target/Ganassi Racing) 1:03.014 0.057 0.176 102.834
4. 26 Marco Andretti(Andretti-Green Racing) 1:03.234 0.220 0.396 102.477
5. 06 [R]Robert Doornbos(NHL Racing) 1:03.251 0.017 0.413 102.449
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Post by mlittle » Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:29 am

Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Starting Lineup

1. 02 Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 1:02.411 103.828
2. 19 Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing 1:02.460 103.746

3. 11 Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing 1:02.531 103.629
4. 6 Ryan Briscoe Team Penske 1:02.570 103.564

5. 10 Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing 1:02.693 103.361
6. 3 Will Power Team Penske 1:02.737 103.289

7. 34 Alex Tagliani Conquest Racing 1:02.695 103.357
8. 9 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing 1:02.989 102.875

9. 2 Raphael Matos Luczo Dragon Racing 1:03.134 102.638
10. 23 Darren Manning Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 1:03.304 102.364

11. 4 Dan Wheldon Panther Racing 1:03.473 102.090
12. 24 Mike Conway Dreyer & Reinbold Racing no time

13. 06 Robert Doornbos Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 1:02.793 103.196
14. 21 Ryan Hunter-Reay Vision Racing 1:03.022 102.821

15. 7 Danica Patrick Andretti Green Racing 1:02.827 103.141
16. 13 E.J. Viso HVM Racing 1:03.060 102.759

17. 14 Vitor Meira A.J. Foyt Enterprises 1:02.913 102.999
18. 26 Marco Andretti Andretti Green Racing 1:03.365 102.264

19. 27 Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green Racing 1:03.330 102.321
20. 5 Mario Moraes KV Racing Technology 1:03.452 102.124

21. 98 Stanton Barrett CURB/Agajanian/Team 3G 1:06.593 97.307
22. 20 Ed Carpenter Vision Racing 1:04.242 100.869
note.......positions 13-22 were set following the first round of qualifying; positions 7-12 were set following round 2 and the top-6 were set in the pole qualifying session
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ICS tire choices for St. Pete

Post by mlittle » Sun Apr 05, 2009 1:39 pm

Before each road and street course event on the 2009 IndyCar Series schedule, teams must determine which of the two types of Firestone tire compounds they will start with; either the primary black-walled Firehawk tires or the red-walled "alternate"/"option" tires. Teams must run both sets for a minimum of 2 laps.

Row 1 #02 Graham Rahal* #19 Justin Wilson*
Row 2 #11 Tony Kanaan #6 Ryan Briscoe*
Row 3 #10 Dario Franchitti #3 Will Power*
Row 4 #34 Alex Tagliani* #9 Scott Dixon
Row 5 #2 Raphael Matos* #23 Darren Manning
Row 6 #4 Dan Wheldon* #24 Mike Conway
Row 7 #06 Robert Doornbos* #21 Ryan Hunter-Reay
Row 8 #7 Danica Patrick* #13 EJ Viso*
Row 9 #14 Vitor Meira* #26 Marco Andretti*
Row 10 #27 Hideki Mutoh* #5 Mario Moraes*
Row 11 #98 Stanton Barrett* #20 Ed Carpenter
*--designates driver will start on the red-walled option/alternate tires
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Briscoe Wins in St. Pete..........

Post by mlittle » Mon Apr 06, 2009 11:11 am

......holding off both Vision Racing's Ryan Hunter-Reay and Dale Coyne's Justin Wilson several times on late restarts to notch the Captain's 30th win in IndyCar competition since 2002..........

Image


One of the largest crowds St. Pete event organizers report watched the first race of the 2009 campaign begin under clear, sunny skies, but it wasn't one turn in the books before there was the inevitable street-course schmozzle when polesitter Graham Rahal got spun around by AGR's Tony Kanaan; Rahal would soldier on, however, and brought the #02 McDonald's/Arctic Ice D/H home to a 7th-place finish.

Back up front, DCR's Wilson kept the lead and ran hard on the Firestone "reds", giving up the lead to eventual winner Briscoe on pitstops and re-taking the lead in turn. The drive of the race, however, went to Vision's Ryan Hunter-Reay, who gave Tony George's squad their best-ever IndyCar finish with a 2nd-place result, as he would pass Wilson late to take the runner-up spot.

As street races often do, they bred several on-track contretemps...........
---2 occurred on lap 33; the first involved Raphael Matos, who tried to dive-bomb his way past Danica Patrick at the 11/12 complex, only to send her into the tires, her race over and him into the tires also, his race over. At the same time on the opposite end of the course, Hideki Mutoh and Mario Moraes got together in turn 4; Moraes would exit stage left w/broken suspension, while Mutoh continued on...........
---the "big one" took place on lap 86, at turn 4, involving Mutoh and 4 others(Wheldon, Power, Andretti & Doornbos)...........all of them were uninjured but their races ended at the corner there........


In the end, though, it was the Aussie, Briscoe, who spoiled the two potential Cinderella stories of DCR's Wilson and Vision's Hunter-Reay, holding off both to notch his 3rd career series win..........

Image


Top-10 from a beautiful St. Pete...........
1st} #6 Ryan Briscoe, 100 laps
2nd} #21 Ryan Hunter-Reay, -0.462 sec
3rd} #19 Justin Wilson, -0.949 sec
4th} #10 Dario Franchitti, -1.523 sec
5th} #11 Tony Kanaan, -2.321 sec
6th} #3 Will Power, -3.462 sec
7th} #02 Graham Rahal, -4.067 sec
8th} #23 Darren Manning, -4.728 sec
9th} #14 Vitor Meira, -5.956 sec
10th} #34 Alex Tagliani, -1 lap
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