On the Road Again

April 3, 2009

St. Pete

Dario Franchitti

On the Road Again



Kathy’s spring break at the preschool offers us a perfect opportunity to hit the road for a mini-vacation as we are headed up to Winston-Salem, NC to visit my mother this week. On the way, we made a detour to St, Petersburg, Florida to attend the opening round of the 2009 Indy Car Series, the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.

Dario Franchitti

Before we could depart, we had to make time to fit in the graduation from a program put on by the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys Center for Non-Profit Excellence where over the course of a month she learned all about how to become a better non-profit board member. She represented the KWPC and attended the class along with a veritable who’s who of Keys organizations and members of their boards. It is an amazing chance to learn the responsibilities, ethics and standards that make a strong board member.

Kathy with Jon Allen of the CFFK

Once the graduation was complete, we were on the road, driving to Ft. Lauderdale to spend the night before heading over to St. Pete the next morning. To alleviate any argument about attending yet another Indy Car race, I booked us in a wonderful little bed and breakfast called The Mansion House in downtown St. Pete which is an easy walk to the track, which winds its way through the Streets downtown.

The Mansion House



Four time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears

The Mansion House is perfectly situated for visiting St. Pete, everything is within walking distance including all the shops and restaurants. The rooms are lovely and the breakfast meals were terrific. The pool and hot-tub were a welcome sight after long days at the track.

Rafael Matos

Kathy

Ryan Briscoe

We walked down to the track to watch the final Indy Car practice of the day, there were a ton of changes during the off-season as drivers switched teams and new rookies joined the fray, and we really needed the little spotter’s guide they passed out. We had a paddock pass, which enables us to mingle with the teams and drivers as they prepare the cars and really offers an up-close look at all the work associated with fielding a car.

EJ Viso



We also managed to visit with some friends who travel with the Indy Car series. Bob Beisel works for the Indy Car Delphi Safety Team, we recently became acquainted through the magic of facebook and this race offered an opportunity to meet in person. If possible the real Bob is actually nicer in person than his virtual self, which is saying something for someone who readily shares his experiences and insights on-line.

Bob & Michael

Scott Dixon

Jason

Of course we also got to see my old friend Jason Richardson who is back once again working the Pit Crew for Andretti Green driver Marco Andretti. He was fairly busy during the practice session, but we plan to actually spend some time with him over the weekend, which is a rare treat during the race season.

Jason talks strategy

St. Pete Grand Prix site

The Mansion House