Gordie's Shore Things

Information concerning the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, provided by Gordie Morris, former sports writer, updated frequently to highlight the activities and events before, after and during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

OFFICIAL RESULTS....CHAMP CARS AT 34th ANNUAL TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH

The official finish of the Champ car finale at the 34th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (car #, driver, team, speed, lag): 1. #8 Will Power/KV Racing Technology/92.964/race winner 2. #7 Franck Montagny/Forsythe Pettit Racing/92.890/5.0944 sec. 3. #96 Mario Dominguez/Pacific Coast...

INDY 500 NEXT FOR EX-CHAMP CAR DRIVERS, INDYCAR SERIES

With the exception of Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach winner Will Power - who had an ill-timed meeting with the wall after only 22 laps - the rest of the ex-Champ Car drivers continued their oval track education without much incident Sunday at Kansas Speedway. Dan Wheldon won the RoadRunner...

EX-CHAMP CAR DRIVERS SET TO MOUNT FULL-TIME ASSAULT ON INDYCAR SERIES

Eight ex-Champ Car drivers embark on their new careers as IndyCar Series drivers this weekend in the RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway. Four of them are currently in the IndyCar points top-10. Will Power, winner of the Champ Car finale last weekend at the 34th Annual Toyota Grand...

IT'S 3 A.M.....DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR ROBOT IS?

Don't know about you, but I thought those robotic cars were kinda cool. I know, I know, they were slow, but I couldn't help but think this is what we'll be driving - or, rather, that will be driving US - in the not-too-distant! And you gotta hand it to the people from Stanford, Carnegie Mellon...

CAN DANICA REPEAT 'MIDST THE WHEAT?

Guaranteed that lotsa eyes are gonna be on Kansas Speedway this weekend to see if Danica Patrick can pull off two straight wins by taking the RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300. Or, for that matter, if Will Power can notch two straight! Dan Wheldon is defending champion on the Kansas City track, a...

THE WEEKEND REVISITED

THE FEMALE EQUATION If you've been having trouble convincing your significant female other to accompany you on race weekend, you've got some added ammunition for 2009. Women won two of the five races at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, while Danica Patrick was winning her first IndyCar...

QUOTES FROM DANICA PATRICK'S VISIT

Danica Patrick, fresh from her IndyCar victory at Motegi and pooped after a long flight, made a pit stop in Long Beach and talked with reporters after the Champ Car finale yesterday. Some of her comments: "I wish it would have happened a long time ago but, yes, my win is going to be one of...

BRANDON DAVIS WINS SPEED GT RACE TO WRAP UP LONG BEACH WEEKEND

When 22-year-old Brandon Davis won the pole position for the Speed World Challenge GT Presented by Applied Computer Solutions race - in his first appearance on the Long Beach street course - he said it was "awesome." Double that awesome: Davis not only sat on the pole, he won the race...

CHAMP CAR POST-RACE QUOTABLES:

Race winner Will Power: ""I just got a great start. I hooked it up after doing plenty of practice starts in the morning warmup. It means a lot to win the last Champ Car race. We were looking to win this championship this year and then suddenly it changed...but this is a great way to...

POWER WINS CHAMP CAR FINALE AT LONG BEACH

Australia's Will Power outdragged polesitter Justin Wilson from the standing start, then went on to lead 81 of 83 to win the Champ Car finale at the 34th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. It was the third career Champ Car win for Power, driving the #8 KV Racing Technology/Aussie...

DE SILVESTRO's WIN SECOND FOR A WOMAN THIS WEEKEND!

It's shaping up as "Ladies Weekend" at the 34th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach! Simona De Silvestra took advantage of polesitter Jonathan Bomarito's early miscue and went on to win the Imperial Capital Bank Atlantic Series race. On the heels of Jamie Little's win yesterday in...

AND THE NEW MISS TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH IS........

....24-year-old Jessica Hamel of Long Beach, crowned last night in the Tecate Miss Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Pageant. Her court includes Marisa Rodriguez, 25, from Los Angeles and Elena Diaz, 24, from Costa Mesa. Congrats, ladies!

CONGRATS, DANICA!

See you here next year!

TEQUILA PATRON AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES RACE FINAL RACE REPORT

Places 1-28: 1. Luhr/Werner, LMP1,Audi R10 TDI 2. Biela/Piro P1 Audi R10 TDI 3. Brabham/Sharp/Johansson, LMP2, Acura ARX-01B 4. Dumas/Bernhard, P2 Porsche RS Spyder 5. Maassen/Long, P2 Porsche RS Spyder 6. Herta/Fittipaldim, P2 Acura ARX-01B 7. Franchitti/Leizinger, P2 Porsche RS Spyder...

LUHR/WERNER ROLL TO WIN IN AMERICAN LE MANS RACE

Lucas Luhr and Marco Werner captured the Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series race Saturday afternoon, steering their LMP1 Audi R10 TDI to a 1.96-second victory over a similar Audi driven by Frank Biela/Emanuele Pirro. David Brabham/Scott Sharp/Stefan Johansson finished third and captured...

LITTLE HOLDS OFF SKINNER TO WIN PRO/CELEBRITY RACE

It was a finish worthy of the Good 'Ol Boys! Celebrity driver Jamie Little, a NASCAR pit reporter, held off pro driver Mike Skinner, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, in a fender-rubbing duel on the final turn of the final lap and held on to win the 32nd Annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity...

SO SAYS PAUL TRACY:

Four-time Toyota Grand Pirx of Long Beach winner Paul Tracy is back for the Champ Car finale...and glad to be here. "It feels good to be back in the car and qualifying," Tracy said. "Today didn't go so well (he was 8th-fastest) and it was basically mostly on me. I made a lot of...

SO SAYS JUSTIN WILSON:

Champ Car provisional polesitter Justin Wilson said he was "quite relieved" to do so well in today's qualifying session. "Before qualifying, I thought there would be a lot of pressure taking this seat at a track like this where Sebastian (Bourdais) has always gone so well,"...

SO SAYS JONATHAN BOMARITO:

Jonathan Bomarito, the provisional polesitter for the Imperial Capital Bank Atlantic Series race, says it's been a whirlwind off-season. "I have to thank the whole Mathiasen Motorsports Team," he said. "This all happened real late, we did the last test series in Houston and here...

FIVE MORE YEARS!

The American Le Mans Series announced this morning that an extension has been reached with the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach to keep the ALMS racing on the city streets for five more years, thru 2013. "There's no doubt that Long Beach and Southern California represent a 'dream...

'FAST FRIDAY' FUN BEGINS....

...with a look back at yesterday, when I and a bunch of other ink-stained wretches had the pleasure of lunching with Mario Andretti just after his induction into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame. Turns out one of the major factors in bringing about the Champ Car/IndyCar unification was...

2nd ALMS Practice Session.....

Sascha Maassen paced the second ALMS qualifying session, steering his LMP2 #6 Porsche RS Spyder to a 1:12.986 clocking, a tick ahead of Luis Diaz' 1:13.009 in his LMP2 Acura ARX-01B. Christian Fittipaldi was third at 1:13.261 driving the LMP2 #26 Acura ARX-01B in which Bryan Herta had fast time...

OK KIDDIES.....THIS IS IT....

We start 'em up in anger today for some hot practice laps courtesy of the American Le Mans Series and Formula Drift. Shore Things will be your place to look for breakdowns of every practice and qualifying session, race results and lotsa other goodies - including hot tips about late happenings of...

TERRIFIC THURSDAY FREEBIES!

We call it "Thursaday Free-View." 'Cuz, basically, everything is FREE April 17. Start the day at 11 a.m., when Mario Andretti and Parnelli Jones get inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame, Pine Ave. at the Convention Center. (Can you spell "autographs?") On...

INTO KARTS?

Head for the parking lot of the Yardhouse Restaurant in Shoreline Village...just across the Shoreline front straight...and visit the folks from Dromo 1. They'll be answering all your karting questions Thursday thru Sunday of race weekend.

TAKING THE KIDS TO THE RACE?

If they're on the youngish side, for sure you're gonna hear, "How fast are they going?" or "Why do they wear those helmets?" But, you're also probably gonna hear "It's too loud!" and the ever-popular "I'm hungry!" We got you covered: Take 'em to the...

ANOTHER LADY SET TO TAKE THE GREEN!

Simona De Silvestro, who will take the grid for Newman Wachs Racing in the Imperial Capital Bank Atlantic Series race, is the third female battling the boys this coming weekend! The Swiss-born De Silvestro finished 17th here last year and, in 12 Atlantic Series races, had a best-finish 7th at...

20 - COUNT 'EM! - 20 CARS SET FOR CHAMP CAR FINALE

An entry list of 20 cars -- the biggest at The Beach since 2002 -- will be out to see who can win the Champ Car finale on Sunday. FYI, here's who's entered, with car #, driver and team (* = rookie): 02 GRAHAM RAHAL, Newman/Has/Lanigan Racing 3 PAUL TRACY, Forsythe/Pettit Racing 4...

LADIES....START YOUR ENGINES!

A cursory glance at the preliminary entry lists shows that two women will be trying for starting grid spots on race weekend. Cindy Lux, driving the #2 Mopar Dodge Viper in Sunday's SPEED World Challenge GT Presented by Applied Computer Solutions race, will be looking to better a 17th-place...

AND SPEAKING OF RACE WEEKEND...

...Shore Things will be THE place to look for practice, qualifying and race results within seconds -- OK, OK, maybe minutes -- after the checkered flag. We'll give you the top 5, any driver notes, who's hot, who's not, and all the good stuff as fast as we can. And, if you're a memorabilia...

THIS AND THAT....

With the final Champ Car race just over a week away, some of you may feel a need to make a friendly wager or two about who will win. Don't gamble, myself...being pure as the driven snow, etc...but if you are inclined to bet a soft drink on the outcome, you should know that odd-numbered Champ...

FATHERS AND SONS, PART DEUX!

You may already know that Graham Rahal is the guy to watch in the Champ Car race, while dad Bobby is the race's Grand Marshal. But, there are other father/son connections that bear watching on race weekend, too. For example, Greg (#5) and Leo (#15) Mansell will be driving Walker Racing entries...

Leave the driving to 'IT'

How's this sound: You're out the door heading to work. You hop in your vehicle, press some buttons and set some knobs. Then, you plug in the coffee machine, turn on the TV and drive to work - robotically. You'll get a glimpse into that VERY appealing future at noon Sunday race weekend in the...

THE CHAMP CAR X FACTOR

After the unification annnouncement, followed by the news that the IndyCar drivers would be in Japan the same weekend...   (More)

GRAHAM RAHAL IS YOUNGEST TO WIN AN INDYCAR RACE - IN HIS FIRST ATTEMPT - WITH VICTORY AT ST. PETERSBURG

INSTANT STARDOM!   (More)

CHAMP CAR "TRANSITION" DRIVERS EMERGE FROM FIRST

Despite having little seat time and very little oval racing experience, eight Champ Car drivers took on the Homestead, FL oval and a field of IndyCar drivers and, for the most part, came away clean on Sunday.   (More)

EIGHT DRIVERS ALREADY IN STARTING FIELD FOR

Eight drivers from four racing teams have thus far entered the Champ Car finale April 18-20.   (More)

ADRIAN FERNANDEZ TO HAVE BUSY SCHEDULE

Adrian Fernandez -- Mexico's most popular race driver -- will be logging a fist full of extra frequent flyer miles during Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach race weekend!  (More)

FORMULA DRIFT 2008 SCHEDULE FEATURES

The 2008 Formula DRIFT season will get its start on the streets of Long Beach!   (More)

AMERICAN LE MANS RACE AT LONG BEACH

The American Le Mans Series Race, scheduled for Saturday, April 19 as part of the 34th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend in 2008 will be televised nationwide by ABC-TV the following day, Sunday, April 20. The telecast will begin at 12:30 p.m. E.T. (9:30 a.m. P.T.)   (More)

FITTIPALDI TO RACE WITH ANDRETTI GREEN

Christian Fittipaldi -- a member of one of racing's more fabled families -- has signed to drive for Andretti Green Racing in the 2008 American Le Mans Series (ALMS).  (More)

CHAMP CAR SEASON, SUPERB CAREER, END

Four-time Champ Car king Sebastien Bourdais, who joins Scuderia Toro Rosso and the F/One wars next season, admitted things got a little emotional prior to the start of the Grand Premio Tecate presented by Banamex.  (More)

WILSON, RAHAL TO CARRY NEWMAN/HAAS/LANIGAN

Justin Wilson couldn't beat 'em, so he joined 'em.   (More)
 
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