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Potential Downtown Stadium Won't Stop Race

By TONY FABRIZIO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 7, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - The question of whether a new waterfront baseball stadium for the Rays could threaten the viability of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was answered Sunday morning. It won't.

Andretti Green Promotions, which stages the downtown street race, and the city of St. Petersburg announced a four-year extension of their partnership Sunday that will bring the race back through 2013.

A contract must be approved by the city council, but five of the eight members appeared with Mayor Rick Baker at Sunday's announcement and voiced support.

AGP also announced tentative agreements for multi-year extensions with the Indy Racing League, American Le Mans Series and sponsor Honda Motor Company.

"To say we're coming here through 2013, it really speaks to the stability of racing here in St. Petersburg," said Kevin Savoree, managing director of AGP. "That's something that a lot of people have talked about, so we don't need any more those kinds of stories. We're here to stay."

AGP could face challenges if the Rays are able to build a proposed 34,000-seat, $450 million stadium on the site of Al Lang Field. Bayshore Drive, a prominent feature of the 1.8-mile street course, could be affected by construction.

Also, the grand prix uses a parking lot at Al Lang for three turns of the 14-turn course, some hospitality and a family "fun zone."

The city also is planning to relocate the Salvador Dali Museum next to the Mahaffey Theater onto land currently used for the grand prix's competition paddock.

Savoree, whose existing contract runs through 2009, said he is confident that AGP's relationship with the city is such that "whatever issue we have to work through we're going to work through them together."

Baker pointed out that the new stadium has not been approved, saying that if it is, he has "made it clear to all the parties that ... it has to move forward in such a manner as to ensure that the contract with AGP continues to succeed as well."

Savoree said he hopes to keep the April date for future races, but with open-wheel racing unification bringing about some schedule changes, that isn't assured.

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