Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

[DanicaFan]

Well, its finally here, the IndyCar season kicks off this week. I am so excited! My first IndyCar race thread..

Race 1 of 17

Race - Honda Grand Prix Of St. Petersburg

Location - Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida

Date - Saturday, March 27th

Time & TV Schedule - 12:00PM Eastern -Green Flag -12:30PM Eastern -ABC

Course Type - 1.8 Mile Street Course

Distance - 100 Laps / 180 Miles

Practice Sessions - Friday, March 25th -10:15AM-11:15AM Eastern & 3:00PM-4:00PM Eastern / Saturday, March 26th - 10:10AM -11:10AM Eastern / Warm-Up Session - Sunday, March 27th -8:40AM-9:10AM Eastern

Qualifications - Saturday, March 26th -2:30PM -3:50PM Eastern

2010 Pole Sitter - Will Power - Lap Time -1:01.6026 / Speed -105.190

2010 Winner - Will Power

[DanicaFan]

Map of the track layout..

[DanicaFan]

The race date should say....Sunday, March 27th.

[Flyin Ryan]

As the world's foremost fan and drinker of Sun Drop, glad to see them as the primary sponsor on Ryan Hunter-Reay's Indycar.

[jonners99]

Planning for this to be my first non Indy500 indycar race on Sunday. Looking forward to it... My wife, however, probably is not.

[gttouring]

Well now - the race is on, and TK Has a ride, let the fight begin.

[NaBUru38]

Hello, DF! What's the grid count so far?

[DanicaFan]

It's 25 cars for this race..

Here is the entry list..

[Canada ALMS fan]

Great looking grid. There is probably a ton of hardware out there for cheap seeing as this is the last year for it so marginal efforts can make the grid. I'll feel a lot better next year at this time if there are 25 entries at St. Pete with the new machinery. Disappointed no Hinchcliffe.

[Andy Roberts]

How in the hell did James Jakes get a drive, and yet Hinchcliffe is left on the sidelines?!!!? Geez, proof once again that all you need it a wad of cash to override talent. Sometimes I reeeeeally hate motorsport.

And sorry to rant, but yet again we see Europeans spending all there career trying to make in F1, running around midpack for years in F3/GP2 etc, never batting an eyelid at Indycar. Then when all of a sudden they realize, crap, this aint gonna work, I'm never going to get to F1, BHAM lets take my whad of cash over and go to Indycar where "I've always dreamed of racing". While at the same time, drivers who have come up through the ranks stateside with the aim of reaching Indycar / Indy 500 etc get pushed aside for some guy with a wad of cash.

Makes my blood boil this crap does.

[gomick]

Fair point...

Ryan Hunter Raey's paintjob looks good on the fugly Dallara...

[Flyin Ryan]

Originally Posted by Andy Roberts

How in the hell did James Jakes get a drive, and yet Hinchcliffe is left on the sidelines?!!!? Geez, proof once again that all you need it a wad of cash to override talent. Sometimes I reeeeeally hate motorsport.

And sorry to rant, but yet again we see Europeans spending all there career trying to make in F1, running around midpack for years in F3/GP2 etc, never batting an eyelid at Indycar. Then when all of a sudden they realize, crap, this aint gonna work, I'm never going to get to F1, BHAM lets take my whad of cash over and go to Indycar where "I've always dreamed of racing". While at the same time, drivers who have come up through the ranks stateside with the aim of reaching Indycar / Indy 500 etc get pushed aside for some guy with a wad of cash.

Makes my blood boil this crap does.

Well, he's in a Coyne car.

Then again, so is Sebastian Bourdais.

Who is James Jakes by the way or what's he done?

Glad Kanaan got a ride. I largely don't pay attention to the offseason. I take it nothing ever materialized for Wheldon?

Did AFS Racing (that Peterson guy) buy Luczo Dragon's equipment or something?

[Flyin Ryan]

Comparing this year's St. Pete Grand Prix to last year (race #2 last year):

Penske, A.J. Foyt, HVM - same driver lineups

Ganassi - added 2 new cars for Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball (move up)
Andretti - traded Tony Kanaan for Mike Conway (move down)
KV - traded Mario Moraes for Tony Kanaan (move up)
Panther - traded Dan Wheldon for J.R. Hildebrand (move down)
Newman/Haas - traded Hideki Mutoh for Oriol Servia (move up)
Dreyer & Reinbold - traded Mike Conway for Ana Beatriz (maybe a move down)
Conquest - traded Mario Romancini for Sebastian Saavedra (push)
Dale Coyne - traded Alex Lloyd and Milka Duno for Sebastian Bourdais and James Jakes (move up)

Sam Schmidt bought out FAZZT's operation, keeping Alex Tagliani as driver

AFS - new team with Raphael Matos

Sarah Fisher - was on the grid last year with Graham Rahal
Luczo Dragon - was on the grid last year with Raphael Matos

Not in race that was in it last year: Dan Wheldon, Hideki Mutoh, Mario Moraes, Alex Lloyd, Mario Romancini, Milka Duno

In race this year, not last year: Sebastian Bourdais, Oriol Servia, J.R. Hildebrand, Charlie Kimball, Ana Beatriz, Sebastian Saavedra, James Jakes

[rustyfan]

Originally Posted by Flyin Ryan

Not in race that was in it last year: Dan Wheldon, Hideki Mutoh, Mario Moraes, Alex Lloyd, Mario Romancini, Milka Duno

In race this year, not last year: Sebastian Bourdais, Oriol Servia, J.R. Hildebrand, Charlie Kimball, Ana Beatriz, Sebastian Saavedra, James Jakes

Some pretty solid additions this year and it's great to see Bourdais and Servia back.

Really looking forward to the race and the season this year

[Andy Roberts]

Originally Posted by Flyin Ryan

Who is James Jakes by the way or what's he done?

T-Cars(rich boys step out of karting) - 2nd
British FRenault - 3rd
British F3 - 8th
GP2 Asia - 3rd
GP3 - 8th
Signed to race GP2 Asia in 2011 but changed to Indycar at last minute.

Bummer again that a driver with cash comes along and gets a drive at the last minute. Plowman tested for Coyne at Sebring this year alongside Seb and did really well, but has been left out due to funding again. Despite being one of the fan faves and doing a few years in Indy Lights, he's pushed aside by the green bills.

[Flyin Ryan]

Originally Posted by Andy Roberts

T-Cars(rich boys step out of karting) - 2nd
British FRenault - 3rd
British F3 - 8th
GP2 Asia - 3rd
GP3 - 8th
Signed to race GP2 Asia in 2011 but changed to Indycar at last minute.

Bummer again that a driver with cash comes along and gets a drive at the last minute. Plowman tested for Coyne at Sebring this year alongside Seb and did really well, but has been left out due to funding again. Despite being one of the fan faves and doing a few years in Indy Lights, he's pushed aside by the green bills.

It's Dale Coyne's team and he's always had ride buyers in his cars with a few exceptions if you look at his team's history (ditto Bachelart with Conquest). Last year, Milka Duno buying her ride was also helping to pay for Alex Lloyd's car. This year, Jakes takes Milka's role and Bourdais (at least for road courses) takes Lloyd's role. Although this year for ride buyers, things are brighter. Of the 6 leaving the St. Pete grid from last year I listed, 4 of them were ride buyers. Of the 7 coming in, 2 maybe 3 are depending on Beatriz' status. So we're net positive.

[JHamilton]

Yes, a nice looking grid. I'm glad De Silvestro is back. She impressed me quite a bit last year. Also looking forward to seeing what Rahal can do in Ganassi equipment.

Originally Posted by gomick

Fair point...

Ryan Hunter Raey's paintjob looks good on the fugly Dallara...

Yeah, it does. Especially considering Sun Drop delivery trucks are sweet. They fade from yellow to green.

[gomick]

Hope Bourdais turns it on...

[marcostraz]

About the entire season, I am convinced that Briscoe is the most hungry and most complete of the three Penske drivers...if he returns on his levels, he'll be a strong title contender...Power has to improve his ovals performance...I think that Rahal will be at least a win contender in most of the tracks...about some possible surprise, or who would win a race apart from the 6 Penske-Ganassi top drivers, I think is Kanaan best placed to do it...on Bourdais, eye, with these cars he has almost never run, and then I assume that he will need a few races to adapt...I see Tagliani and Hildebrand as possibile surprises...

[HJJ]

Originally Posted by JHamilton

Yes, a nice looking grid. I'm glad De Silvestro is back. She impressed me quite a bit last year.

The question @ HVM will be how the team copes with the departure of Mike Cannon from the engineering staff.

[Flyin Ryan]

Originally Posted by HJJ

The question @ HVM will be how the team copes with the departure of Mike Cannon from the engineering staff.

where's he off to?

[Flyin Ryan]

Spotter's guide:

http://www.indycar.com:8080/var/asse...web_StPete.pdf

-I like de Silvestro's and Hunter-Reay's paintjobs. The green and yellow (South African rugby ) scheme with Kanaan I like too.
-Did Geico throw Tracy under a bus to go with Kanaan?
-What the hell is Servia's sponsor supposed to be?
-Are Go Daddy putting any money on Conway's car or is this a make good from Andretti?

[NaBUru38]

Danica's new livery with more grees is much better than in 2010. I'll surely confuse Ryan Briscoe with 2010's RHR livery and Conway's Danica-alike (reversed scheme; I know).

[HJJ]

Originally Posted by Flyin Ryan

where's he off to?

TK's engineer @ KV racing.

From the first session I'd say things @ HVM are not very going well.

[Flyin Ryan]

Originally Posted by HJJ

TK's engineer @ KV racing.

From the first session I'd say things @ HVM are not very going well.

Not a good start for the Ganassi B-team.