The SPGP just got 100% more interesting!

American Le Mans Series :: World Class

St. Petersburg, Fla. – The third annual Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, which is scheduled for March 30 through April 1, 2007, will be part of the 2007 American Le Mans Series schedule.

The announcement was made during a press conference at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., which is the site of this weekend's running of the ninth annual Petit Le Mans ALMS event.

"We're very excited to be able to add the American Le Mans Series to the Honda Grand Prix in 2007," said Kevin Savoree, managing director of the event. "The American Le Mans Series will bring a world-class roster of sports car manufacturers and drivers to St. Petersburg, and offer a unique and exciting element to our event weekend."

The two-hour, 45-minute Series event will be run on Saturday, March 31, on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn course in the streets of downtown St. Petersburg.

The American Le Mans Series, founded in 1999 by entrepreneur Don Panoz, provides a year-long continuation of the world-renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans. The series features four classes of cars competing head-to-head. Audi, Porsche, Lola and Corvette currently headline the list of competing manufacturers and will be joined in 2007 by Acura, which announced its entry into the Series earlier this year with Andretti Green Racing, Fernandez Racing and Highcroft Racing Ltd.

"The American Le Mans Series, as the premium brand of motorsports, is pleased to bring its world-class sports cars and unmatched group of manufacturers and corporate sponsors to this outstanding event," said Scott Atherton, president and CEO of American Le Mans Series. "With several new teams and manufacturers such as Andretti Green and Acura coming to the grid next year, we believe the American Le Mans Series will provide the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg a new style of exciting racing that will further establish it as one of the premier events on the world racing calendar."

City officials are among those welcoming the American Le Mans Series to the Honda Grand Prix.

"The combination of the IndyCar Series and the American Le Mans Series being held during one weekend in St. Petersburg is huge - both in terms of economic impact and in enhancing our city's image," said Mayor Rick Baker.

Tickets for the 2007 Honda Grand Prix are expected to go on sale later this fall. For more information on the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, please visit Home - St. Petersburg Grand Prix.

 

I hope they have the World-Challenge GT and Touring again.

 

I was reading about this in the paper the other day. I am definitely going next year.

 

Everybody on this board should go. Support your sport.

 

Yes, yes - awesome.

 

Badass, i went to the first one a year ago, awesome event. pretty sweet to hear the sound of the exhausts bouncing off the buildings you grew up around..

 

That is an awesome sound after turn one when they go down the street with the tall buildings.

 

Hopefully the 2 races aren't TC and GT

"Ramsberger said the Grand Prix schedule would cancel two Sports Car Club of America races that were part of the weekend's races this year. He also said it was likely that there would be at least one Indy Pro Series race during next year's race; this year there were two."

 

Yea it was my first time being at a real race, i was hella surprised how loud the Touring cars were.

And how quiet the vipers in GT were, you could hardly hear them! do they keep the stock exhuast on them limit power output?

I was just down at the vary place they layed out the track yesterday. cant wait till they are back here.

 

The Vipers intake is restricted 60% so that doesn't help the sound much.