2006 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg: Castroneves Wins on the Street

On 2 April 2006 the IRL IndyCar Series visited a temporary street course in Florida for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Helio Castroneves won the 100-lap race for Team Penske, with Scott Dixon second and Tony Kanaan third for Andretti Green Racing. The race was decided by fuel saving, a front-wing problem and a late caution that ended Dixon's hopes.

What was the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in 2006?

The race was round two on the 2006 IRL calendar and the third edition of the event, which had first been run in 2003. It was the only street circuit race on the season's calendar, and it took place on a 2.9 km (1.8 mile) fourteen-turn course.

The race was contested over 100 laps, a distance of 290 km (180 miles). It was confirmed for the 2006 schedule in September 2005, and the organisers treated it as a key event for the city and the series.

Dan Wheldon was the defending winner. Before the race he led the Drivers' Championship with 50 points, while Castroneves had 40, Sam Hornish Jr. 38, Dario Franchitti 32 and Scott Dixon 30. The race's place on the calendar was confirmed in September 2005, well before the drivers arrived at the track.

A pole-sitter's suspension failure opened the door, and a steady drive gave Castroneves his first road-course win.

How did the death of Paul Dana affect the field?

Paul Dana died on the morning of 26 March, following a crash during a warm-up session at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Rahal Letterman Racing withdrew its No. 17 entry as a mark of respect to Dana's family, and the team planned to name a replacement later.

The Mahaffey Theater hosted a memorial for Dana on 30 March. Rahal Letterman Racing spokesman Tom Blatter described Dana as passionate and tenacious. Teammates Buddy Rice and Danica Patrick called him a nice person, and both defended him against critics who questioned his place in the series. Patrick admitted she had been surprised to hear of Dana's signing, yet she still said he deserved his place in the field.

The loss hung over the paddock during the week. Drivers and teams kept the tragedy in view as they prepared for the new street course, which had a very different character from the oval races earlier in the season.

What did the open test at Homestead show?

Two days after the previous round at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the field returned to the 3.56 km (2.21 mile) road course for an open test. Castroneves set the quickest time at 1 minute and 10.5399 seconds, ahead of his teammate Sam Hornish Jr., Bryan Herta, Tony Kanaan and Marco Andretti.

Moreno took the wheel of Vision Racing's No. 20 car during that session, because Ed Carpenter could not take part in the race. Moreno finished fifteenth on the session times, and the team then confirmed that he would replace Carpenter for the race.

The race marked Moreno's return to American open-wheel racing for the first time since 2003.

How did practice and qualifying set the grid?

Dario Franchitti took pole of 1 minute and 2.2753 seconds, which broke the track record set by Bryan Herta the year before. It was Franchitti's third IndyCar pole and his first on a non-oval circuit. He also topped more than one practice session.

The first practice session on Friday morning ran for 120 minutes, and it was led by Scott Dixon with 1 minute and 2.9515 seconds. Franchitti set the fastest time of the second session at 1 minute and 2.7967 seconds, which gave him the choice of how to run qualifying. On Saturday morning he posted 1 minute and 2.1850 seconds, the fastest time of the weekend so far.

Qualifying lasted 90 minutes, and every driver had to complete one lap. The six fastest moved into the Firestone Fast Six, a ten-minute session that set the first three rows. Franchitti's pole lap came in that final session, with Dixon second, Kanaan third, Hornish Jr. fourth and Castroneves fifth.

Herta, Rice, Scheckter, Matsuura and Andretti filled the next five places, and Wheldon qualified 13th. Wheldon's result was a disappointment for the defending winner, and he would have to fight back through the field. Franchitti crashed during the warm-up, nine minutes before the end, in the same turn-eight barriers where Matsuura had crashed moments earlier. His team repaired his car in time for the race.

Castroneves found slower cars such as Giaffone and Sharp awkward to pass, yet he kept the lead ahead of Dixon and Kanaan. Gene Simmons waved the drivers away, and the nineteen starters left pit road for the opening lap.

How did the race unfold?

The race started at 3:45 PM local time, after ESPN began coverage at 3:30 PM. Marty Reid called the action alongside Rusty Wallace and Scott Goodyear. The air temperature peaked at 82.4 F (28.0 C), and the race was run in dry and very warm conditions.

Franchitti led every lap until his car suffered suspension damage on the 15th lap and he slowed in turn five. He became the first retirement. Wheldon had made contact with Andretti's car on lap 7 in turn two, and he pitted for new tyres as a result.

Kanaan was the first to pit under green on lap 33, taking four tyres and fuel. Hornish Jr. led two laps after his own stop before giving up the lead to Dixon.

Dixon took over at the front and held a three-second gap over Kanaan. Franchitti later admitted that the problem had appeared early, on the fifth lap, and that he had carried on for another ten laps. The first caution came on lap 53, when Chesson locked his brakes and stalled in turn ten. Moreno had already been out, after a suspension problem followed contact with Meira in the final corner.

Three laps after the lap 60 restart, Castroneves passed Patrick, Herta and Rice to regain first place. Rice and Herta pitted on lap 69, hoping for a clean run to the flag that would force the leaders into one final stop.

Castroneves took the lead on lap 45 when Dixon's front wing began rubbing against his left-front tyre. Chief steward Brian Barnhart had ordered Wheldon ahead of Hornish Jr., and as Wheldon tried to pass, Hornish Jr.'s car jerked left and touched him. The contact ended Wheldon's race.

Andretti retired with a broken drive shaft, his second retirement in a row. Hornish Jr.'s brakes locked with eighteen laps left, and he ran into the turn-four run-off area on lap 85. Hornish Jr. was running solidly in ninth before that failure, so his race ended in trouble after a strong start. Castroneves then made his final stop for fuel, handing the lead to Dixon.

Dixon built a 15-second lead before his own stop on lap 95, and he rejoined in between Castroneves and Kanaan. In the final stint Dixon was also dealing with front-wing and radio problems, but he held on to his strategy until the caution ruined it. Rice and Scheckter then clashed in turn four on lap 96, sending Scheckter airborne into the tyre barriers. The final four laps were run under caution.

Practice had its own incidents. P. J. Chesson crashed in turn six on Saturday morning and drove back to pit road, while Tomas Scheckter struck the turn-twelve barrier and spun in the next corner. Moreno's car had lost power in the thirteenth turn during the first session.

Why did Castroneves win, and what did he earn?

Castroneves won $125,800 for the victory. It was his eighth IndyCar Series win, his first of the 2006 season, and his first on a road course. He had never before finished an IRL race on a road circuit.

He celebrated in his usual style by climbing the catch fence before heading to victory lane. Castroneves said he had been told to go for it, and that he drove the car as if he had stolen it. He added that the lack of yellow flags made the race intense for the three leaders.

Dixon was frustrated with his performance. He said the car had been strong on the first stint, but it fell away on the second set of tyres. He felt a better front wing would have kept the car solid, and that traffic had cost him the chance to hold on.

What did the result do to the standings?

Castroneves took the Drivers' Championship lead with 93 points, the first time he had led since September 2003. Penske now had its two leading drivers at the head of the table, with Castroneves ahead of his teammate Hornish Jr. Dixon moved up from fifth to second with 70 points, while Wheldon fell to third on 64 points after his early retirement.

Hornish Jr. had two fewer points than Wheldon and was fourth, while Kanaan climbed six positions to fifth with 54 points. The result gave Castroneves a clear advantage heading into the next round.

Was the St. Petersburg race a success?

The event was widely regarded as a success. Organisers and fans alike pointed to the sold-out seating and the strong attendance as evidence that a street race could work in the city. The corporate suites sold out, the grandstands were packed, and the city's mayor, Rick Baker, was swamped with requests for autographs and photographs. It was the first time in more than a decade that a motor race had been held in St. Petersburg in two consecutive years.

Hornish Jr. told Kanaan that the series should run more races of that kind. On 1 April the IRL announced that the event would return to the calendar in 2007, a decision that followed the crowd's support.

Mayor Rick Baker attended the race in person, which underlined the city's support for an event that had gone through several years of missteps before this year.