Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Re-Set for September 24-26
Published on Sat, Dec 26, 2020
By: Doug Stokes
To try and race with the threat of COVID concerns, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach has been moved from April to September 24-26, 2021.
Editor’s Note: What follows below is some very good news for motorsports fans world-wide and especially good news for southern Californians who love cars, speed, casual dress, a dazzling motorexpo, a wonderland of choices of food and drink, and an atmosphere that’s like no other motorsports event…anywhere.
As you’ll read below, the traditional Spring event will now move to the early Fall, its original April 2021 date feared to be still under threat from Covid-19. The April 2020 event (which would have been the 46th running of the GP) was lost to the pandemic early-on.
On a personal note, I was a team member on the crew of one of the cars that competed in the very first Grand Prix of Long Beach back in 1975, Bill Simpson’s Berta/Chevrolet. A couple of years later, representing the International Kart Federation, I presided over a group of very fast twin-engined Karts that scorched the track, thrilled the fans, and gave Karting some well-deserved notice in the big leagues.
The event has never lost its appeal for me (and a couple of hundred thousand fans) even over all these years…it’s a gathering of the faithful, new and old, and a place where southern California annually adds luster to its legend. Thanks GPALB! … Your passion is showing! - Doug Stokes, Editor-at-large
The Grand Prix Association of Long Beach (GPALB) officials have announced that the 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, originally scheduled for April 16-18, will now take place September 24-26 and become the season finale of the 2021 NTT INDYCAR® SERIES season.
In making the move, GPALB President and CEO Jim Michaelian cited the current status of the coronavirus pandemic, which has made it doubtful that the organization could conduct the Acura Grand Prix as originally intended in April.
Michaelian made the decision to move the date in coordination with all the GPALB’s racing series partners and Long Beach officials in anticipation that the event will be able to run in September with full fan participation.
“We are very grateful to all of our fans, sponsors and exhibitors for their extraordinary loyalty and support over the past year,” said Michaelian. “We want all of our attendees to fully experience all of the joy and excitement of the event in a safe and welcoming environment and we believe that this move to a fall date will afford us that opportunity. We want to thank all those who were of assistance in facilitating this rescheduling and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to the streets of Long Beach in September.”
“It is important to have Long Beach rescheduled to continue the history and tradition for one of the series’ hallmark events in one of the nation’s premier media markets,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “Further, it’s a tremendous opportunity to wrap up the season with three-straight iconic venues for what we believe will be our most exciting season yet. As we did during the 2020 season, we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and maintain flexibility across our schedule. We are committed to an action-packed and exhilarating 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES.”
It will be the first time the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach has run in September since the event’s inaugural Formula 5000 race, which took place Sept. 28, 1975.
In addition to INDYCAR, the Acura Grand Prix will feature on-track action from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Formula Drift, Robby Gordon’s Stadium SUPER Trucks and the Historic Formula Atlantic Challenge. Additional on-track activities, as well as off-track attractions, will be announced in the coming months along with a more detailed event schedule.
Tickets for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach are expected to go on sale in mid-2021, with ticket prices and options to be announced. Fans that chose to credit their 2020 Grand Prix tickets to 2021 will get priority placement in their seating before 2021 tickets go on sale to the general public.
For the latest news and information on the Acura Grand Prix, visit gplb.com or follow us on Facebook at GrandPrixLB, Twitter @GPLongBeach and Instagram at GPLongBeach.
