Friday AM: By the numbers
The usually quiet town of Long Beach was already coming alive with the sound of motorsports on Wednesday, as the 34th annual running of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach kicked into life on a sunny and windy day.
Teams were setting up in the paddock, making ready for the first-ever Thursday with on-track activity. With six races fitting into the packed 2008 schedule, along with all the other entertainment options, Thursday afternoon was added as an official practice day, albeit for the American Le Mans Series.
The 2008 weekend is run on an eleven-turn, 1.68-mile temporary street course, shutting down streets near the downtown area and waterfront. The first race here was a Formula 5000 race in 1975, won by Brian Redman, which was followed by eight years of
Formula One. The
F1 race was known as the United States Grand Prix West during the days of the US having two F1 races, the other being the United States Grand Prix East at Watkins Glen International in New York.
Champ Car - then known as CART or Championship Auto Racing Teams - came to Long Beach in 1984 and has run every year since. There is a display of CART cars raced over the past 25 years in the exhibition area of the Convention Centre inside the track.
There have been nine course configuration changes in 34 years, the last being in 2000.
Friday AM - Beckham and B-ball
Enrique Bernoldi, Nelson Philippe and EJ Viso flew into Long Beach from Miami on Tuesday afternoon and drove immediately - and very quickly - to the Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings NBA game for an eventful evening at the Staples Centre.
At the game, the three drivers watched Kobe Bryant lead his team to victory, clinching the top seed in the Western Conference for the upcoming NBA playoffs, while getting the chance to meet several celebrities, including famed international soccer star David Beckham, at half-time. The three drivers were guests at the game of Jeanie Buss, VP of business operations for the Lakers.
