Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is held on a street circuit in Long Beach, California and was founded by Christopher Pook. Pror to joining the Indy Racing League, the Grand Prix of Long Beach was part of the Champ Car series from 1996-2008. The race is currently the largest event of any kind in Long Beach as attendance reaches over 200,000 people.

The race takes place on the streets of the city and is 85 laps on a course that is just less than 2 miles in length. The course has eleven turns and the fastest lap ever recorded was by Sebastian Bourdais of Newman-Haas Racing in 2006. He completed the lap in 1:06.886. The inaugural race took place in 1975 and includes previous winners such as Mario Andretti, and six time winner Al Unser Jr. The 2010 winner was Ryan Hunter-Reay. The 2011 race is scheduled to take place April 15-17. During the race weekend there is also a racing expo with several interactive booths and displays for fans to enjoy. The expo is regularly attended by over 175,000 people each year. There are over 270,000 square feet of space in the Long Beach Convention Center.