Pit Notes       
Issue No. 8 // March 10, 2010 

Four Women Entered in 2010 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Main Event
If racing legends Janet Guthrie and Lyn St. James are standing in the pits at this year’s Honda Grand Prix, you can bet they will be smiling – and smiling really big.  This year, for the first time in the event’s history, four women will be attempting to earn a spot on the grid for the event’s IZOD IndyCar Series feature race.  Danica Patrick, who became the first woman to win an IZOD Indy Car Series event when she won at Motegi in 2008, will be joined by Sarah Fisher, the first female owner/driver in the history of the series.  Recently it has been announced that Simona De Silvestro will pilot HVM Racing’s entry in St. Petersburg and just last week Dale Coyne Racing reporter Venezuelan driver Milka Duno will compete in a full season for the team. 

Teeth, St. Petersburg and the 'Need For Speed'
In one of life's odd coincidences, it seems there's some unusual connection between teeth, St. Petersburg and the need for speed.  Among the 25 drivers from nine countries expected on the grid for the start of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear race at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be a pair of 'home town' drivers… one of them a dentist, the other the son of a dentist.  Both cars carry sponsorship from area dental practices.  Hayden Duerson, 18, the son of St. Petersburg dentist Craig Duerson, is on the fast track to stardom with a resume that includes STARS of Karting national race winner, the Skip Barber Regional and National series, KONI Challenge and SCCA F2000.  He also won the 2007 SunTrust Youth Racing Scholarship.  Look for him in the #39 Juncos Racing entry sponsored by Tampa Bay Endodontics.  The other driver, Walt Bowlin, himself a dentist, races in the Star Mazda Master Series for drivers 45 and older.  A second-year driver in the series, he scored five top-3 finishes in class and finished third in the 2009 Master Series Championship.  He drives the #23 AIM Autosport entry with sponsorship from Tampa Bay Jaw Surgery. 

Firestone Indy Lights Drivers Tapped for 2010 Pace Car Team
Five Firestone Indy Lights drivers have been selected to form the 2010 Pace Car Team, which will give guests Honda Hot Lap Rides during the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg weekend and throughout the IZOD IndyCar Series season.  Pippa Mann, James Hinchcliffe, Stefan Wilson, Martin Plowman, Charlie Kimball and Brandon Wagner will turn laps and take part in various race weekend parades – including the Festival of States Parade on March 25 -- and pre-race ceremonies. “It’s a great privilege to be chosen as part of the Pace Car Team for 2010, and I think it provides an awesome opportunity to get more involved with both the Firestone Indy Lights Series and the IZOD IndyCar Series,” said Mann, who will compete in the Firestone Indy Lights race on the temporary St. Petersburg street circuit March 28 for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. “I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the Honda Pace Cars and enjoying some hot laps with guests and fans alike.”