The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach holds a special spot in North American motorsports lore. Being a street circuit race, it’s unforgiving of error. A short race for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – it’s one of two, 100-minute street circuit races on the calendar – there’s little time to recover from a mistake on the track or in the single pit stop. And it’s hard to pass on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary circuit, so qualifying can be extremely important compared to the first two endurance races of the season.
But it’s Long Beach. Not only is it a part of the championship, it’s a high-profile race with big crowds. And all these things means winning at America’s longest-running street race is a feat worthy of celebration.
“The legacy that builds year after year after year around events like this make them special and more valuable and more contested and envied to win it,” said Sebastien Bourdais, who won in IMSA competition for Cadillac Racing in 2022, adding to his three IndyCar victories at the circuit.
“So this one has really become a huge fixture of any of the series that race at this place. It’s also a very challenging and enjoyable place when you do put one lap together. I have to say putting the car on pole in ’22, the car felt amazing and it’s just one of the best feelings you’ll ever have in a race car. And once you complete the weekend and get it to the top step of the podium, you’ve had a good day and you know you won something that a lot of people would like to put their names on.”
While Bourdais proved in that 2022 race that it is possible to recover from a mistake and still win at Long Beach, the following year he felt the other side of the coin, crashing at the start with a braking issue in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R. Toward the end of the race, Ricky Taylor crashed trying to take the lead back from the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsports 963 following a bad pit stop for Taylor’s No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06. Both drivers know how Long Beach can bite.
“It’s so unforgiving with the walls and the way the competition, the race, kind of plays out,” said Taylor, a three-time winner at Long Beach with brother Jordan. “It’s really intense. You come off of the first few races of the season really relaxed and sort of building into the race, where this one from first practice you already have to be on top of your game. Qualifying is the most important of the year and then starting the race … you can’t give anybody an inch. It’s a really difficult one. It means a lot to us, especially since being with Acura.”
The WTRAndretti team car, the No. 40 with Jordan Taylor and Louis Deletraz, are in a tie for the GTP championship after the team’s victory in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with an assist from Colton Herta. The 24 Hours of Daytona winning team, the No. 7 PPM 963 with the full-season pairing of Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr, join them in the points lead at 706 as both teams look to break the tie. With a tough Sebring race, the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac Racing squad of Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken have a big gap to close from third in the points.