by Connor Capar | Apr 18, 2023 | Events
On Saturday, April 15th, Bulls Racing held their annual car unveiling event at the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum. Bulls Racing is the University of South Florida’s Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) race team. Every year, this team designs, manufactures, and competes in an open-wheel race car at Michigan International Speedway for the Formula SAE Michigan event. About a month before competition, the team unveils their new car and livery design to the public at a private event consisting of sponsors, family members, and USF faculty.
With Polypack as a title sponsor for the team, the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum and Polypack were once again proud to host this event for the USF engineering student organization. This year is the second year the team has had their event at the museum. This year, however, over 100 people were in attendance for this event!
USF President Rhea Law kicked off the event, followed by Bulls Racing President John Montgomery introducing a team video to hype up the crowd. Speeches from the team’s Executive Board and Design Leads followed, and afterwards Chief Engineer Omar Ads fired up the car for the crowd to hear!
After the presentation, attendees were invited to check out the museum, chat with team members, and enjoy some food and drinks.
To learn more about Bulls Racing, visit www.bullsracing.com. We wish the team good luck at their competition and hope to see them back here next year!
Bulls Racing 2023 Car
by Connor Capar | Feb 21, 2023 | Events
Ever wanted to learn more about the St. Petersburg Grand Prix? Today, we’re going to be summarizing this famous event held annually in St. Petersburg and how you can watch it!
The 2023 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be the 23rd running of the event since 2005. This race often serves as the season opener for the IndyCar Series, North America’s top open-wheel racing series. Each year, thousands of people flock to the sunny shores of Tampa Bay to take part in this event and other participating experiences. The 1.8 mile street race circuit comprises of 14 turns and multiple roads, including Bay Shore Drive NE and a runway of the Albert Whitted Airport. Overall, the main race will run for 180 miles.
While IndyCar is the main event of the weekend, many other racing series will be participating and hosting their own races on this circuit. These series include the USF2000 series, USF Pro 2000 series, SRO GT America series, Indy NXT series, and Mazda MX-5 Cup series, all of which host races throughout the three-day weekend event.
In addition to the Grand Prix, many other events are put on in Tampa Bay to commemorate the weekend. The 2023 Kart 4 Kids Pro-Am race is a charity event consisting of drivers from IndyCar, IMSA, and other series, in addition to amateur drivers looking to move up in the ranks. This event annually coincides with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg weekend to raise money for Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and is sponsored by IndyCar, Firestone, Andersen Racepark, and many others. In addition, Polypack and the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum also sponsor this event. Also happening on Thursday, March 2nd is the Wellcare Ambetter Health 5K walk that takes place on the race circuit!
The Tampa Bay Automobile Museum is also hosting its own ‘Hoods Up’ weekend during the Grand Prix weekend to give visitors a more detailed look into the engine bays of some of its most notable cars. Included in this car collection is the museum’s 1920s ‘Mimille’ Race Car, which is believed to potentially be a prototype to Harry Miller’s famous front-wheel drive Indy Cars.
To see the 2023 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in-person, visit their official website at gpstpete.com to purchase tickets. To learn more about the 2023 IndyCar season, visit their website at indycar.com. If you cannot attend, NBC and Peacock will be hosting the race via satellite and streaming starting at noon Eastern Time on Sunday, March 5th. To visit the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum for its Hoods Up weekend, you can purchase tickets on their digital store or in-person at the museum.
We look forward to the 2023 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and hope that you are able to attend in-person or watch it at home!
Our 1920s ‘Mimille’ Mystery Car, believed to be a prototype to Harry Miller’s FWD race cars.
by Connor Capar | Feb 17, 2023 | Events
In-town for the Grand Prix, or looking for other automotive experiences during Grand Prix weekend? The Tampa Bay Automobile Museum will be hosting its ‘Hoods Up Week’ March 1st through March 6th. This event is to commemorate the St. Pete Grand Prix happening that weekend. Each car on display will have its hood up, allowing for museum visitors to get a detailed look into each cars engine bay. This is a great experience for those interested in getting a deeper look at the many different engine types we feature here at the museum. From sleeve valves to rotary engines, every visitor will learn something new about these innovative engines and see how they might’ve worked many years ago. Additionally, our 1920s ‘Mimille’ Mystery Car will also be present, a car that we believe may be a Harry Miller prototype that lead to the Indy Car.
To view some of the cars that will be on display that weekend, please click here. Hoods Up Weekend will be included with the purchase of a regular museum admission ticket. You can purchase your ticket to the museum here online or at the door. We hope you stop by and learn a bit more about some of the impressive engines powering our collection!
by Connor Capar | Feb 15, 2023 | Events
The Tampa Bay Automobile Museum is excited to announce our first Mechanic’s Tour on Tuesday, March 7th! The Mechanic’s Tour gives attendees a personalized experience with our collection and allows them to get a closer look at some of the cars. Lead by our head mechanic, Andy Kinworthy, this is a great opportunity to see these cars up close, but also better understand how each car works. Andy has been with the museum for over a decade and has a vast understanding on each car in the collection that can help him answer any question one may have on our cars.
To participate in this tour, a reservation is required by purchasing a Mechanic’s Tour ticket through our digital store. Tickets are $20 per person and each person is required to have a ticket prior to entry. The tour will start at approximately 10 AM and will last for about two hours, ending around 12 PM. Future Mechanic’s Tours will take place on the first Tuesday of every month, so if you cannot make this one, do not worry!
We hope that each person who attends one of our Mechanic’s Tours can walk away with a better understanding of not just our cars, but automotive history as a whole. We hope that you will join us and take part in this fun and educational experience! You can purchase tickets here or through the ‘Buy Tickets!’ tab at the top of this screen. We hope to see you there!
