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Preview: Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach |
While the regulars of the IndyCar Series do their stuff on the opposite side of the Pacific Ocean, those that joined them in the newly-unified future of US open-wheel racing will remain in the States to bid farewell to Champ Car.
With the Motegi and Long Beach events unable to find alternative dates for the 2008 events, IndyCar organisers had little option other than to schedule both as point-scoring races towards this year's championship, splitting a field that was just getting to grips with one another after two events - one each on an oval and street course - at Homestead and St Petersburg.
It also means a change of machinery for those racing in California, as the Panoz-built DP01-Cosworths are dusted down after a couple of months in mothballs for one last thrash around the streets that came to symbolise the Champ Car World Series, and will help to form the backbone of future US open-wheel campaigns.
The entry list, while still to be finalised in the days leading up to the event, already contains several names made famous by Champ Car, alongside others who cut their teeth in the series but have been left high-and-dry by unification and those that successfully made the switch to IndyCars at Homestead. Completing the picture are a handful of relative novices, eager for one chance to show their worth.
At 20 cars, the grid is expected to be the biggest seen for a Champ Car race in Long Beach since 2002, as the 34th Toyota Grand Prix bids farewell to the CCWS as it did earlier in its history to both F5000 and Formula One.
“For 25 years, we've hosted a series that has given our fans countless great racing thrills,” said Grand Prix Association of Long Beach CEO Jim Michaelian, “We plan on using the weekend to celebrate the many notable drivers, great cars and memorable moments that have been a hallmark of Champ Car racing here at Long Beach for a quarter-century. We'll be honouring our past and, at the same time, setting the stage for the showcasing the unified IndyCar Series as it comes to the streets of Long Beach in 2009."
Paul Tracy and Jimmy Vasser undoubtedly headline the entry in terms of stature, both being former series champions, but may find their work cut out against drivers who have already seen action this season - and, in Vasser's case, the past couple of Champ Car seasons.
Tracy returns with the Forsythe Pettit team that confirmed him for 2008, then promptly shut up shop following unification. The atmosphere in the Canadian's section of the paddock could be tense, however, as Forsythe has so far refused to release him from his contract to pursue a ride either in the IRL or, at least, in the Indianapolis 500. Look for the 'Thrill from West Hill' to try and prove a point at a circuit that has dealt him a number of challenges in the past.
Vasser, meanwhile, comes out of retirement for one last run in a Champ Car, joining Oriol Servia and Will Power in a three-car KV Racing Technology line-up on the streets of his home state. Servia and Power both have more recent CCWS experience, having raced last season, and have shown their mettle on the streets of St Petersburg in the team's Dallara-Hondas.
