GP of St. Pete news

Drifting Exhibition Returns to Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

For the third year, the WDC Drift Exhibition will return to entertain race fans at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Ten teams are scheduled to hit the 1.8-mile Honda Grand Prix race circuit this week. Drifting exhibitions are set for Friday, April 4 at 12:20 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. and Sunday, April 7 at 9:15 a.m. Drifting is rapidly becoming one of the most popular attractions in motorsports and has grown from an underground, alternative racing phenomenon to a competitive international series of events held all around the world.

Entertainment Stars Attracted to Motorsports

Stars of the entertainment world appear to have a strong interest in motorsports and several big stars currently have ownership positions in teams that will be racing in St. Petersburg this week, including:

Paul Newman (actor) — Newman/Haas/Lanigan
Patrick Dempsey (actor) — Vision Racing
David Letterman (television star) — Rahal Letterman Racing
George Foreman (boxer) — Panther Racing
Jim Harbaugh (football) — Panther Racing

Popular Air show Performances Return to Honda Grand Prix

The Michael Mancuso Airshow returns to the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with performances set for 12:45 p.m. on Friday, April 4, 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 5 and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 6, just prior to the start of the Honda Indy St. Pete. Michael Mancuso has flown more than 500 air show performances and competed in the IAC Aerobatic Competition for five years. Mancuso's breathtaking performances have been a highlight of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg since the event first started in 2005.

Two other highlights of the air activity at this year's event are scheduled on Sunday, April 6. At the conclusion of the national anthem on Sunday, a KC-135 from McDill Air Force Base will fly over the track and Air Tran will have a new Boeing-737 flyover Sunday just prior to the start of the pre-race laps for the Honda Indy St. Pete.