ST. PETERSBURG – Tickets to the 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, scheduled March 23-25, are available.
Tickets range in price from $20 to $125. Paddock passes also are available starting at $40 for an adult single day pass. Reduced rate tickets are offered to juniors, ages 12 and under, in certain ticket categories.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.gpstpete.com or by phone at 877-283-5385.
Three-day reserved tickets purchased before Dec. 31 will receive a free weekend IZOD IndyCar Series Paddock Pass, a $65 value.
The event will mark the start of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season for the second year in a row, ushering in the global debut of the new IndyCar chassis and the much-anticipated return of competition among engine manufacturers.
The marquee race will continue to be the IZOD IndyCar Series and will mark the eighth year of racing on the streets of St. Petersburg. The event will serve as home race to a number of Florida residents including Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves, who is the only two-time winner in St. Petersburg.
Other drivers to compete include former winners Dario Franchitti, Will Power, Ryan Briscoe and Graham Rahal, along with fierce competitors Marco Andretti and Scott Dixon, among others.
“This season, our event will have the privilege of experiencing yet again a number of historic firsts for IndyCar racing,” said Tim Ramsberger, vice president and general manager of the Honda Grand Prix. “In 2012, we will see a lot more competition, and the competition starts right here in St. Petersburg.”
The 2012 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg also will hold a special tribute for the late Dan Wheldon, who was a local resident and won the event’s inaugural race in 2005. Organizers have established a committee consisting of city, IndyCar, race officials and other stakeholders to determine memorial plans and will announce details in the new year.
The new IndyCar chassis, designed by Dallara Automobili, will make its first appearance of the season during the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. In honor of Dan Wheldon and his efforts in testing the car during the 2011 season, the new chassis will be labeled ‘DW12’. The 2012 season also will showcase three engine manufacturers, creating room for more competition than ever before. Honda, the sole engine supplier of the series since 2006, will be joined by Chevrolet and Lotus to provide turbocharged V-6 engines to competing teams, a move from last year’s V-8 engine.
In addition to world-class racing, the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will keep race fans entertained with interactive activities in the Brighthouse Speed Zone, live music, exhibits, great food concessions and beer gardens, and much more.
The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is run on a 1.8-mile, 14-turn waterfront circuit that includes a combination of adjacent downtown streets circling Pioneer Park, the Progress Energy Center for the Arts, the Salvador Dali Museum and extending onto the runways at Albert Whitted Airport.
