Tampa Bay- The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg has once again come through town, with drivers revving engines that rattled windows, shook asphalt, and bursting the ear drums of any naïve reporter who thought they wouldn’t need ear plugs, the ringing didn’t stop for two days. Accompanying the loud noises was a cavalcade of race cars, drivers, and mobile command centers that are packed into semi-truck trailers and paraded around the waterfront track.

  The Grand Prix marks the beginning of the IndyCar season, while also hosting other races; such as, the Pirelli World Challenge, USF2000, Pro Mazda Championship and Indy Lights, among other race events. The three day experience draws a devout fan base that brings a unique flair to the city and the surrounding areas.

  In an attempt to better familiarize their current fan base and build on top of it, the Road to Indy TV was created by Victory Group Inc., a Tampa based communications firm. The nature of Road to Indy is to expose the lower tiers of the racing world, also known as the Road to Indy, as drivers attempt to hone their skills into IndyCar caliber traits.

  On March 21, Victory Group Inc. held a red carpet gala event that kicked off the beginning of Road to Indy TV and its initiative to expand and build upon the current fan base. Drivers, team owners, and local politicians attended the event at Victory Group’s Tampa offices.

  The event also held an interactive panel that was intended to explain the Road to Indy intentions and how they propose to expand to a more youthful market, through the use of social media. The panel included prominent figures such as, Dan Andersen (owner of Andersen Racing), J.P. Manterola (Victory Group creative designer who envisioned Road to Indy TV), newly elected St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman, among others and mediated by President and CEO of Victory Group Inc., Adam Goodman.

  The Victory Group has assembled a team of hosts, that are both experienced and well versed in the racing world. Main host, Tristan Vautier, is a champion of both Indy Lights and Pro Mazda, and continued on to the IndyCar series in 2013. Vautier is able to share his own experiences of the Road to Indy as he speaks with current drivers that are competeing in the aforementioned series.

  Road to Indy TV airs a new episode every other week and each episode is focused on a new driver or team that is on the Road to Indy. So far, they have aired their first two episodes and are currently filming and editing for their third. All episodes are posted to www.road2indytv.com along with other behind the scenes footage and pictures that help put the drivers in a more personal light. In just the first two episodes, they have hosted Argentinian Pro Mazda driver Julia Ballario and four drivers from Andretti Autosports.

  Road to Indy TV may be in its infant stages, but they are pulling out all the stops in their attempt to attract a youthful fan base and inject excitement into a sport that has been losing in the ratings race to the likes of NASCAR in the past few years.