Two of Southern California’s motorsports and automotive agencies are celebrating 50 years of racing on the streets of Long Beach.
The nostalgic flag falls into nostalgia as the Petersen Automotive Museum holds a special exhibition featuring five race cars that are part of the rich history of the Long Beach Grand Prix. The car represents three eras of racing at Long Beach, beginning with the Formula 5000 in the mid-1970s, showing the competition for Formula 1 and IndyCar with other series packed into the racing weekend.
The five cars will be on display, starting Thursday at Petersen Automotive Museum in Miracle Mile in Los Angeles, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Acura Grand Prix in Long Beach.
Formula 5000 ERA: The 1974 Formula 5000 Dungurnie National Racer Eagle 755 and driver Vernschuppan, the winner of the 1975 Long Beach Pole Pole Position, is on the wheels. Owned by local businessman Tom Malloy, the car was also the first to compete on the streets of Long Beach. Formula 5000 racers, a powerful open-wheel car with a distinctive aerodynamic design, competed in the first Long Beach Race in 1975.
Formula 1 Era: Formula 1 competed in Long Beach from 1976 to 1983. This period will be represented by two cars at the Petersen Museum, including March 761, 1976, currently owned by Richard Griott. The car was driven by Italy’s Vittorio Lamvila in Long Beach in 1976. The second Formula 1 car on display is a 1980 McLaren M30 driven by Frenchman Alain Prost during the 1980 Formula 1 season and is currently owned by Sean Allen.
IndyCar Era: The 1981 National Racer Eagle 8100, owned by Dennis Firestone and driven by Firestone himself, will be part of a representative exhibition of the current series of races at Long Beach. The 1999 Reynard, driven by Brian Hertha and owned by Erich Joyner, will also be featured.
The exhibition will be open from Thursday until April 8th in the museum’s lobby. There is no admission fee to view the lobby display.
The IndyCar series and the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship will be headlined, and this year’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will also host a historic formula exhibition. A race car, part of Long Beach’s history, screams at Shoreline Drive again on a few laps over a three-day motorsport weekend.
“Races at Long Beach have been an important part of American motorsport for 50 years, and this exhibition at the Petersen Automotive Museum offers an unusual opportunity to celebrate its legacy.” “Fans can not only witness these legendary machines up close, but also experience acting on the race weekend.”
The event list features Super Drift Challenge, Robby Gordon’s Speed Energy Stadium Super Trucks, and GT America with AWS.
The Acura Grand Prix in Long Beach is scheduled for April 11th-13th.
Source link
