Swiss Miss in St. Pete

By on November 20, 2012

Simona with Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg president, Tim Ramsberger. (photo by Chuck Green / Cg Photography)

St. Petersburg, Fla.–  Izod Indy Car series driver, Simona De Silvestro made a stop in St.Petersburg today to assist Tim Ramsberger, the vice president and general manager of the Honda Grand Prix with the launch of ticket sales for the 9thannual Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, and to give some thoughts, and insights into her expectations for the upcoming 2013 Indy Car season.

Simona charges through the streets of St. Petersburg in the 2012 Edition of the Honda Grand Prix of St.Petersburg. (photo by Chuck Green / Cg Photography)

Ramsberger announced that tickets would go on sale December 1st, 2012, and recommended that people should purchase their tickets well in

advance of the scheduled event date of March 22nd through March 24th. “We have already received a large number of ticket renewals for 2013,” Ramsberger said, “And all indications are, we will sell out our entire grandstand seating areas. There will still be plenty of general admission tickets available, but for those wanting premium seats, it would be wise to make your purchase as soon as possible.”  The 2013 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg  will again, showcase the cars, and stars of the Izod Indy Car Series, along with the Cooper Tires USF2000 series, the Star Mazda Series, and the Firestone Indy Lights. The Pirelli World Challenge Sport Cars will also return as a support series. 2013 will mark the 9th year as the opening event for the Izod Indy Car Series, and has quickly become a favorite venue for racers, and fans alike. The 14 turn, 1.8 mile temporary street circuit running along the downtown waterfront of St. Petersburg features high speed sections on the runways of the adjacent Albert Whitted Airport, and many technical areas, and passing zones. This combination of high speeds, and multiple passing zones makes for exciting racing, and therefore a fan favorite.

 

A driver that is expected to contend at the 9th annual edition of The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, is the Swiss born Simona De Silvestro. Some in the racing community refer to her as the Iron Maiden, others call her the Swiss Miss, regardless of the nickname you may know her by, 2013 will begin a new chapter in the career for this personable lady. After 3 years with HVM Racing, Simona has signed with KV Racing Technology, where she will team with Indy Car veteran Tony Kanaan. “I am very excited to be a part of KV Racing, and having Tony as my teammate,” De Silvestro stated. “I know I will learn a lot from Tony, he’s already helped me on the ovals.” A major change for Simona in 2013 will be the switch to the Chevy powered DW-12. Last season she drove under the Lotus banner, and had a number of power related issues and mechanical failures. “We worked hard to find that window where you have to be to make the car go fast,” Simona said. “But the Lotus engine just didn’t have the necessary power we were searching for. Now that I have had the chance to test the Chevy at Barber, and Texas, I’m amazed how much faster the car is.”

 

She was happy to be in the Tampa Bay area and will be rooting on Josh Freeman and the Bucs Sunday vs. division rivals the Atlanta Falcons (photo by Chuck Green Cg Photography)

De Silvestro expressed that she was anxious to get back to St. Petersburg, as she recorded her best ever finish at this race, and was happy to help Ramsberger with the launch of ticket sales for 2013. “I live in Indiana, but I really like Saint Petersburg, its warm here,” Simona said with a smiled. “I even have plans to go to the Bucs Football game while I’m here,  Freeman is my quarterback for my fantasy team, and I hope he has a better week this week.”

 

Somona will continue to drive the #78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy, Chevy powered DW-12 for 2013. Her goals for the 9th annual Grand Prix of Saint Petersburg?  To win of course!

 

Simona on the starting grid here in St. Petersburg in 2011 (Photo by Rodney Meyering / Rocket Sports & Entertainment Network)

Tony Kanaan here in the 2012 race, who was a guest last year on the Rocket Sports & Entertainment Show, will be a Simona’s new teammate (Photo by Rodney Meyering / Rocket Sports & Entertainment Network)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tickets for the 9th annual Honda Grand Prix of Saint Petersburg go on sale December 1st, 2012 you can order tickets by visiting the Grand Prix website at www.gpstpete.com

Simona fends off Alex Tagliani in 2012 (photo by Rodney Meyering / Rocket Sports & Entertainment Network)

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