Long Beach has been hosting races since the mid ‘70s; the enthusiasm showcased over four decades ago seemingly not diminished by the passing of time as the fans of today seem to echo in spirit to those of the days when Formula 5000 was a thing. These fans came in quite big numbers to witness a rather appealing menu: the 100-minute IMSA Weathertech Sports Car race on Saturday followed, on Sunday, by the Pirelli World Challenge round and, to end the week-end on a high, the Indycar Grand Prix of Long Beach. We’ll only be talking about the first race mentioned for it was the third round of America’s hotly contested Sport Car endurance racing series, the only of its kind to blend road courses with street courses.
For the first time since the merger, Prototype Challenge cars were welcomed to join. These spec prototypes last set foot at Long Beach in 2013 under the American Le Mans Series. Accompanying the PCs were the popular GT-LMs and the Prototypes which were, as expected, far thinner in numbers compared to the previous round at Sebring.
Ford’s new GT cars proved to be the center of attention in the paddock as Team Ganassi faced the hardships of street-course racing for the first time. Two other GTs were to face a completely different terrain the following day as the British branch of the outfit took part in the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
While not being an endurance race as such, the Long Beach round is still completed by two drivers for each squad, the switch happening at mid-point. It’s essential for everyone to not stop at another time as a lap can be easily lost on this relatively short track that once held the U.S. GP West in the F1 calendar.
Keep reading for the full story.
from Top Speed http://ift.tt/1VeGNsK
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