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's 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 porno 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 25 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.
Thus, on April 18, 2010, it'll be "Gentlemen, start
your engines!" for the 36th straight year!
