2010 IRL Rd. 2--Honda Grand Prix of St. Pete

[mlittle]

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 seen itself become a marquee event on the Indycar calendar and this year promises to be no different.


Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Event Schedule................
----Practice Session 1} 10:40-11:40am, 26 March 2010
----Practice Session 2} 2:10-3:10pm, 26 March 2010
----Practice Session 3} 9:55-10:55am, 27 March 2010
----Firestone Qualifying} 1:20pm, 27 March 2010
----Final Practice} 9:30-10am, 28 March 2010
----Honda Grand Prix of St. Pete: 3:00pm, ABC Sports

Championship Facts...................
• The winner at St. Petersburg has gone on to win an Indycar championship twice(Tracy, 2003 & Wheldon, 2005).

• Over the past decade(2000-2010), the following drivers have won the second race of the season(in either the IRL or CART/ChampCar) and gone on to win their respective titles:
---Buddy Lazier(2000-Phoenix)
---Sam Hornish, Jr.(2001-Homestead)
---Paul Tracy(2003-St. Pete)
---Sebastien Bourdais(2004-Monterrey)
---Tony Kanaan(2004-Phoenix)
---Sebastien Bourdais(2006-Houston)
---Sebastien Bourdais(2007-Long Beach)
---Dario Franchitti(2009-Long Beach)

[mlittle]

Past Winners at St. Petersburg...........
includes pole and race winners....

2003: Sebastien Bourdais, Paul Tracy
2005: Bryan Herta, Dan Wheldon
2006: Dario Franchitti, Helio Castroneves
2007: Helio Castroneves, Helio Castroneves
2008: Tony Kanaan, Graham Rahal
2009: Graham Rahal, Ryan Briscoe


Broadcast Info...............
--Domestic TV: ABC Sports
--Domestic Radio: IMS Radio Network
--Satellite Radio: XM Sirius Radio
--International TV, radio and shortwave simulcast courtesy of the United States Armed Forces Network

[mlittle]

Honda Grand Prix of St. Pete Entry List..............
2010 rookie entrants in italics

Raphael Matos, #2 HP/McAfee
Helio Castroneves, #3 Team Penske
Dan Wheldon, #4 National Guard
Takuma Sato, #5 Lotus-Cosworth
Ryan Briscoe, #6 Team Penske
Danica Patrick, #7 GoDaddy.com
E.J. Viso, #8 PDVSA
Scott Dixon, #9 Target
Dario Franchitti, #10 Cottonelle
Tony Kanaan, #11 Team 7-11
Will Power, #12 Verizon Wireless
Vitor Meira, #14 ABC Supply Co.
Milka Duno, #18 CITGO
Alex Lloyd, #19 Boy Scouts of America
Justin Wilson, #22 Z-Line Designs
Mike Conway, #24 Dad's Root Beer
Marco Andretti, #26 Venom Energy Drink
Mario Moraes, #32 Pan Americano
Mario Romancini, #34 Dolly/KVRT
Ryan Hunter-Reay, #37 IZOD
Graham Rahal, #67 Dollar General
Alex Tagliani, #77 Bowers & Wilkins
Simona de Silvestro, #78 Team Stargate Worlds
Hideki Mutoh, #06 Panasonic

[mlittle]

According to Speed's Robin Miller, Graham Rahal appears set to compete with Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing beginning at Long beach

~~~Graham Rahal rejoins the IZOD IndyCar series this weekend at St. Petersburg in Sarah Fisher's car but the 21-year-old second generation star is poised be reunited with the Newman/Haas/Lanigan team for the rest of 2010.

SPEEDtv.com has learned that young Rahal secured sponsorship that will likely put him back with the Chicago-based squad he's driven for since 2007 - beginning at Long Beach next month. "I don't want to say too much yet but it's looking good for something full-time," said Rahal on Tuesday night following his ALMS Corvette test at Sebring, Fla.

Brian Lisles, the team manager at NHL, said he didn't know of any details but would welcome the chance to run Rahal again. "We would like to be a 2-car team but I don't know if anything has been done," said Lisles.

After a solid sophomore season in IndyCar in 2009, where he scored a pair of podiums, two pole positions and qualified in the fast six in all but one of the seven street/road course shows, Rahal found himself without a ride a few months ago when McDonald's decided not to re-up with NHL.

The son of the three-time CART champion spent January and February looking for sponsors and finally landed one, which should be announced in the near future. While he was serving as his own marketing man, Rahal was approached by Fisher to drive her Dollar General Dallara/Honda at St. Pete and Birmingham, Ala.

"A lot of good things have happened lately," he said. "First the deal with Sarah and now some more good news." Rahal, who worked with engineer Martin Pare in '09, will team with Hideki Mutoh.

[mlittle]

Former F1 test driver Bertrand Baguette will race for fellow Belgian Eric Bachelart's squad in 2010 beginning at Barber Motorsports Park alongside fellow rookie Mario Romancini


(from MO, 22 March 2010)
-----Conquest Racing announced today that it will enter a second car in the IZOD IndyCar Series for Belgian driver Bertrand Baguette, beginning with the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 11th through the remainder of the season. The car will carry the colors of the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium’s National Team. The RACB is the Belgian motorsports governing body.

“I have always been attracted to racing in America,” commented Baguette. “American open wheel has a rich heritage in competitive races and legendary drivers, and I couldn’t be happier about following in their footsteps. Racing in the US is a fantastic opportunity for me, and I am excited about entering into this next step of my career.”

Baguette, 24, received considerable attention in Europe after he captured the 2009 World Series by Renault championship. As a result of his success in 2009, Baguette was invited to test for Formula 1 teams Renault F1 and BMW Sauber earlier this year in Jerez, Spain.

"I am looking forward to the 15 races this year with the IndyCar series and I am thankful to the sponsors and for the support of the RACB National Team that have made this possible,” said Baguette of the newly formed deal. “I will carry the yellow color of the Belgian National Team with dignity and pride, especially during the legendary Indianapolis 500. To run this race in front of 400,000 spectators will undoubtedly be a big moment of emotion for me as a driver and Belgian countryman. I will be counting on the experience of my new team owner, Eric Bachelart, to help me enter successfully into this new world of racing."

Bachelart is excited about the prospect of a Belgian driver in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Bachelart has watched the career of Baguette closely over the last several years and is optimistic about Baguette’s ability to be successful this season.

"I am completely confident in the capacities of Bertrand to quickly adapt to the IZOD IndyCar Series car and the North America road and street circuits. I followed his 2009 season and was impressed by the excellent degree of competitiveness and maturity he showcased on his way to becoming Formula Renault 3.5 Champion,” asserted Bachelart. “Because of his ability to adapt well to new formula, I am confident that he will also learn the art of oval track racing relatively quickly.”

While he will not be racing until the Barber Motorsports event, Baguette will be attending the St. Petersburg Grand Prix this weekend to familiarize himself with the IZOD IndyCar Series, the cars and the team.

“I am really looking forward to becoming more familiar with him during the upcoming race in St. Petersburg,” said Bachelart. “It will be good for Bertrand to be able to attend an event, understand the communication between driver and team and get acclimated to IZOD IndyCar Series racing without the pressure of also having to learn the cars on the same weekend. This should make Bertrand’s debut event at Barber much smoother for him and for the team.”

[mlittle]

------Dario Franchitti smiles while leafing through mental snapshots of his motorsports career -- from karting weekends in the UK with his do-all dad to the satisfying 2009 championship-clinching victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“The first win at Road America. Winning Milwaukee, which was my first IRL win. Winning in Vancouver in 2002 at Greg’s (Moore) home track. That was cool. Obviously, Indianapolis. Chicago and winning the first IndyCar title. Long Beach in ’09; to come back and win with Team Target. Obviously, the one that ended last year,” he clicks off in staccato fashion.

Each evokes a vivid memory and/or personal/team accomplishment. Another will be marked this weekend in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg when Franchitti joins Tony Kanaan (210) and Helio Castroneves (211) as active IZOD IndyCar Series drivers with 200 open-wheel racing starts.

“It’s definitely a milestone,” says Franchitti, who has 13 victories in 85 IZOD IndyCar Series races (his No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car will trade the red and white liver for the blue and white of Cottonelle as the primary sponsor this weekend). “There are a lot of good memories, a lot of fun. I’d say it’s a milestone but hopefully there will be more along the way.”

A student of auto racing history, Franchitti – who turns 37 on May 19 -- prefers to project to the future when discussing his own motorsports longevity and fulfillment.

“While people want to put me in the same category as other great drivers from Scotland – Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart – as well as Graham Hill from England, I see those guys on a different level. I’m just happy that I get to do what I get to do. Part of my brain goes back to all the races we’ve done, the teams and people I’ve worked with.”

That’s quite a roll call through the years.

After competing in the British Formula Three Championship in 1994, Franchitti was out of single-seaters for the ’95 season. He switched to the German Touring Car Championship with Mercedes for the next two years, during which he recorded one race victory and a high of fourth place in the 1996 standings.

With the demise of the related International Touring Car Championship, Mercedes placed Franchitti at Hogan Racing for the 1997 CART season (high finish of ninth at Surfers Paradise and one pole start). In 1998, he joined Team Green (forerunner to Andretti Autosport), finishing third in the championship standings with three wins (first at Road America) and five pole positions.

Franchitti moved with Andretti Green to the IndyCar Series in 2003, but his season was curtailed after three races by a back injury suffered in a motorcycle accident while on holiday in Scotland. He returned in 2004, winning for the first time in the series at Milwaukee, and added three other wins during 2004-06.

In ’07, Franchitti won four races, including the Indianapolis 500, and went on to claim his first major open-wheel racing championship by 13 points over Scott Dixon in a title drive that was decided on the final lap of the final race. After a year racing in stock cars, Franchitti repeated the feat in 2009 by posting five victories and holding off Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dixon and Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe in the season finale.

Dixon, who won the title in ’08 in a similarly tight season-long battle with Castroneves, appreciates Franchitti’s friendship and what he can gain through his experience.

“The best thing I can have is to have a teammate that is extremely good,” says Dixon, who also won five races in ’09 and came up 11 points shy of his third series title. “It only helps lift your game. I’ve been lucky to be with this team for eight years and I’ve had a long list of competitive drivers to learn little things off. It’s no different with Dario. He’s obviously very experienced himself and he’s quite defined in a lot of areas that I’m not. I know what I need to work on.

“Without him, I wouldn’t know that I need to work on those areas. If I didn’t have him last year, maybe I wouldn’t have been fighting for the championship. I love having inner-team competition and he’s a tough guy to beat.”

Franchitti, who is tied for 15th on the all-time Indy car victory list with Tommy Milton at 23 and will pass Raul Boesel for 15th on the list in number of starts, wants to keep it that way. “The first 200 have been a lot of fun and let’s hope we can reach another couple of big milestones and be as competitive and have as much doing it,” he says.

By The Numbers.........
• Has covered 41,792.15 miles in open-wheel racing career.
• Of 23 victories, nine have been on a street course, three on a road course and 10 on an oval.
• Has raced with four different teams in 12 years: Hogan Racing, 1997; Team Green, 1998-2002; Andretti Green Racing, 2003-07; Target Chip Ganassi Racing, 2009-present.
• In four starts at St. Petersburg, has claimed three top-five finishes with a high of third in the inaugural event in 2005.
• Will make his 45th start on a street course (35 in CART and 10 in IZOD IndyCar Series).
• Of 199 races, has been running at the end of 140.
• Has finished on the podium 60 times in open-wheel racing career.
• In two of the past three seasons (2007, ’09), has only finished outside the top 10 in only three races: 2007 – Michigan, 13th; 2009 – Kansas, 18th, Watkins Glen, 15th.

[mlittle]

St. Pete Practice Session 1 top-5.............
1} Will Power, Team Penske....................................1:03.647 sec
2} Dario Franchitti, Target/Ganassi Racing................1:03.650 sec
3} Ryan Briscoe, Team Penske................................1:03.784 sec
4} Helio Castroneves, Team Penske.........................1:03.821 sec
5} Hideki Mutoh, NHL Racing....................................1:04.011 sec

St. Pete Practice Session 2 top-5.............
1} Will Power, Team Penske......................................1:02.320 sec*
2} Scott Dixon, Target/Ganassi Racing.......................1:03.030 sec
3} Justin Wilson, Dreyer & Reinbold...........................1:03.058 sec
4} Tony Kanaan, Andretti Autosport..........................1:03.062 sec
5} Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport...................1:03.077 sec

*---fastest time of the day

[mlittle]

~~~ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Inwardly, Will Power cringed when he was referred to as “street racing king” following the opening rounds of practice for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. It’s an apt description, though the driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske would like to expand that to “overall racing king.”

That might eventually tag along, but with the first four IZOD IndyCar Series races on street/road courses it accentuates Power’s prowess.

Power, who won the season opener in Brazil two weeks ago, topped the lap time chart on another temporary street circuit in St. Pete in preparation for the three rounds of qualifications March 27 with a best of 1 minute, 2.3200 seconds (103.979 mph).

“We are getting the car better each session,” said Power who is competing in his first full season with the team. “After this run, the car is more like what I like to drive. It feels good. There is a long weekend ahead of us, with weather and everything. But I am feeling good going into (qualifications).”

Power started and finished sixth on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn course last year in his debut with Team Penske. He went on to start from the pole in the next race – the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach – and won at Edmonton (an airport course).

“I'm not sure what it is about street circuits, but there's a lot more challenges on a street circuit than there are on ovals or road courses with uneven surfaces, different surfaces grip level wise, and you've got a wall,” he said. “So you can't make a mistake. You've got to creep up on it all weekend. The track is constantly changing because the rubber goes down over the weekend because it's just a street during the normal day. It's just all these little details that count to be quick.”

Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon also was quick – second on the lap chart with a best of 1:03.0299 (102.808). Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s Justin Wilson, who finished third in last year’s race, was third overall (1:03.0576) and Andretti Autosport’s Tony Kanaan (1:03.0615) was fourth. Teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay, who was runner-up in both the Brazil and ’09 St. Pete races, was fifth overall (1:03.0763).

“We had quite a few issues in the morning session and the second session didn’t start too well,” Dixon said. “We ended up second, but we are still a long ways from Will. (Teammate) Dario (Franchitti) hit the wall and I was expecting that he would have been pretty quick as well. We have a lot of work to do. Hopefully we can carry some of the momentum from today into tomorrow and make some good changes.”

KV Racing Technology teammates E.J. Viso (1:03.0890) and Takuma Sato (1:03.0930) were sixth and seventh, respectively, while Marco Andretti (1:03.2866) was eighth. Two-time St. Pete winner Helio Castroneves (1:03.2884) was ninth and Graham Rahal, who is competing for Sarah Fisher Racing this weekend, was 10th (1:03.3220).

[mlittle]

St. Pete Practice Session 3 top-5.............
1} Will Power, Team Penske.............................1:02.121 sec
2} E.J. Viso, KV Racing Tech.,...........................1:02.361 sec
3} Ryan Briscoe, Team Penske.........................1:02.524 sec
4} Justin Wilson, Dreyer & Reinbold...................1:02.575 sec
5} Scott Dixon, Target/Ganassi.........................1:02.592 sec

[mlittle]

Honda Grand Prix of St. Pete Starting Lineup

1} Will Power, #12 Verizon Wireless, 1:01.603 sec
2} Tony Kanaan, #11 Team 7-11, 1:01.880 sec

3} Scott Dixon, #9 Target, 1:02.082 sec
4} Justin Wilson, #22 Z-Line Designs, 1:02.199 sec

5} Helio Castroneves, #3 Team Penske, 1:02.212 sec
6} Marco Andretti, #26 Venom Energy Drink, 1:02.346 sec

7} Ryan Hunter-Reay, #37 IZOD, 1:01.898 sec
8} Alex Tagliani, #77 Bowers & Wilkins, 1:01.969 sec

9} E.J. Viso, #8 PDVSA, 1:01.981 sec
10} Mike Conway, #24 Dad's Root Beer, 1:02.043 sec

11}(R)Takuma Sato, #5 Lotus-Cosworth, 1:02.420 sec
12} Hideki Mutoh, #06 Panasonic, 1:02.511 sec

13} Dario Franchitti, #10 Cottonelle, 1:02.194 sec
14}(R)Simona de Silvestro, #78 Team Stargate Worlds, 1:02.449 sec

15} Dan Wheldon, #4 National Guard, 1:02.256 sec
16} Graham Rahal, #67 Dollar General, 1:02.504 sec

17} Vitor Meira, #14 ABC Supply Co., 1:02.269 sec
18}(R)Mario Romancini, #34 Dolly/KVRT, 1:02.737 sec

19} Ryan Briscoe, #6 Team Penske, 1:02.321 sec
20} Mario Moraes, #32 Pan Americano, 1:02.829 sec

21} Danica Patrick, #7 GoDaddy.com, 1:02.490 sec
22}(R)Alex Lloyd, #19 Boy Scouts of America, 1:03.479 sec

23} Raphael Matos, #2 HP/McAfee, 1:03.144 sec
24} Milka Duno, #18 CITGO, 1:08.508 sec
note.........positions 1-6 set in Firestone Fast Six pole qualifying; positions 7-12 set following second-round qualifying.........odd-numbered spots from 13 down set in Group 1A qualifying, even-numbered spots from 14 down set in Group 1B qualifying

[mlittle]

What else is new? Another street circuit.........another pole for Will Power.


~~~So far anyway, everything has gone right for William Steven (he’ll answer to Will) Power this weekend in the IZOD IndyCar Series domestic opener. Power continued his domination on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street course alongside scenic Tampa Bay by claiming the PEAK Pole Award for the sixth Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with a quick lap of 1 minute, 1.6026 seconds (105.190 mph) in the Firestone Fast Six session.

It is the third pole start in his IZOD IndyCar Series career. The previous times he won at Edmonton and was runner-up at Long Beach in 2009. Power won the season opener on another temporary street course two weeks ago in Brazil, and had topped every practice session time chart this weekend. He set the track qualifying record in the second round of qualifications at 1:01.4816 (the record had been 1:01.6839 in 2007 by Helio Castroneves).

“It’s a good weekend so far for Verizon Team Penske,” said Power, who started and finished sixth in his Penske Racing debut here last year – substituting for Castroneves. “We’re still at the front and so I’m very happy. It’s been a process. We’ve been working away at it and go through each session and look after our reds (alternate tire allotment).

“I came away with pole. We would have been disappointed if we didn’t given our pace this weekend.”

Tony Kanaan, who also participated in the Firestone Fast Six in Brazil, will join Power on the front row for the 100-lap race. He posted a quick lap of 1:01.8797 in the Team 7-Eleven car for Andretti Autosport. "I haven't started (on the front row) in awhile," said Kanaan, who recorded his best starting position since winning the pole at Richmond in 2008, "I think we did a great job. We took a gamble on the tires. We went out on the blacks in the Fast Six and it paid off. I think once I realized that we are quite a bit away we might as well just see what we can do and take a gamble.

"It's nice to have Michael Andretti there (as race strategist) because I was keen to start on the reds and he said, 'No, no, going to the blacks.' And we can't say no to the boss. So I said, 'All right, the black.' It's a whole different atmosphere on the 11 team right now. I am enjoying it. Hopefully no one had hits me from behind like in Brazil and we will be able to have a good race."

Scott Dixon (1:02.0820), makking his series-record 34th consecutive top-10 start, and Justin Wilson (1:02.1992) will share Row 2, while Castroneves (1:02.2118; a two-time St. Pete winner) and Marco Andretti (1:02.3461) will occupy Row 3.

"It's nice to be back on a groove," Castroneves said. "We want Mr. Power to obviously continue doing well, but we can't let him get too many points. Otherwise, we're going to be in trouble. Tomorrow is going to be a good race as long as everybody will be OK on the start."

Ryan Hunter-Reay, who finished second to Ryan Briscoe in the ’09 race, missed advancing to the Firestone Fast Six by 0.0014 of a second and will start seventh in the No. 37 IZOD car for Andretti Autosport. He’ll be joined on the fourth row by FAZZT Race Team driver Alex Tagliani. KV Racing Technology’s E.J. Viso and Mike Conway of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will start on Row 5.

Dario Franchitti failed to qualify for the Firestone Fast Six for the first time when he was knocked out in the first round. Franchitti, the reigning series champion, started from the pole for the season opener March 14 in Brazil and was the only driver to participate in all seven Firestone Fast Six sessions in ’09. He’ll start 13th in the No. 10 Cottonelle car for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, his lowest road/street course starting position since 21st at Infineon Raceway in 2005.

"We had a good run and the car didn't slow down at all,” he said. “(Ryan) Briscoe had some problems of his own and I caught him in Turn 8 and got held up. That was unfortunate. The guys made some great changes to the car and we were pretty quick after the crash in practice yesterday."

Graham Rahal, competing this weekend for Sarah Fisher Racing in the No. 67 Dollar General car, will start 16th. He won the race in 2008 and was the pole sitter last year.

[mlittle]

~~~ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Alex Lloyd has two young daughters so he’s somewhat familiar with high activity levels. A visit to the Great Explorations Children’s Museum with a group of area Boy Scouts, though, was a totally new experience. “So fun. So crazy and energetic,” said Lloyd driver of the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America car for Dale Coyne Racing who signed autographs and answered numerous questions about the car and being a race car driver.

In January, Dale Coyne Racing and the Boy Scouts of America formed an alliance to promote and help commemorate the 100th anniversary of the BSA.. The Boy Scouts of America and Dale Coyne Racing will utilize the IZOD IndyCar Series as a platform to promote science, technology and math at Indy Racing League race events.

“This marks the beginning of an exciting series of planned activities both on and off the track for our nearly 3 million scouts," Boy Scouts of America Chief Scouting Executive Robert Mazzuca said. "It's great to see the local councils get involved with this exciting and technologically advanced marketing venture for the Boy Scouts of America.”

Serving almost 2.8 million young people between the ages of 7 and 20 with more than 290 local councils throughout the United States and its territories, the Boy Scouts of America is the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training.

“This is a program with true heart -- from watching a young boy’s first Pinewood Derby to helping him learn and apply the disciplines of science and technology using the excitement of IndyCar,” Dale Coyne said.


Elsewhere in the Notebook..................
---Brent Hinson is ‘Hometown Hero’
Florida National Guard member and Iraqi war veteran Brent Hinson is the National Guard Panther Racing “Hometown Hero” for the race weekend in St. Petersburg.

Hinson, of Titusville, Fla., joined driver Dan Wheldon at the autograph session and sign a specially-made “Hero Card” with his picture and biography on one side, and Wheldon’s on the other. He will also be honored in the National Guard’s hospitality area and then recognized on the pre-race stage.

---Call him Coach Davison
James Davison, who competed for Vision Racing in Firestone Indy Lights in 2009, is serving as a driver coach to Firestone Indy Lights driver Rodrigo Barbosa and IZOD IndyCar Series driver Milka Duno this weekend.

“I’m just trying to make the best of my off-time,” said Davison, who is recovering from internal injuries suffered in a snowboarding accident last month.

---FAZZT Race Team announces races for Dufault
FAZZT Race Team announced that its development driver, Maryeve Dufault of Quebec, will compete in Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear events at the Night Before the 500 on May 29 at O'Reilly Raceway Park, the Iowa Speedway event on June 20 and the event at Trois-Rivieres on Aug. 15.

“Interest in helping Maryeve get her racing career moving forward is very high and we are pleased to have put together the Star Mazda tests and races that coincide with the IZOD IndyCar Series as well as a Canadian event,” team COO Jim Freudenberg said. "Our sponsorship plans for Maryeve came together quite quickly and we are excited to announce she will be joining Team Apex Racing to run her car for this three-race program.”

[mlittle]

Torrential rains Sunday postponed the Honda Grand Prix of St. Pete; race is scheduled for 10am Monday


ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A weather system that moved across the Gulf of Mexico and quickly dumped more than an inch of rain and spawned lightning forced postponement of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg to 10 a.m. (ET) March 29. The 100-lap race will be televised by ESPN2 and ESPN360, and be available via streaming video on indycar.com. Grandstand tickets will be honored and the general public is invited to attend free of charge. Gates open at 9 a.m.

“We thank the fans for their support and want them to come out (March 29),” said Kevin Savoree, managing director of Green Savoree Promotions. “We thought the best way to thank them was to open the gates to the general public and get a taste of the IndyCar race.”

The last time an IZOD IndyCar Series race was postponed to another day was in September 2008 at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan (Danica Patrick won on the 1.5-mile oval).

The IZOD IndyCar Series race was scheduled for a 3:45 p.m. green flag, with officials from the Indy Racing League, broadcast partner ABC, the race promoters and the city convening throughout the afternoon to determine the best course of action for the safety of spectators and race participants. Spectators were encouraged to move to shelter areas inside the race course as the storm passed. St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster said crews would work through the night to drain standing water on the racing surface and infield areas.

“While our cars are equipped to run in the rain, we certainly think the safety of our competitors, our teams, event workers and fans is paramount,” said Brian Barnhart, president of competition and racing operations for the sanctioning Indy Racing League.

Drivers participated in a 30-minute warm-up session on a dry racetrack in the morning, while the early afternoon Firestone Indy Lights race was impacted by rain (shortened from 45 to 35 laps). Participants and spectators had enjoyed spectacular weather the two previous days of on-track activity.

“I think it was a good decision to postpone the race for the safety of the fans and the teams," said Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing driver Hideki Mutoh, who will start 12th on the 24-car grid. "If we were to go out and try to race maybe there would only be one car that would finish. The fans deserve to see a good race so I hope the ones that were here are able to come back."

Will Power, who set a circuit record of 1 minute, 1.4816 seconds in the second round of qualifications on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn course, will start from the pole. He will be joined on the front row by Tony Kanaan in the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven car for Andretti Autosport. Power won the season opener on the temporary street course March 14 in Brazil.

“The only disappointment for us is that we didn’t get to put on a show for the fans that were here," Kanaan said. "But it was nobody’s fault. It was Mother Nature. We had to think about fan safety and it was just too dangerous with the lightning to have fans sitting in the stands. Hopefully, we’ll see some of them back here (March 29) and then again next year when we race – on a Sunday.”

[mlittle]

~~~ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Tampa Bay glistened in the setting sun as more than 1,200 participants passed under a multi-color balloon arch in Straub Park March 26 to start the inaugural Racing to Recovery Run, Walk, ‘N Wheel-a-thon.

On a knoll 100 yards away, Sam Schmidt gathered in the proceedings with a sense of satisfaction for this victory lap of sorts. The founder and inspirational backbone of the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation watched as families, college students, grandparents, wheelchair-bound youngsters and wounded military servicemen began their tour of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg race course.

Sure he would have liked to be running in the 5K fund-raiser for spinal cord injury research and to support local challenged athletes, but being paralyzed from the neck down as the result of an auto racing accident a decade ago doesn’t allow for such range of motion. So he runs another race through the foundation – to financially support research that might one day free him and the estimated 6 million other Americans living with some form of paralysis from their wheelchairs.

“Our motto is racing to recovery, so this is a very appropriate event to what we do,” the Firestone Indy Lights team owner said. “To see the people who are competing here, as well as the amputees from the armed forces, really brings it to heart the sacrifices they’ve made to protect our freedom. A lot of great things are happening tonight.”

U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus wholeheartedly agreed. The commander of U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla., and former commander of the Multi-National Force in Iraq met up with Schmidt and wounded military personnel – many of whom wore T-shirts with the slogan “Front Line to Finish Line” – before the event.

“I’ve had a broken pelvis, I’ve been shot but none of that compares with what these great young troopers are going through,” said Petraeus, who also received treatment for prostate cancer last autumn. “The spirit that they display I find absolutely inspirational. They often thank us for giving them energy. It’s the other way around.”

Army veteran Gary Boggs of Melbourne, Fla., who lost his left eye and suffered multiple other injuries because of a roadside bomb explosion in Iraq in 2003, was energized by meeting Petraeus, Schmidt and by the event in general.

Boggs travels throughout the state as a motivational speaker and spokesman for the TAMCO Foundation, which embraces wounded military men and women and their families throughout their recovery as they rebuild their lives and endure associated challenges from their disabilities.

“I still have a lot to give,” said Boggs, who walked the course. “When I got injured, I thought my life was over. ‘What am I going to do now?’ I thought. Now when I go to the hospital and meet with wounded soldiers and they see me up and around, getting on with my life, I like to think I’m the light at the end of the tunnel for them. It works for both of us.”

Just before leading the pack under the balloon arch, Petraeus – the grand marshal for the sixth Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg -- leaned into a circle of youngsters who would wheel themselves around the course. “Here’s the deal,” he told them with a smile. “Go out there and have fun. You just can’t pass me.”

[mlittle]

2 races into the season and Penske Racing's Will Power has won on the streets of Sao Paulo and St. Pete; with two more road course events on the schedule, can he continue his iron-clad grip on the points lead?


~~~Sunshine broke through the clouds just as Grammy-award winner Jon Secada hit the final notes of the national anthem, eliciting cheers from spectators and a quiet “thank you” from event promoters and Mayor Bill Foster. The 2010 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was postponed 18 hours because of more than 4 inches of rain that overwhelmed the temporary street circuit and, in conjunction with lightning, created unsafe conditions for race participants and ticket holders.

But with the racing surface quickly drying in the mid-morning sun, 24 cars took the green flag without rain tires attached. Ticket holders who returned and weekday downtown workers who filled in the grandstands (gates were opened for free admission) were treated to a quite a show – 10 lead changes among eight drivers, dramatic runs in the corners, crashes and Will Power holding off Justin Wilson by 0.8244 of a second to take the checkered flag in the 100-lap event.

“There were so many things going on, I lost track,” said Wilson, who gave Dreyer & Reinbold Racing its best finish since team co-owner/driver Robbie Buhl won at Walt Disney World Speedway in the team’s IZOD IndyCar Series debut in 2000.

Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves filled out the top four – Briscoe, last year’s race winner, gaining 16 positions to finish third (most in race history) with team manager Tom Wurtz subbing for owner Roger Penske as race strategist and Castroneves moving up a modest one spot.

“It was an awesome day for Team Penske,” Castroneves said. “Fortunately, the team looks strong and we are on the right track. With Will winning two in row, it shows how talented he is. It was a great effort for the whole entire team. Hopefully, in Barber, we will have a similar effort and result.”

It was the second consecutive victory for Power this season in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car (the last to win two in a row to start a season was Sam Hornish Jr. in ’01 – Phoenix and Homestead) and the third of his IZOD IndyCar Series career. “It’s just great,” he said. “It’s Verizon’s first year, and we’re out to win the championship. Perfect pit stop, good race. Perfect weekend – pole and a win. Can’t get much better than that.”

Power started from the pole but didn’t gain the lead for good overtaking the slowing car of E.J. Viso (gearbox issue) on Lap 73. Power was ahead of a Turn 1 mid-pack pileup that created a full-course yellow on Lap 74, which allowed him to conserve fuel for four laps. “I knew (Viso) had to save fuel, but he had a problem,” Wilson said. “That was close. I didn’t want to nail him from behind because I knew Wilson was coming. I picked a side and went for it.”

Wilson closed to 0.7822 of a second with his fastest lap of the race (1 minute, 3.9659 seconds) on Lap 83, but Power answered on the next trip around the 1.8-mile, 14-turn course with his fastest (1:03.9078).

“In that last stint, we were flat out,” Wilson said. “We were pushing hard. Everyone on the Dreyer & Reinbold team did a great job on that last pit stop. From that point on, I was trying to put will under some kind of pressure. I saw him get sideways a bit, but it wasn’t enough.”

Power led a field-high 50 laps to pick up the three bonus points (one for the pole, two for most laps led) and takes a 44-point advantage over Wilson, Ryan Hunter-Reay (finished 11th in the No. 37 IZOD car for Andretti Autosport) and Dario Franchitti heading to two more road/street course events before the first oval race.

Franchitti, the reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion, jumped from 11th in the final 11 laps to finish fifth, while Alex Tagliani gave start-up team FAZZT Race team its best finish of sixth and his personal best in the series. He went the final 51 laps on a set of Firestone Firehawks in an effort to make up positions.

"Credit to Team Target today," said Franchitti, who started 13th. "I had a great car and it was fast all day. I made a mistake and touched (Takuma) Sato early and that cost us. It was a lot of fun out there. Great weekend and glad so many fans came back today. Tough luck and we'll be back at Barber."

Danica Patrick scored her best road/street course finish of seventh since Long Beach (fourth) in ’09. Raphael Matos, the third-place finisher in Brazil on March 14, checked in at eighth and Graham Rahal advanced from the 16th starting spot to ninth in the No. 67 Dollar General car for Sarah Fisher Racing.

“What a great finish for the GoDaddy car this weekend,” said Patrick, who started 21st. “It was a challenging race but we held on to the very end. The guys did a great job in the pits and they made all the right calls. We will definitely use this momentum heading into Barber in a couple of weeks.”

Tony Kanaan’s string of five top-five St. Pete finishes ended, but he was 10th in the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven car. Marco Andretti led early but faded to 12th and rookie Mario Romancini finished 13th in his second race in the No. 34 Conquest Racing car.

City crews, in conjunction with the operations team of the event promoter, attacked the asphalt and concrete course at 6 a.m. under a light rain in an effort to clear debris from trees and sweep away water. Everything was ready. “Yesterday threw us a curveball, but the fans got to see four races on Sunday, and I’m so happy they came out again today,” said Kevin Savoree, co-owner and managing partner of Green Savoree Promotions. “They saw a great race.”