Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

[DanicaRules]

This is the official thread for the 2008 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. This race is a 1.8 mile street course on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. The race coverage begins at 2:30pm Eastern on ESPN on Sunday, April 6th.

Here is a list of the drivers in this race...

Car # Driver / Car Name / Team

#2 AJ Foyt IV / Vision Racing / Vision Racing
#3 Helio Castroneves / Team Penske / Team Penske
#4 Vitor Meira / Delphi National Guard / Panther Racing
#5 Oriol Servia / KV Racing Technology / KV Racing Technology
#6 Ryan Briscoe / Team Penske / Team Penske
#7 Danica Patrick / Motorola / Andretti Green Racing
#8 Will Power / Aussie Vineyard-Team Australia / KV Racing Technology
#9 Scott Dixon / Target Chip Ganassi Racing / Target Chip Ganassi Racing
#10 Dan Wheldon / Target Chip Ganassi Racing/ Target Chip Ganassi Racing
#11 Tony Kanaan / Team 7-Eleven / Andretti Green Racing
#14 Darren Manning / ABC Supply co. AJ Foyt Racing / AJ Foyt Racing
#15 Buddy Rice / Dreyer & Reinbold Racing / Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
#17 Ryan Hunter-Reay / Rahal Letterman Racing-Ethanol / Rahal Letterman Racing
#18 Bruno Junqueira / The Z-Line Car / Dale Coyne Racing
#19 Mario Moraes / the SONNY Car / Dale Coyne Racing
#20 Ed Carpenter / Menards & Vision Racing / Vision Racing
#23 Townsend Bell / Dreyer & Reinbold Racing / Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
#24 Jay Howard / Roth Racing / Roth Racing
#25 Marty Roth / Cirrus-Roth Racing / Roth Racing
#26 Marco Andretti / Gillette Fusion / Andretti Green Racing
#27 Hideki Mutoh / Formula Dream / Andretti Green Racing
#33 Ernesto Viso / HVM Racing / HVM Racing
#34 Franck Perera / Ares- Opes Prime / Conquest Racing
#36 Enrique Bernoldi / Opes Prime-Sangari / Conquest Racing
#02 Justin Wilson / McDonald's Racing Team / Newman Haas Lanigan Racing
#06 Graham Rahal / Hole in the Wall Camps / Newman Haas Lanigan Racing

[Harakimi]

This race is a 1.8 mile street course on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.

LAWL! I thought that this race will be held at St. Petersburg, RUSSIA. :lol::lol::lol::lol:. I even considered going there at some point, hahaha. You always learn something at WRF! :rolleyes:

[DanicaRules]

Nope, its not in Russia but good ol' Southern Florida. Below is a map of the race course.

[Ryan]

Is it necessary to post the entry list for every race? Why not just tell us if there are any new drivers.

Anyway I use to live near St. Petersburg, and there used to be a track that I raced go-karts at right near this airport. Although it has since been demolished.

[DanicaRules]

Well, the first 2 practice sessions are complete now at St. Petersburg. They have 1 more practice session tomorrow morning and then they qualify. The ChampCar guys fared out pretty good.

Tony Kanaan had to sit out the first 30 minutes of practice today due to him being penalized by IRL Officials for disregarding their orders on the final restart to the Homestead-Miami race when was out on the track with the damaged car. He did still manage to run 2nd fastest. Good Job TK !

Unfortunately, things didnt go well for Danica. During the 2nd practice session, she spun out and damaged a front wing.:( But she did get back out and run some more.

Here are the results for the combined practice sessions...

Rank / Car # & Driver / Best Time / Speed / Total Laps

1. #3 Helio Castroneves / 01:03.3068 / 102.359 / 37
2. #11 Tony Kanaan / 01:03.3680 / 102.260 / 50
3. #27 Hideki Mutoh / 01:03.4491 / 102.129 / 35
4. #02 Justin Wilson / 01:03.5210 / 102.014 / 56
5. #8 Will Power / 01:03.5983 / 101.890 / 55
6. #34 Franck Perera / 01:03.6346 / 101.831 / 48
7. #4 Vitor Meira / 01:03.6505 / 101.806 / 63
8. #26 Marco Andretti / 01:03.6576 / 101.795 / 46
9. #9 Scott Dixon / 01:03.7358 / 101.670 / 51
10. #5 Oriol Servia / 01:03.7377 / 101.667 / 55
11. #17 Ryan Hunter-Reay / 01:03.7379 / 101.666 / 27
12. #6 Ryan Briscoe / 01:03.8044 / 101.560 / 53
13. #14 Darren Manning / 01:03.9905 / 101.265 / 53
14. #06 Graham Rahal / 01:04.1189 / 101.062 / 56
15. #18 Bruno Junqueira / 01:04.2090 / 100.920 / 45
16. #15 Buddy Rice / 01:04.2406 / 100.871 / 53
17. #10 Dan Wheldon / 01:04.2912 / 100.791 / 54
18. #36 Enrique Bernoldi / 01:04.5261 / 100.424 / 52
19. #33 Ernesto Viso / 01:04.6057 / 100.301 / 46
20. #7 Danica Patrick / 01:04.7718 / 100.044 / 44
21. #23 Townsend Bell / 01:04.7961 / 100.006 / 54
22. #24 Jay Howard / 01:04.8687 / 99.894 / 42
23. #2 AJ Foyt IV / 01:05.3497 / 99.159 / 51
24. #20 Ed Carpenter / 01:05.7426 / 98.566 / 57
25. #19 Mario Moraes / 01:05.8624 / 98.387 / 33
26. #25 Marty Roth / 01:08.7802 / 94.213 / 36

[Driverdb]

It's pretty obvious that the ex Champ Car teams have had to run much more street tracks than ovals for the last couple of years. They probably feel a bit more at home here eventhough the car's different. :)

[DanicaRules]

This was the breakdown of the Qualifying Groups..

Group 1
No. 25 Marty Roth
No. 17 Ryan Hunter-Reay
No. 19 Mario Moraes
No. 06 Graham Rahal
No. 20 Ed Carpenter
No. 27 Hideki Mutoh
No. 34 Franck Perera
No. 7 Danica Patrick
No. 11 Tony Kanaan
No. 36 Enrique Bernoldi
No. 14 Darren Manning
No. 8 Will Power
No. 23 Townsend Bell

Group 2

No. 10 Dan Wheldon
No. 26 Marco Andretti
No. 2 A.J. Foyt IV
No. 33 Ernesto Viso
No. 9 Scott Dixon
No. 15 Buddy Rice
No. 3 Helio Castroneves
No. 6 Ryan Briscoe
No. 5 Oriol Servia
No. 18 Bruno Junqueira
No. 4 Vitor Meira
No. 02 Justin Wilson
No. 24 Jay Howard

[DanicaRules]

Well, Tony Kanaan scores the knockout today in qualifications. He sits on the pole. Congrats Tony!:thumbsup: The former ChampCar guys did much better on this track. Helio has won this race 2 years in a row.

Unfortunately Danica didnt fare out as well. She has been struggling this weekend. She could only manage 19th position during qualification.:(

Here is your starting grid. The top 6 in speed overall, no matter what group went to the Firestone

Rank / Car # & Driver / Best Time / Speed

1. #11 Tony Kanaan / 01:02.5322 / 103.627
2. #8 Will Power / 01:02.6096 / 103.499
3. #02 Justin Wilson / 01:02.6426 / 103.444
4. #3 Helio Castroneves / 01:02.6462 / 103.438
5. #6 Ryan Briscoe / 01:02.7071 / 103.338
6. #17 Ryan Hunter-Reay / 01:03.0077 / 102.845
7. #5 Oriol Servia / 01:02.7427 / 103.279
8. #10 Dan Wheldon / 01:02.7964 / 103.191
9. #06 Graham Rahal / 01:02.8122 / 103.165
10. #34 Franck Perera / 01:02.8749 / 103.062
11. #14 Darren Manning / 01:03.0136 / 102.835
12. #26 Marco Andretti / 01:03.2443 / 102.460
13. #9 Scott Dixon / 01:03.2365 / 102.472
14. #27 Hideki Mutoh / 01:03.2757 / 102.409
15. #33 Ernesto Viso / 01:03.3067 / 102.359
16. #15 Buddy Rice / 01:03.3591 / 102.274
17. #4 Vitor Meira / 01:03.4480 / 102.131
18. #36 Enrique Bernoldi / 01:03.4568 / 102.117
19. #7 Danica Patrick / 01:03.5766 / 101.924
20. #24 Jay Howard / 01:03.7447 / 101.656
21. #20 Ed Carpenter / 01:03.8007 / 101.566
22. #19 Mario Moraes / 01:04.1590 / 100.999
23. #23 Townsend Bell / 01:04.3880 / 100.640
24. #2 AJ Foyt IV / 01:04.4996 / 100.466
25. #25 Marty Roth / 01:07.7041 / 95.711
26. #18 Bruno Junqueira / 01:09.3851 / 93.392

[KillerNut]

I really liked watching the quali this week.

I really believe this is a huge improvement on what they have done in the past, but I still don't know if it could work on an oval. Seeing the cars all out with one another makes it much more exciting, and realistic than watching one car at a time going around the track.

They really should think about if there is a way to intergrate this into qualifying for ovals.

[DanicaRules]

I really liked watching the quali this week.

I really believe this is a huge improvement on what they have done in the past, but I still don't know if it could work on an oval. Seeing the cars all out with one another makes it much more exciting, and realistic than watching one car at a time going around the track.

They really should think about if there is a way to intergrate this into qualifying for ovals.
They just changed the oval qualifications this year too. They run 4 laps during qualification like at the Indy 500 and they take the average speed of the 4 laps to determine starting position.

[DanicaRules]

What a race. It was raining down there so everyone started with the rain tires. The former champcar teams did very well.

Graham Rahal wins the race! He is the youngest driver to ever win at 19. He wins his first IndyCar start. Pretty impressive.

Danica stalled her car twice but with her driving skills she managed to stay on the lead lap and fought her way to a 10th place position. Good job Danica.

Here are the final results...

1. #06 Graham Rahal / Hole In The Wall Camps
2. #3 Helio Castroneves / Team Penske
3. #11 Tony Kanaan / Team 7-Eleven
4. #33 Ernesto Viso / HVM Racing
5. #36 Enrique Bernoldi / Opes Prime & Sangari
6. #27 Hideki Mutoh / Formula Dream]
7. #5 Oriol Servia / KV Racing Technology
8. #8 Will Power / Aussie Vineyards - Team Australia
9. #02 Justin Wilson / McDonald's Racing Team
10. #7 Danica Patrick / Motorola
11. #2 AJ Foyt IV / Vision Racing
12. #10 Dan Wheldon / Target Chip Ganassi Racing
13. #14 Darren Manning / ABC Supply Co. & AJ Foyt Racing
14. #24 Jay Howard / Roth Racing
15. #15 Buddy Rice / Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
16. #19 Mario Moraes / The SONNY Car
17. #17 Ryan Hunter Reay / Rahal Letterman Racing - Ethanol
18. #20 Ed Carpenter / Menards - Vision Racing
19. #4 Vitor Meira / Delphi National Guard
20. #34 Franck Perera / Ares-Opes Prime
21. #23 Townsend Bell / Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/ Wiliam Rast
22. #9 Scott Dixon / Target Chip Ganassi
23. #6 Ryan Briscoe / Team Penske
24. #18 Bruno Junqueira / The Z-Line Car
25. #26 Marco Andretti / Gillette Fusion
26. #25 Marty Roth / Cirrus-Roth Racing

[KillerNut]

Great Race, Great result.

Congratulation Graham Rahal on the first of many.:finishfirst:

I only hope that he and Marco can begin a bit of a rivalry this week.

The cool thing is, because of the former Champ Car drivers getting to race long beach two weeks from now, Graham probably will not lose too many points when the Indy Veterans go to Japan. Then they have to suffer through Kansas, but with a month to test things out at Indy, I expect to see the Champ Car drivers much more competitive at the 500, and ovals, from that point forward.

I am not saying Graham can win the championship, but I think it is good for the series if he, especially, iand the Former CC drivers are competitive like they were today.

Every sponsor got some time on TV, and that is what will grow sponsorship.

I will not lie, and a Columbus, Ohio guy myself, I am openly rooting for Graham to do great, but it is also I think important for the series.

I am stoked!:thumbsup:

[MSommer]

First 10 laps under caution and 6 spinouts within the first 10 laps after the race officially started. I'm a Penske fan so it was tough seeing Briscoe end up the way he did. Helio came in second though so nothing wrong with that plus he becomes the series points leader. :thumbsup:

Danica did a good job of staying on the lead lap after her second spin out of the race. I would have to say the spin out king of the day was Ed Carpenter though. What was it 4 or 5 times he lost control?

[EIR Loe.307]

Oh man, I almost fell asleep lol. Sorry, There were WAY too many caution laps. Wet tires are made to run (guess what) IN THE WET. IRL needs to get some intermediate tires like F1 if they can't run in the wet on a road course. The race just seemed so slow to me. The difference in CC and IRL drivers really showed today as they did in the opener. Put CC teams on road races and they get wins. That crash near the end (Taking out the National Guard car) was dumb. One closed the door on and ambitious move and the Nat G. car may have been able to continue until goober took out his whole front end. Uhmmm, YELLOW FLAG tard!! Either way, way to go Rahal!!

Oh, the commentary.....SUX!!! Mostly the chick in the headset. OMG shut up! :rolleyes: Just stand there and be hot. hehehe:p

[DanicaRules]

The incident you are talking about EIR was when Vitor Meira and Franck Perera got caught up in that turn and then Townsend Bell came around and took out the front end of Vitor's car.

There normally isnt that many cautions. They drove in the rain which the IRL teams dont hardly do so thats why you had that. If that race would of been dry all along, would of been a different story. Still fun to watch. Not as good as Homestead though. Ovals are still my favorite!

[EIR Loe.307]

Was this going to be a rolling start either way? I thought they would have a standing start on the road courses.

[DanicaRules]

Was this going to be a rolling start either way? I thought they would have a standing start on the road courses.
Yes, it was going to be a rolling start either way, the IRL doesnt have standing starts.

[KillerNut]

Oh, the commentary.....SUX!!! Mostly the chick in the headset. OMG shut up! :rolleyes: Just stand there and be hot. hehehe:p

That is one of my biggest complaints about the series. They need a personality in the booth. The only peroson in the pits that I think does a good job is Jack Arute.

The chick isn't even that hot.

As far as to cautions go, I have to agree, now that you mention it, the cautions, espeically at the begining, slowed down the action, and made the begining of the very boring. On the upside, the restarts in Indy Racing, in my humble opionion, are very exciting. It is even better on a road course than an oval, but I like both.

One of my favorite parts of F1 is the start, with all of the cars running tight, and diving for that first corner. The IndyCar series' yellow flag restarts allows for that many cars to run that tight with one another more often because of the Yellow Flags. This results in more first dives for that first corner. The yellow itself is boring, (good time to get a beer :drunk:), but the restarts are very exciting and fun, in my opinion.

It keeps races from becoming blow outs. There are not as many boring finishes, where the winner crosses the finish line without even being able to see the car that finishes second in the picture.

[EIR Loe.307]

She was cute lol. I like a close finish for sure BUT I like it due to racing not yellows. See MotoGP and WSBK for examples. Moto racing is fast becoming my new fav. along with ALMS.

[EIR Loe.307]

I'm watching the Indy Lights right now. These cars seem to look and sound more racey. Too bad goober keeps spinning the car. And no safety car laps so far. I like this better. :lol: