Grand Prix of Long Beach
Verizon IndyCar Series | |
---|---|
Location |
Long Beach, California 33°45′59″N 118°11′34″W / 33.76639°N 118.19278°WCoordinates: 33°45′59″N 118°11′34″W / 33.76639°N 118.19278°W |
Corporate sponsor | Toyota |
First race | 1975 |
First ICS race | 2009 |
Distance | 157.440 mi (253.375 km) |
Laps | 80 |
Previous names |
Long Beach Grand Prix (1975) United States Grand Prix West (1976–1979) Toyota Grand Prix of the United States (1980–1981, 1983) |
Most wins (driver) | Al Unser, Jr. (6) |
Most wins (team) |
Newman/Haas Racing (6) Team Penske (6) |
Most wins (manufacturer) | Lola (11) |
Circuit information | |
Length | 1.968 mi (3.167 km) |
Turns | 11 |
Lap record | 1:06.6294 (Hélio Castroneves, Dallara DW12 Chevrolet, 2015, IndyCar) |
The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is an open-wheel race held on a street circuit in Long Beach, California. Christopher Pook is the founder of the event, which began as a vision while working at a travel agency in downtown Long Beach. It was the premier circuit in Champ Car from 1996-2008. The 2008 race was the last for Champ Cars as the series merged with the Indy Racing League.[1][2] It is now an event on the IndyCar Series calendar.
The Long Beach Grand Prix in April is the single largest event in the city of Long Beach. Attendance for the weekend regularly reaches or exceeds 200,000 people.
The Long Beach Grand Prix is the longest running major "street" race held on the North American continent. It started in 1975 as a Formula 5000 race on the streets of downtown, and became a Formula One event in 1976. Incredibly, in an era when turbocharged engines were starting to come to prominence in Formula One, Long Beach remains one of the few circuits used from the time Renault introduced turbos in 1977 until the last Long Beach Grand Prix in 1983 that never once saw a turbo powered car take victory.
John Watson's win for McLaren in the final race at Long Beach holds the F1 record for the lowest ever starting position for a race winner. In a grid consisting of 26 cars, Watson started 22nd in his McLaren-Ford. That same race also saw Watson's team mate (and 1982 Long Beach winner) Niki Lauda finish second after starting 23rd on the grid. René Arnoux, who finished third in his Ferrari 126C2B, was the only driver to ever finish on the Formula One podium at Long Beach using a turbocharged car.
From 1984 to 2008 it was a CART Indycar/Champ Car event. Other popular events during the Grand Prix week include a Pirelli World Challenge race, an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race, and the Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge. Toyota has been a sponsor of the event since its beginning and title sponsor since 1980, believed to be the longest continuously running sports sponsorship in the U.S.
The Long Beach Grand Prix has been announced since 1978 by Bruce Flanders (and his assorted guest announcers).
Circuit
The current race circuit is a 1.968-mile (3.167 km) temporary road course carved out of the city streets surrounding the Long Beach Convention Center which actually doubled as the pit paddock during the days of Formula One. The circuit also goes primarily over the former location of The Pike historic amusement zone. It is particularly noted for its last section, which sees a hairpin turn followed by a long, slightly curved front straightaway which runs the length of Shoreline Drive. The circuit is situated on the Long Beach waterfront, and is lined with palm trees (especially along the front straightaway towards the Aquarium of the Pacific), making for a scenic track.
Events
Although the Verizon IndyCar Series race is the main event, a number of other races are also held. On April 8, 2006, the Grand-Am Daytona Prototypes took to the streets, replacing the suspended Trans-Am Series. Other races have included Indy Lights (which ran from 1990-2001 and 2009–15) and the popular Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race which ended its 40-year run in 2016. Beginning in 2007, the American Le Mans Series replaced Grand-Am. Starting in 2013, the circuit has also held the Stadium Super Trucks.[3] Additionally, a week of fairs, music, and promotional activities is held.
2008 and the Long Beach/Motegi "split weekend"
During negotiations which led to the merging of the Champ Car World Series and the IRL IndyCar Series, a problem came in the form of a scheduling conflict between the Champ Car race scheduled at Long Beach and the IndyCar race held at Twin Ring Motegi the same weekend. Honda, who owns the Motegi complex and also supplies equipment to the IndyCar Series, could not change their scheduled race date of April 19. Likewise, Long Beach could not change their race weekend (with the Champ Car race scheduled for April 20), such change being a difficult task considering the civil and infrastructural preparations required for a temporary street circuit.
However, all problems were resolved when the two open wheel series agreed to merge in February 2008. Tony George (president of the Indy Racing League), with Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe (the former co-owners of Champ Car) planned an unprecedented "split weekend" of races at Twin Ring Motegi and Long Beach. This compromise allowed all IRL drivers to race in Japan, while ex-Champ Car drivers raced at Long Beach. Both races counted towards the 2008 IndyCar Series Championship. The Long Beach Grand Prix allowed all Champ Car drivers to race with their turbocharged Panoz-Cosworth Champ Cars that would have been used had the merger not taken place. Long Beach/Motegi was the only split weekend of the 2008 IndyCar Series.
Drifting
Beginning in 2005 the event included a demonstration by participants in the Formula D drifting series. Since 2006 Formula D has held the first round of their pro series on Turns 9-11 on the weekend prior to the Grand Prix. In 2013 the Motegi Super Drift Challenge, a drifting competition, was added on the GP weekend, using the same Turn 9-11 course as Formula D. The Motegi Super Drift Challenge is the only event during the GP that runs at night, under floodlights.
North American Touring Car Championship
Long Beach hosted the opening round of the 1997 North American Touring Car Championship season, being won by Neil Crompton in a Honda Accord.
Formula E
A modified version of the Long Beach Grand Prix track was used during the Long Beach ePrix of the FIA Formula E Championship. The track is 2.1 km (1.3 mi) in length and features seven turns.[4][5] Admission to the first event was free: "the free admission will afford everyone the opportunity to come out and witness this historic and unique event," Jim Michaelian, president of the Grand Prix Assn. of Long Beach, said in a statement.[6][7] The ePrix was held once again in 2016. However, it was not renewed for the third Formula E season in 2017.[8]
Future
The City of Long Beach and the Grand Prix Association have contracted to hold the Grand Prix through June 30, 2018.[9]
Winners
Season | Date | Driver | Team | Chassis | Engine | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) |
Report | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laps | Miles (km) | |||||||||
Formula 5000 | ||||||||||
1975 | Sept 28 | Brian Redman | Boraxo Lola | Lola T332 | Chevrolet | 50 | 101 (162.543) | 1:10:12 | 86.325 | Report |
Formula 1 | ||||||||||
1976 | March 28 | Clay Regazzoni | Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari 312T2 |
Ferrari | 80 | 161.6 (260.069) | 1:53:18 | 85.572 | Report |
1977 | April 3 | Mario Andretti | John Player Team Lotus |
Lotus 78 | Ford Cosworth | 80 | 161.6 (260.069) | 1:51:35 | 82.925 | Report |
1978 | April 2 | Carlos Reutemann | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC |
Ferrari 312T3 |
Ferrari | 80 | 161.6 (260.069) | 1:52:01 | 86.555 | Report |
1979 | April 8 | Gilles Villeneuve | Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC |
Ferrari 312T4 |
Ferrari | 80 | 161.6 (260.069) | 1:50:25 | 87.812 | Report |
1980 | March 30 | Nelson Piquet | Parmalat Brabham Racing Team |
Brabham BT49 |
Ford Cosworth | 80 | 161.6 (260.069) | 1:50:18 | 87.899 | Report |
1981 | March 15 | Alan Jones | Albilad Williams Racing Team |
Williams FW07B |
Ford Cosworth | 80 | 161.6 (260.069) | 1:50:41 | 87.601 | Report |
1982 | April 4 | Niki Lauda | Marlboro McLaren International |
McLaren MP4/1B |
Ford Cosworth | 75 | 159.75 (257.092) | 1:58:25 | 80.939 | Report |
1983 | March 27 | John Watson | Marlboro McLaren International |
McLaren MP4/1C |
Ford Cosworth | 75 | 152.55 (245.505) | 1:53:34 | 80.624 | Report |
CART Indycar/Champ Car | ||||||||||
1984 | March 31 | Mario Andretti | Newman/Haas Racing | Lola | Cosworth | 112 | 187.04 (301.011) | 2:15:23 | 82.898 | Report |
1985 | April 14 | Mario Andretti | Newman/Haas Racing | Lola | Cosworth | 90 | 150.3 (241.884) | 1:42:50 | 87.694 | Report |
1986 | April 13 | Michael Andretti | Kraco Racing | March | Cosworth | 95 | 158.65 (255.322) | 1:57:34 | 80.965 | Report |
1987 | April 5 | Mario Andretti | Newman/Haas Racing | Lola | Chevrolet-Ilmor | 95 | 158.65 (255.322) | 1:51:33 | 85.33 | Report |
1988 | April 17 | Al Unser, Jr. | Galles Racing | March | Chevrolet-Ilmor | 95 | 158.65 (255.322) | 1:53:47 | 83.655 | Report |
1989 | April 16 | Al Unser, Jr. | Galles Racing | Lola | Chevrolet-Ilmor | 95 | 158.65 (255.322) | 1:51:19 | 85.503 | Report |
1990 | April 22 | Al Unser, Jr. | Galles/Kraco Racing | Lola | Chevrolet-Ilmor | 95 | 158.65 (255.322) | 1:53:00 | 84.227 | Report |
1991 | April 14 | Al Unser, Jr. | Galles/Kraco Racing | Lola | Chevrolet-Ilmor | 95 | 158.65 (255.322) | 1:57:14 | 81.195 | Report |
1992 | April 12 | Danny Sullivan | Galles/Kraco Racing | Galmer | Chevrolet-Ilmor | 105 | 166.95 (268.679) | 1:48:56 | 91.945 | Report |
1993 | April 18 | Paul Tracy | Penske Racing | Penske | Chevrolet-Ilmor | 105 | 166.95 (268.679) | 1:47:36 | 93.089 | Report |
1994 | April 17 | Al Unser, Jr. | Penske Racing | Penske | Ilmor | 105 | 166.95 (268.679) | 1:40:53 | 99.283 | Report |
1995 | April 9 | Al Unser, Jr. | Penske Racing | Penske | Mercedes-Benz-Ilmor | 105 | 166.95 (268.679) | 1:49:32 | 91.422 | Report |
1996 | April 14 | Jimmy Vasser | Chip Ganassi Racing | Reynard | Honda | 105 | 166.95 (268.679) | 1:44:02 | 96.281 | Report |
1997 | April 13 | Alex Zanardi | Chip Ganassi Racing | Reynard | Honda | 105 | 166.53 (268.004) | 1:46:17 | 93.999 | Report |
1998 | April 5 | Alex Zanardi | Chip Ganassi Racing | Reynard | Honda | 105 | 165.27 (265.976) | 1:51:29 | 88.946 | Report |
1999 | April 18 | Juan Pablo Montoya |
Chip Ganassi Racing | Reynard | Honda | 85 | 155.04 (249.512) | 1:45:48 | 87.915 | Report |
2000 | April 16 | Paul Tracy | Team Green | Reynard | Honda | 82 | 161.376 (259.709) | 1:57:11 | 82.626 | Report |
2001 | April 8 | Hélio Castroneves | Penske Racing | Reynard | Honda | 82 | 161.376 (259.709) | 1:52:17 | 86.223 | Report |
2002 | April 14 | Michael Andretti | Team Green | Reynard | Honda | 90 | 177.12 (285.047) | 2:02:14 | 86.935 | Report |
2003 | April 13 | Paul Tracy | Forsythe Racing | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 90 | 177.12 (285.047) | 1:56:01 | 91.59 | Report |
2004 | April 18 | Paul Tracy | Forsythe Racing | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 81 | 159.408 (256.542) | 1:44:12 | 91.785 | Report |
2005 | April 10 | Sébastien Bourdais | Newman/Haas Racing | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 81 | 159.408 (256.542) | 1:46:29 | 89.811 | Report |
2006 | April 9 | Sébastien Bourdais | Newman/Haas Racing | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 74 | 145.632 (234.371) | 1:40:07 | 87.268 | Report |
2007 | April 15 | Sébastien Bourdais | Newman/Haas /Lanigan Racing |
Panoz | Cosworth | 78 | 153.504 (247.04) | 1:40:43 | 91.432 | Report |
2008 | April 20 | Will Power | KV Racing | Panoz | Cosworth | 83 | 163.344 (262.876) | 1:45:25 | 92.964 | Report |
Verizon IndyCar Series | ||||||||||
2009 | April 19 | Dario Franchitti | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara | Honda | 85 | 167.28 (269.211) | 1:58:47 | 84.491 | Report |
2010 | April 18 | Ryan Hunter-Reay |
Andretti Autosport | Dallara | Honda | 85 | 167.28 (269.211) | 1:47:13 | 93.619 | Report |
2011 | April 17 | Mike Conway | Andretti Autosport | Dallara | Honda | 85 | 167.28 (269.211) | 1:53:11 | 88.676 | Report |
2012 | April 15 | Will Power | Penske Racing | Dallara | Chevrolet | 85 | 167.28 (269.211) | 1:54:02 | 88.021 | Report |
2013 | April 21 | Takuma Sato | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Dallara | Honda | 80 | 157.44 (253.375) | 1:50:09 | 85.763 | Report |
2014 | April 13 | Mike Conway | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara | Chevrolet | 80 | 157.44 (253.375) | 1:54:42 | 82.362 | Report |
2015 | April 19 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara | Chevrolet | 80 | 157.44 (253.375) | 1:37:35 | 96.8 | Report |
2016 | April 17 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Dallara | Chevrolet | 80 | 157.44 (253.375) | 1:33:54 | 100.592 | Report |
Atlantics/Indy Lights
American Le Mans Series / Grand-Am / IMSA
IMSA GT Championship | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | GTO | GTU | Report | |||
1990 | Dorsey Schroeder Mercury Cougar | John Finger Mazda MX-6 | Report | |||
1991 | Steve Millen Nissan 300ZX | John Fergus Dodge Daytona | Report |
Rolex Sports Car Series | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | DP | Report | ||||
2006 | Scott Pruett Luis Díaz Riley Mk XX-Lexus |
Report | ||||
American Le Mans Series | ||||||
Year | LMP1 | LMP2 | GT1 | GT2 | Report | |
2007 | Rinaldo Capello Allan McNish Audi R10 TDI |
Romain Dumas Timo Bernhard Porsche RS Spyder |
Oliver Gavin Olivier Beretta Chevrolet Corvette C6.R |
Mika Salo Jaime Melo Ferrari F430GT |
Report | |
2008 | Marco Werner Lucas Luhr Audi R10 TDI |
Scott Sharp David Brabham Acura ARX-01b |
Johnny O'Connell Jan Magnussen Chevrolet Corvette C6.R |
Dominik Farnbacher Dirk Müller Ferrari F430GT |
Report | |
2009 | Gil de Ferran Simon Pagenaud Acura ARX-02a |
Adrián Fernández Luis Díaz Acura ARX-01b |
Oliver Gavin Olivier Beretta Chevrolet Corvette C6.R |
Patrick Long Jörg Bergmeister Porsche 911 GT3-RSR |
Report | |
LMP | LMPC | GT | GTC | |||
2010 | David Brabham Simon Pagenaud HPD ARX-01c |
Elton Julian Gunnar Jeannette Oreca FLM09/Chevrolet |
Patrick Long Jörg Bergmeister Porsche 911 GT3-RSR |
Juan González Butch Leitzinger Porsche 997 GT3 Cup |
Report | |
LMP1 | LMP2 | LMPC | GT | GTC | ||
2011 | Klaus Graf Lucas Luhr Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 |
Scott Tucker Christophe Bouchut HPD ARX-03b |
Gunnar Jeannette Ricardo González Oreca FLM09/Chevrolet |
Dirk Müller Joey Hand BMW M3 |
Tim Pappas Jeroen Bleekemolen Porsche 997 GT3 Cup |
Report |
2012 | Klaus Graf Lucas Luhr HPD ARX-03a |
Scott Tucker Christophe Bouchut HPD ARX-03b |
Alex Popow Ryan Dalziel Oreca FLM09/Chevrolet |
Oliver Gavin Tommy Milner Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 |
Peter LeSaffre Damien Faulkner Porsche 997 GT3 Cup |
Report |
2013 | Klaus Graf Lucas Luhr HPD ARX-03a |
Scott Sharp Guy Cosmo HPD ARX-03b |
Jon Bennett Colin Braun Oreca FLM09/Chevrolet |
Bill Auberlen Maxime Martin BMW Z4 GTE |
Sean Edwards Henrique Cisneros Porsche 997 GT3 Cup |
Report |
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (Professional Classes Only) | ||||||
Year | Prototype | GT Le Mans | Report | |||
2014 | Scott Pruett Memo Rojas Riley DP/Ford |
Antonio García Jan Magnussen Chevrolet Corvette C7.R |
Report | |||
2015 | Ricky Taylor Jordan Taylor Corvette DP/Chevrolet |
Dirk Werner Bill Auberlen BMW Z4 GTE |
Report | |||
2016 | Ricky Taylor Jordan Taylor Corvette DP/Chevrolet |
Patrick Pilet Nick Tandy Porsche 911 RSR |
Report |
- Overall winners in bold
Broadcasting
Year | Network | Lap-by-lap | Color commentator(s) | Pit reporters |
---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | NBC | Paul Page | Bobby Unser Johnny Rutherford |
Gary Gerould Bruce Jenner |
1985 | NBC | Paul Page | Bobby Unser | Gary Gerould Bruce Jenner |
1986 | NBC | Paul Page | Bobby Unser | Gary Gerould Bruce Jenner |
1987 | NBC | Paul Page | Jackie Stewart | Gary Gerould Bruce Jenner |
1988 | ABC | Paul Page | Sam Posey Bobby Unser |
Jack Arute Brian Hammons |
1989 | ABC | Paul Page | Sam Posey Bobby Unser |
Jack Arute Brian Hammons |
1990 | ABC | Paul Page | Sam Posey Bobby Unser |
Jack Arute Gary Gerould |
1991 | ABC | Paul Page | Sam Posey Bobby Unser |
Jack Arute Gary Gerould |
1992 | ABC | Paul Page | Sam Posey Bobby Unser |
Jack Arute Gary Gerould |
1993 | ABC | Paul Page | Sam Posey Bobby Unser |
Jack Arute Gary Gerould |
1994 | ABC | Paul Page | Sam Posey Bobby Unser |
Jack Arute Gary Gerould |
1995 | ABC | Paul Page | Sam Posey Bobby Unser |
Jack Arute Gary Gerould |
1996 | ABC | Paul Page | Danny Sullivan | Jack Arute Gary Gerould |
1997 | ABC | Bob Varsha | Danny Sullivan | Jack Arute Gary Gerould |
1998 | ESPN | Bob Varsha | Danny Sullivan | Jack Arute Gary Gerould Jon Beekhuis |
1999 | ABC | Paul Page | Parker Johnstone | Gary Gerould Jon Beekhuis |
2000 | ESPN | Paul Page | Parker Johnstone | Gary Gerould Jon Beekhuis |
2001 | ABC | Paul Page | Parker Johnstone Scott Pruett |
Gary Gerould Jon Beekhuis |
2002 | FOX | Bob Varsha | Tommy Kendall | Derek Daly Calvin Fish Scott Pruett |
2003 | SPEED | Bob Varsha | Tommy Kendall Scott Pruett |
Derek Daly Calvin Fish |
2004 | SpikeTV | Bob Jenkins | Tommy Kendall | Derek Daly Calvin Fish Bronte Tagliani |
2005 | NBC | Rick Benjamin | Derek Daly | Jon Beekhuis Calvin Fish |
2006 | NBC | Rick Benjamin | Derek Daly | Jon Beekhuis Cameron Steele Michelle Beisner |
2007 | NBC | Bill Weber | Wally Dallenbach, Jr. Jon Beekhuis |
Bill Stephens Cameron Steele Marty Snider |
2008 | ESPN2 | Marty Reid | Scott Goodyear | Jack Arute Jamie Little Brienne Pedigo |
2009 | Versus | Bob Jenkins | Jon Beekhuis Robbie Buhl |
Jack Arute Robbie Floyd Lindy Thackston |
2010 | Versus | Bob Jenkins | Jon Beekhuis Robbie Buhl |
Jack Arute Robbie Floyd Lindy Thackston |
2011 | Versus | Bob Jenkins | Jon Beekhuis Wally Dallenbach, Jr. |
Kevin Lee Marty Snider Lindy Thackston Robin Miller |
2012 | NBCSN | Bob Jenkins | Jon Beekhuis Wally Dallenbach, Jr. |
Kevin Lee Marty Snider Townsend Bell Robin Miller |
2013 | NBCSN | Brian Till | Townsend Bell Wally Dallenbach, Jr. |
Kevin Lee Marty Snider Jon Beekhuis Robin Miller |
2014 | NBCSN | Leigh Diffey | Townsend Bell Paul Tracy |
Kevin Lee Marty Snider Kelli Stavast Robin Miller |
2015 | NBCSN | Brian Till | Townsend Bell Paul Tracy |
Kevin Lee Marty Snider Kelli Stavast Robin Miller |
2016 | NBCSN | Rick Allen | Townsend Bell Paul Tracy |
Kevin Lee Marty Snider Katie Hargitt Robin Miller |
References
- ↑ Morales, Robert (February 27, 2008). "Champ Car finale to roar into L.B.". The Long Beach Press-Telegram. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
- ↑ Steven Cole Smith (2007-11-06). "Champ Car schedule "stable" for 2008". www.autoweek.com. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
- ↑ "Schedule". Stadium Super Trucks. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
- ↑ "Circuit Guide | Long Beach, USA - Round 7 | FIA Formula E". FIA Formula E. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
- ↑ "Formula E to race on streets of Long Beach in 2015". FIA Formula E. 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
- ↑ "Formula E electric-car race in Long Beach to have free admission". LA Times. 2014-07-23. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
- ↑ "Environmentally friendly auto racing series Formula E coming to Long Beach". FIA Formula E. 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
- ↑ "Formula E will not return to Long Beach in 2017". Long Beach Press Telegram. 2016-07-02. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
- ↑ Stewart, Joshua (April 22, 2014). "Grand Prix will stay in Long Beach until 2018". Long Beach Register. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
Further reading
- Morris, Gordon (December 17, 2013). "More Than 40 Years Ago, The 'Roar On The Shore' Was Born". Long Beach Business Journal.
- The magic of Long Beach - Racer, David Malsher, 7 April 2014
- Long Beach a success story - ESPN, John Oreovicz, 9 April 2014
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Long Beach Grand Prix. |
Preceded by Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix |
Current IndyCar Series races |
Succeeded by Indy Grand Prix of Alabama |