TBK-Light.com

1.968 miles (3.167 km)
Turns - 11

History (taken from the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach site)
[spoiler]Although the City of Long Beach had no way of knowing, when Friday morning, March 26, 1977 dawned, the city would never be the same again.

An auto racing fan-turned-travel-agent -- Chris Pook -- was about to put the city on the international sports map and spark a business, travel and financial renaissance that continues today.

Barely 18 months earlier, Pook had beaten all the odds and naysayers by staging the first Long Beach Grand Prix, a Formula 5000 race won by Brian Redman that attracted more than 46,000 race fans and curiosity seekers. He followed that only six months later by staging a Formula One race, won by Switzerland's Clay Regazzoni, that was a moderate success.

Now, at 4:30 a.m., it was financial crunch time. With a pack of creditors snapping at his heels, Pook desperately needed a high-profile F/One race that would be watched by countless millions worldwide and - he hoped - packed grandstands in Long Beach.

He got it. With some help from a tough, diminutive Italian-American from Nazareth, PA. Mario Andretti avoided a first-lap, multi-car collision, then went on to outduel F/One stars Jody Scheckter and Niki Lauda to become the first American to win a F/One race in a U.S. Grand Prix.

"Mario's victory really changed the whole image of the race," says Jim Michaelian, now the President and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach and the race's financial officer in 1978. "We made the New York Times, Sports Illustrated and the race was all over the local and national news."

For the next six years, a decidedly international ambience settled over the city each Spring. Romantic car marques like Ferrari, Renault and Brabham shared headlines with equally-romantic, internationally-famous drivers like Jacques Laffite, Emerson Fittipaldi and Nelson Piquet.

Argentina's Carlos Reutemann won flag-to-flag in his Ferrari in 1978, just evading a now-classic first-lap shunt involving James Hunt that remains perhaps the Grand Prix's most enduring image.

Canada's Gilles Villeneuve - a crowd favorite for his hard-charging style - led a Ferrari one-two finish in 1979 and, in 1980, Brazil's Nelson Piquet's Parmalat Brabham scored another flag-to-flag victory in the first LBGP that was title-sponsored by Toyota. The race has been known as the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach ever since.

In 1981, F/One champion Alan Jones led an Albilad Williams FW07B one-two finish in a race notable because, for the first time, two American drivers, Mario Andrettti (fourth) and Eddie Cheever (fifth) had scored F/One points in the same race.

Marlboro McLaren scored the next two wins, with Niki Lauda in 1982 and John Watson - coming from an improbable 22nd place on the starting grid - in 1983.

And, all the while, change had been coming to Long Beach. Downtown, the porn movie houses and boarded-up building were being replaced by office buildings, restaurants and gleaming new hotels. And, for Chris Pook, it was Financial Crunch Time II.

In 1983, faced with increasing F/One purses, sanctions and shipping charges, Pook was approached by Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), and signed for the Champ Cars to make their Long Beach debut in 1984.

Once again, Mario Andretti rode to the rescue.

"We weren't exactly sure if the Champ Cars would have the same mystique for race fans," says Michaelian. "But we didn't miss a beat." Thanks to Mario, who put his Budweiser-Haas Lola under the checkered flag…and again put the race back into headlines around the country.

American names have dominated the streets of Long Beach ever since, winning 13 of 26 races. Al Unser Jr. was the victor here six times, including a remarkable four straight from 1988-91. Mario Andretti visited Victory Circle four times and his son, Michael, is a two-time winner. California's Jimmy Vasser won the race in 1996.

Still, the race has always managed to retained a little of its original international flavor. Italy's Alex Zanardi, one of the race's biggest fan favorites, won back to back in 1997-98. Colombia's Juan Montoya, now a fixture in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, in 1999 became the first rookie to win the race before joining the F/One wars, and Brazil's Helio Castroneves led an all-Brazil 1-2-3 finish in 2001.

And, Canada's Paul Tracy is a four-time winner here, 1993, 2000, 2003 and 2004. France's Sebastien Bourdais won three consecutive Long Beach races from 2005 to 2007.

In June 2005, race team owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe purchased the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, ensuring that the famed seaside circuit would continue operating. In March 2008, the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach signed an agreement with the City of Long Beach to continue running races through 2015 with an additional five-year option.

On April 20, 2008, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach staged the final race in Champ Car's long and storied history, with Australia's Will Power taking the checkered flag.

In May 2008, the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach signed a five-year agreement with the Indy Racing League to run the IndyCar Series beginning in 2009. Dario Franchitti won the inaugural IndyCar event before a packed house, ensuring the race's success in the new era. American Ryan Hunter-Reay enters 2011 as the defending race champion.

Thus, on April 17, 2011, it'll be "Gentlemen, start your engines!" for the 37th straight year![/spoiler]

Timetable (all times PDT)
[spoiler]THURSDAY, APRIL 14
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame Ceremony (Pine Ave. in front of Long Beach Convention Center)
6:00 – 10:00 p.m. Tecate Thunder Thursday on Pine Ave. (incl. Tecate Miss Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Finals)

FRIDAY, APRIL 15
7:00 a.m. Gates Open
7:15 - 9:15 a.m. American Le Mans Series (ALMS) Practice
8:00 a.m. Lifestyle Expo Opens
9:35 - 9:55 a.m. Team Drifting Demonstration
10:00 - 11:15 a.m. IZOD IndyCar Series Practice
11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Toyota Pro/Celebrity Practice
12:15 - 1:15 p.m. Firestone Indy Lights Practice
2:25 - 3:25 p.m. IndyCar Practice
3:40 - 4:10 p.m. Toyota Pro/Celebrity Qualifying
4:00 - 5:00 p.m. IndyCar All-Driver Autograph Session (IZOD IndyCar Series Paddock)
4:20 - 4:45 p.m. Pirelli World Challenge Championships Practice
5:00 - 6:30 p.m. ALMS Qualifying
6:00 p.m. Lifestyle Expo closes
6:30 p.m. Tecate Light Fiesta Friday Concert (Featuring "Moderatto" and "Fobia")
7:00 p.m. Toyota Grand Prix Charity Ball at the Westin Long Beach

SATURDAY, APRIL 16
7:00 a.m. Gates Open
7:15 - 7:45 a.m. World Challenge Practice
8:00 a.m. Lifestyle Expo Opens
8:00 - 8:45 a.m. Firestone Indy Lights Practice
8:55 - 9:20 a.m. Team Drifting Demonstration
10:25 - 11:25 a.m. IndyCar Practice – Split Groups
11:40 a.m. - 12:40 p.m. Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race
12:55 - 1:55 p.m. Firestone Indy Lights Qualifying
2:30 - 3:50 p.m. IndyCar Qualifying & Firestone Fast 6
4:30 - 6:30 p.m. TEQUILA PATRÓN AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES RACE (120 minutes)
6:00 p.m. Lifestyle Expo Closes
6:45 p.m. Tecate Light Rock-N-Roar Concert (Featuring "JOHN KAY & STEPPENWOLF")

SUNDAY, APRIL 17
7:00 a.m. Gates Open
8:00 a.m. Lifestyle Expo Opens
8:00 - 8:15 a.m. Firestone Indy Lights Practice
8:25 - 8:55 a.m. World Challenge Qualifying
9:15 - 9:45 a.m. IndyCar Practice
10:40 a.m. Grid Firestone Indy Lights Cars/Indy Lights Pre-Race
11:05 a.m. - 12:05 p.m. Firestone Indy Lights Race
12:30 p.m. IZOD IndyCar Series Pre-Race Ceremonies
1:15 - 3:30 p.m. Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (Race number 3 of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series)
3:40 - 3:55 p.m. Team Drifting Challenge
4:15 - 5:15 p.m. Pirelli World Challenge Championships Presented by Stop Tech Race
5:30 p.m. Lifestyle Expo Closes[/spoiler]

TV
Versus, 2:30 PM EDT (Lights)
Versus, 3:30 PM EDT (IndyCar)

IndyCar entry list
Firestone Indy Lights entry list

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Ducks Angels Sounders Spurs

All I can say is that it's gonna be fun watching these guys go at it double file into Turn 1 on the start and on every restart.

Not even Macau has seen such action at Lisboa for some time...

TBH Long Beach could do with the extra excitement, but then I come in here and bitch every year about how the mystique and history of the track overshadows that its really hard to pass there and the final hairpin really doesn't enable the cars to get a good run on each other into turn 1, blah blah blah old long beach was better blah blah blah Champcar rulez blah blah blah
anddddd....copy and paste this for next year too

Interesting a Toyota-powered formula car (F5000, F1, Champ Car or IRL) has never won this event...

Thus proving their is a god.

Can't decide between Dega and this one...

Usually trouble on the start here

27 cars are entered, meaning among all 27 competitive drivers, one will get disqualified.

Bourdais and Tracy again on the same track. Let's hope they....interact.

Awesome.

Non-qualified not disqualified.

Didn't they change it though?

I'm pretty sure that if the 27th place car has some acceptable pace, they'll let them race.

I don't think there's a lockout position anywhere that it says only a certain number of cars can qualify, so I'm sure all will get in the show.

They added a rule that only 26 cars will start each race, except for Indy (and maybe Vegas.) However, I agree with Gabriel. As long as all 27 cars are within a reasonable spread, they all should race. Randy said that even though there's only 26 slots, the officials can decide to add cars. I really can't see them turning anyone away after hauling the cars all the way to California.

So, any guesses on what percentage of the race will be run under caution?

104%

I thought the qually rule was changed to 105%?

In all honesty though, I'm really glad that the field is up to 27 cars.

A far cry from the pathetic grids of 16 to barely 20 cars of yesteryears.

Well actually, for the past 2 seasons, car numbers have been pretty good. Most races last year had 24, some 26. The year before that, most had what, 22, some 24.

i believe it was said that more than 26 car start but only the first 26 will receive prize money. dont quote me on that tho cause i cant remember where i read that to back it up :/