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Event
Information
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 and
promoter which began as a vision
while working at a travel agency in
downtown Long Beach. It was the
premier circuit in the Champ Car
from 1996, and was the first event
in the World Series each year from
2004. The 2008 race was the last
race for Champ Cars as the series
merged with the Indy Racing League,
and is now an event on the Izod
IndyCar Series calendar.
Watch the GPLB live streaming
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 the following
year. From 1984 to 2008 it was a
CART/Champ Car event. Other popular
events during the Grand Prix week
include a Firestone Indy Lights
race, an American Le Mans Series
race, and the Toyota Pro/Celebrity
Race.
The
current race circuit is a 1.968-mile
(3.167 km) temporary road course
carved out of the city streets
surrounding the Convention Center of
Long Beach, California 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), making for a
scenic track.
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