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St Petersburg Bayfront Center

1985-1990 | 1996-2000 | 2003 | 2005 to date

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Circuit info:

Address:: Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg
25 Second Street North
Suite 160
St. Petersburg
FL 33701
USA
PH:: (1) 727-824-7223
Fax:: (1) 727-896-8031
Circuit length:: 1.806 miles/2.903 km
Circuit type:: Temporary street course

Circuit history:

St Petersburg, Florida, has held street races since 1985 - first of all for the Trans Am series. Although challenging and featuring fast corners, it was also dangerous, with blind chicanes and poor tyre wall placement.

It was not a big hit with the locals either and spectator points were somewhat limited. That said, the racing was good, with the Trans Am boys topping a bill with Formula Atlantic, Super Vees and even some mini pickups for light relief. The last race on this course was in 1990.

The Trans Am series returned to a longer - and arguably less interesting - new circuit at Tropicana Field in 1996. Narrower and safer than the previous version, it was unpopular with drivers and lasted until 2000, when development around the area meant the race could not continue.

The appetite for racing in the city reamined undiminished and efforts were made to revive the street race. A new course was laid out around parts of the 1985 circuit but also incorporporating one of the runways of the Albert Whitted Airport and part of the bay area.

The resulting layout has proved a success, and the bayfront location evokes a feel of Long Beach. CART held a Champcar round in 2003 won by Paul Tracy, but the event was cancelled in 2004 because of the the financial difficulties of the organising body.

Andretti-Green Promotions took over the running of the race and switched codes to the IRL for 2005, where it hosted the first race outside of an oval course in the series' history. A minor change to the layout saw the kink at the end of the start-finish straight removed to open up better overtaking opportunities.