Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Pre-Race Notes & Quotes: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Pre-Race Notes & Quotes: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Topics: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Pre-Race Notes & Quotes: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Monica Hilton
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
8 March 2016

Race Fast Facts

Verizon IndyCar Series drivers: James Hinchcliffe (No. 5 Arrow Electronics), Mikhail Aleshin (No. 7 SMP Racing)
Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires drivers: RC Enerson (No. 7), Andre Negrao (No. 17), Santiago Urrutia (No. 55), Scott Anderson & Heamin Choi (No. 77)
Event title: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Location: Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida
Track: 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street circuit
2016 event counter: The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is the 1st race (of 16) for the Verizon IndyCar Series, and the 1st and 2nd races (of 18) for Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires

Verizon IndyCar Series
Practice sessions: Friday, March 11 from 10:50 a.m.-12:05 p.m. ET and 3:40-4:55 p.m.; Saturday, March 12 from 11:55 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
Qualifying: Saturday, March 12 from 3:40-4:55 p.m. ET
Race: Sunday, March 12 with pre-race activities beginning at approximately 12 p.m. ET and an estimated green flag at 12:52 p.m.

Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires
Practice sessions: Friday, March 11 from 8:50-9:20 a.m. ET and 2:10-2:40 p.m.
Qualifying: Saturday, March 12 from 7:55-8:25 a.m. ET
Race 1: Saturday, March 12 - green flag estimated at 12:55 p.m. ET
Race 2: Sunday, March 13 - green flag estimated at 9:45 a.m.

Broadcast Information
TV race broadcast (USA): ABC
Race broadcast (radio): IMS Radio Network, XM 209 and Sirius 212

IndyCar Quotes:
James Hinchcliffe (No. 5)
"This is probably the most excited I've ever been for the start of a season. I'm sure that's not a surprise to anyone, but ten months out of competition is a long time! St. Pete has always been one of my favourite events and this year will be even more special. The team has worked so hard over the offseason, Honda has worked so hard, I've worked hard, Arrow is back, there are just so many reasons why this is an exciting weekend for us. I've got a lot of friends and family coming out so fingers crossed we can give them something to cheer for!"

Mikhail Aleshin (No. 7)
"I'm super exited to be back to IndyCar, driving the No. 7 SMP Racing car again with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. It's an amazing feeling! I like the track at St. Petersburg and will do my best to score some good points to start the season strong."

Indy Lights Quotes:
RC Enerson (No. 7)
"St. Pete is my home race, which makes the entire event very special to me. Pre-season testing went really well for us and I'm looking forward to a great result in both races so that we can make our mark early in the championship battle."

Santiago Urrutia (No. 55)
"The pre-season has been long. Now I'm ready for my first Indy Lights race and pretty excited to race in St. Pete."

Scott Anderson (No. 77)
"This off-season was the least time I've spent in a racecar for my entire career, so I'm extremely eager to get back at it. If I can apply what I learned from last year and start from there, we can be very competitive.

"I've always liked St. Pete, it's an awesome atmosphere to kick off the season. It looks like we'll have a very talented field so it should make for some great racing."

Team Social Media
Website: www.SPMindycar.com
Twitter: @SPMindycar
Instagram: @SPMindycar
Facebook: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
SnapChat: @SPMindycar
Periscope: @SPMindycar

Driver Social Media
James Hinchcliffe
Website - www.Hinchtown.com
Twitter - @hinchtown
Facebook - Hinchtown
Instagram - @hinchtown

Mikhail Aleshin
Twitter - @MikhailAleshin
Facebook - Mikhail Aleshin

RC Enerson
Website - www.RCenerson.com
Twitter - @RCenerson
Facebook - RC Enerson Racing
Instagram - @RCenerson

Santiago Urrutia
Website - www.SantiUrrutia.com.uy
Twitter - @Santi_Urrutia
Facebook - Santiago Urrutia Oficial

Andre Negrao
Website - www.AndreNegrao.com
Twitter - @NegraoAndre
Facebook - Andre.Negrao
Instagram - @anegrao

Scott Anderson
Website - www.ScottAndersonRacing.com
Twitter - @ScottDKAnderson
Facebook - Official Scott Anderson Racing
Instagram - @scanders01

Heamin Choi
Website - www.F1Pilot.com
Twitter - @HeaminChoi
Facebook - HeaminChoi

Fan Opportunities

Verizon IndyCar Series autograph session with James Hinchcliffe and Mikhail Aleshin: Saturday, March 12 from 1:55-2:40 p.m. ET in the INDYCAR Fan Village.
Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires autograph session with RC Enerson, Santiago Urrutia, Andre Negrao and Scott Anderson: Saturday, March 12 from 3:00-3:30 p.m. ET in the INDYCAR Fan Village.

About Schmidt Peterson Motorsports:

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) was established in 2001 and is owned by former IndyCar driver Sam Schmidt and Canadian businessman Ric Peterson. Schmidt was paralyzed (quad) in 2000 after an accident during testing at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla. SPM fields cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series, including the Indianapolis 500, and the Indy Lights Series presented by Cooper Tires. SPM is the most successful team in Indy Lights Series history with sixty-five race wins and seven championships. In addition, SPM won the coveted Indy 500 pole position in 2011, and has won five Verizon IndyCar Series races between 2013 and 2015.

About Conquer Paralysis Now:

Conquer Paralysis Now is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization with a mission to cure paralysis, formerly known as the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation. The organization is leading the charge for a cure through funding scientific research, medical treatment and technological advances benefiting those paralyzed by spinal cord injuries, stroke or diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's or in other ways. For more information, visit conquerparalysisnow.org.