California race fans drew a double-shot for racing in the streets of Long Beach over the April 15th weekend with American Le Mans and IndyCar combining forces for a showcase of speed. it was a “Cirque du So Fast” as speed limits and traffic lights were put on hold amidst cones, tires and barricades.
Don’t worry, east coast fans… The same show comes to Baltimore in September. However, by then there will be more points pressure to perform as the season will be winding down and competition for the top spots will be more intense. Baltimore should be a great event!
For Long Beach, early laps presented issues for both series, AMLS and IndyCar. Flag confusion caused the AMLS P2 Class #54 Lola-Honda to be damaged and out on the first lap after contact with debris. Driver Tim Pappas was noticeably upset about the flags and damage noting green was out with debris and a spun car on the track.
The IndyCar start the next day was similarly aggressive early on as Josef Newgarden made a dive on Darion Franchitti on just the first lap. Newgarden put the #67 Honda powered machine into the barrier ending his day.
Interesting, and a bit sad, that both events shared first lap contacts that realistically should never have happened. Racing is as much patience as it is speed and these first lap pushes were perfect examples of “too eager – too soon”.
Patience and steady driving ruled the day for Muscle Milk, as drivers Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf put the #6 Honda HPD ARX-03a across the line for the P1 class. Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner pushed their Corvette to a GT victory. Full results can be found online with amls.com.
The first lap might have been an indicator for the action to come for IndyCar. Marco Andretti went for an airborne ride as the Chevy powered RC Cola #26 made wheel contact and launched upwards. All of those wing surfaces work great to keep the tires pressed to the track but as soon as airflow is able to get underneath with any force those same wings can reverse air pressure and it’s “liftoff”!
Target/Ganassi had a good start with Franchitti on the pole and Scott Dixon at the fifth slot but both cars ran into issues. Dizon was out at lap 27 with mechanical issues and Franchitti’s issues put him 3 laps down to finish 15th. The finish was full of drama with Simon Pagenaud closing the gap in the last laps on Verizon/Penske Will Power. There just wasn’t enough pavement time for the HP Motorsports Honda to make it. Power had to start in the back with all other Chevy powered machines after mass engine changes so his run back to the win was epic. After Power and Pagenaud crossed the line, three others spun and checked in the final hairpin turn blocking most of the field. Full results online with IndyCar!
At the end of the weekend, this dual series ticket of racing at Long beach gave plenty to see for fans of motorsport. The real circus, however, might have been from the clean up crews after the cars were loaded and hauled back to the team shops. Laps of rubber over painted traffic lines, a mass of tire marbles to clear out and all of those barricades to remove must have been a nightmare. Hey Baltimore… Hope you were watching! It’s your turn in September!