THE TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH HAS IT ALL!

July 1, 2018/Jan Wagner/

SIX SERIES: IndyCar (+ pits), IMSA Sports Car GP, Pirelli World Challenge, Historic TransAm, Motegi Racing Super Drift & Stadium Super Trucks!

The 44th annual event included six professional auto racing series, picture-perfect weather, unsurpassed access to the teams and drivers, exhibits, food, entertainment and close proximity to everything else that Southern California has to offer.

Verizon IndyCar Series (#4: Matheus Leist).

Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach (IMSA) (#66 Ford GT: Ford Chip Ganassi Racing – J. Hand/D. Mueller)..

Pirelli World Challenge [#19 Audi R8 LMS – Parker Chase & #12 Porsche 911 GT3 R (991) – David Calvert-Jones].

Historic Trans Am Challenge (#16 1970 Ford Boss 302 Mustang – Jimmy Hague – First Place).

THE PARTY IS ON!

Billed as the ultimate “Party on the Beach,” the 44th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach featured much for fans to see and do.

1966 Bosley Interstate Mark II Concours Concept.

The inaugural, sold-out, “Run the Course” 5K walk/run for charity let fans experience the iconic racetrack first-hand.

The free “Roar in the Shore” included Pirelli World Challenge car displays and driver autographs, racing simulators and motorcycle stunts. Miss Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was officially crowned.

Racing legends and past Long Beach winners Juan Pablo Montoya and Helio Castroneves were honored at the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame induction ceremony.

The annual “Thursday Thunder at The Pike Outlets” was a free pre-race party featuring live music, motocross freestyle demonstration, motorcycle stunts and an IndyCar pitstop competition.

The Verizon IndyCar Series Fan Appreciation All-Driver Autograph Session was in the IndyCar paddock, and the Fiesta Friday Concert was on the Concert Stage.

ALEXANDER ROSSI, THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES AND “THE AMAZING RACE”

Alexander Rossi on his way to winning the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach IndyCar race.

In an exciting race that had five different leaders, American driver Alexander Rossi – winner of the 100th Indy 500 in 2016 and former Formula One driver – led 71 of the 85 laps to win this year’s Long Beach IndyCar race.

Alexander Rossi in his IndyCar passes the iconic Long Beach fountain.

Alexander is a genuinely nice guy. He revealed a fascinating, rarely seen, unvarnished look at himself off of the racetrack when he and fellow IndyCar racer Conor Daly participated as a team on the 30th and most recent season of the long-running CBS reality T.V. show “The Amazing Race” (www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/cast/215794/, #TeamIndyCar, @AlexanderRossi).

Alexander Rossi taking one lap around the truck to salute the fans before the start of the IndyCar race.

Before the IndyCar race Alexander told me that “what they’re portraying is true. It is a reality T.V. show in the sense that there’s no second takes, there’s no scripts, there’s no need to act this way, so everything you’re seeing actually did happen.” As for how his experience as a driver may have helped him in the race, “I don’t think any, other than the fact that both Conor and I were very used to travelling internationally. For someone that hasn’t done that, that can be a pretty taxing experience – always waking up in a different hotel room, and being jet-lagged and stuff. I think that our careers kind of prepared us for that. At the end of the day we were both trying to win. We came close but not quite close enough.”

Alexander Rossi on track in his IndyCar.

As for the IndyCar race, “it’s a special weekend because it’s kind of the second home race for me. I think we have like 40 or 50 guests coming down from Northern California, and friends and family, so that always makes Long Beach pretty special.” I’m sure they were all thrilled with his race win.

PRE-INDYCAR RACE ACTIVITIES

Takuma Sato, winner of the 2013 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Takuma Sato was one of the drivers giving passengers rides in the IndyCar two-seaters.

Takuma Sato after giving some two-seater IndyCar rides.

INDYCARS ON THE TRACK

Getting near the Long Beach IndyCar pits requires a hard-to-get RACE MODE sticker. You’ll see why.

After Zachary Claman De Melo’s pit stop.

Robert Wickens did not have a routine pit stop.

Television (NBCSN) gets the best media access.

The Long Beach street circuit IndyCar pits are EXTREMELY cramped.

How is he going to get through with those tires?

Getting ready to change Sebastien Bourdais’ front wing (it did not go well — look closely)…

They never gave up! Sebastien finished in the 13th. position.

The view that everyone saw of Alexander Rossi’s IndyCar.

Alexander Rossi drives into Victory Circle.

Alexander Rossi, winner of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Verizon IndyCar Series race.

Alexander Rossi (First Place) and Will Power (Second Place) celebrating with champagne on the podium

THERE WAS MUCH MORE WORK TO DO AFTER THE RACE:

Post-race technical inspection of Alexander Rossi’s winning IndyCar.

A Honda engine was in the winning IndyCar.

BUBBA BURGER SPORTS CAR GRAND PRIX AT LONG BEACH (IMSA)

In the 70-lap race won by J. Barbosa and F. Albuquerque in a Cadillac, the competitors’ cars also included Nissan, Mazda, Acura, ORECA, Corvette, Ford GT, Cadillac (fastest lap), BMW M8, Porsche 911 and Ligier.

Two-by-two into Turn One, at the end of the high speed Shoreline Drive (#22 Nissan DPi & #99 ORECA LMP2).

#55 Mazda DPi (Class P): Mazda Team Joest – J. Bomarito/H. Tincknell.

#66 Ford GT (Class GTLM): Ford Chip Ganassi Racing – J. Hand/D. Mueller.

#25 BMW M8 GTE (Class GTLM): BMW Team RLL – A. Sims/C. De Phillippi.

#67 Ford GT (Class GTLM): Ford Chip Ganassi Racing – R. Briscoe/R. Westbrook.

#52 Ligier LMP2 (Class P): AFS/PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports – S. Saavedra/G. Yacaman.

#67 Ford GT (Class GTLM): Ford Chip Ganassi Racing – R. Briscoe/R. Westbrook) & #77 Mazda DPi (Class P): Mazda Team Joest – O. Jarvis/T. Nunez.

PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE

Daniel Mancinelli, in his Ferrari 488 GT3, emerged victorious in a field that also included these exotic racecars: Bentley Continental, Porsche 911, Lamborghini Huracan, Audi R8, McLaren 570S, Porsche Cayman and Mercedes-AMG (fastest lap overall).

Ferrari 488 GT3 (Class Pro) – Toni Vilander-61 (FIN) – Second Place.

Porsche 911 GT3 R (Class Pro) – Michael Christensen-24 (DNK).

Ferrari 488 GT3 (Class Am) – Martin Fuentes (MEX).

Porsche 911 GT3 R (991) (Class Pro) – Scott Hargrove-96 (CAN) & Alec Udell-41 (USA).

Bentley Continental GT3 (Class Am) – Rodrigo Baptista-3 (BRA).

Audi R8 LMS GT4 (Class GT4AInvitational) – George Kurtz-04 (USA) & Audi R8 LMS (Class Am) – Parker Chase-19 (USA)..

Ferrari 488 GT3 (Class Pro) – Toni Vilander-61 (FIN).

McLaren 570S GT4 (Class GT4 Invitational) – Paul Holton-78 (USA). & Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Class Pro) – Daniel Morad-2 (CAN).

Porsche 911 GT3 R (991) (Class Am) – David Calvert-Jones-12 (AUS) & Bentley Continental GT3 (Class Am) – Rodrigo Baptista-3 (BRA).

Mercedes-AMG GT3 (Class Pro) – Daniel Morad-2 (CAN).

Audi R8 LMS (Class Am) – Parker Chase-19 (USA).

Porsche 911 GT3 R (991) (Class Pro) – Alec Udell-41 (USA).

Porsche 911 GT3 R (991) (Class Pro) – Scott Hargrove-96 (CAN).

HISTORIC TRANS AM CHALLENGE

A new race for this year, 1966-72 era Camaros, Mustangs and Javelins were featured. Jimmy Hague, driving a 1970 Boss 302 Mustang, led the 30-car field across the finish line. Parnelli Jones – the winner of the 1970 championship and there with his #15 yellow Mustang – held an autograph session.

MOTEGI RACING SUPER DRIFT CHALLENGE

On Friday and Saturday nights some of the best drifters in the world drifted side-by-side between the concrete walls of the racetrack’s turns 9-11, producing billowing clouds of tire smoke.

SPEED ENERGY STADIUM SUPER TRUCKS

Robby Gordon’s Stadium Super Trucks racing is always a fan favorite. The trucks soar over metal ramps and twist on their large tires and extremely high-travel suspensions, as they claw their way around the turns.