Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg to feature 10 races

Fans attending the Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg, March 23-25, will see a lot of green and checkered flags. Event organizers announce today that the weekend race will feature 10 races – a record for the event that is only in its eighth year. The on-track schedule for the Honda Grand Prix includes the much-anticipated season starter of the IZOD IndyCar Series and will add a new race to this year’s line-up: the Ferrari Challenge.

The event will also feature the Mazda Road to Indy, INDYCAR’s official developmental ladder system for drivers and teams seeking to compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series, which allows fans to see the future leaders of the sport along with the current champions Dario Franchitti, Will Power, Tony Kanaan and former St. Pete winners Helio Castroneves, Graham Rahal and Ryan Briscoe. The ladder system includes Firestone Indy Lights, Star Mazda Championship and the USF2000 National Championship. The Pirelli World Challenge rounds out the competition with a double-header weekend featuring the Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg and three returning classes of racing, GT, GTS and Touring Car, along with the introduction of the new Touring Car B-Spec class.

“Race fans in St. Petersburg expect the best and so we’ve been hard at work securing the most entertaining lineup in racing," said Tim Ramsberger, Vice President and General Manager for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. “Staging 10 races is a record high for us and we’re excited to be bringing our fans the best on-track schedule yet. This year, our event will deliver the perfect mix of superstar drivers, fierce competitors and promising young talent, you will not want to miss it."

On-track schedule:

Friday, March 23	Saturday, March 24	Sunday, March 25
IZOD IndyCar Series practice	IZOD IndyCar Series practice, qualifying	IZOD IndyCar Series warm-up, race
Firestone Indy Lights practice	Firestone Indy Lights qualifying, race	Pirelli World Challenge race #2
Star Mazda Series practice, qualifying	Pirelli World Challenge qualifying, race #1	Star Mazda race #2
USF2000 practice, qualifying	Star Mazda Series race #1	USF2000 race #2
Pirelli World Challenge practice	USF2000 race #1	Ferrari Challenge warm-up, race #2
Ferrari Challenge practice, qualifying #1	Ferrari Challenge race #1, qualifying #2	–

Tickets to the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.gpstpete.com or by phone at 1-877-283-5385.