Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame Honors Paul Tracy And Adrian Fernandez With Medallions

Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame's temporary wall of fame display. All honorees starting with the first year to present - 2006-2012 are on display. This event acts as the first official event of the Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach extended event weekend (slideshow). Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012) 

Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame Honors Paul Tracy And Adrian Fernandez With Medallions

Two of the most popular drivers to ever turn a wheel at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach – Paul Tracy and Adrian Fernandez – will be inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame on Thursday, April 18.

The public is invited to the free, 8th annual, induction ceremony which will be held at 11 a.m. on South Pine Avenue in front of the Convention Center, along the route of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

View slideshow: Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame honors Paul Tracy and Adrian Fernandez with medallions

“Paul Tracy and Adrian Fernandez have made legendary contributions to the field of motorsports, and they have truly earned their place on the Motorsports Walk of Fame” said Mayor Bob Foster, who will be presenting medallions to the honorees. “Paul Tracy has four wins here at Long Beach, and Adrian Fernandez is one of the sport’s greatest international ambassadors.”

Tracy notched his first open-wheel race victory here at Long Beach in 1990 when he won the Firestone Indy Lights support race. Three years later, he won the 1993 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, then went on to take the checkered flag three more times, in 2000, 2003 and 2004, tying him with Mario Andretti for second in all-time Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach wins behind Al Unser Jr.’s six.

During his illustrious career, the talented Canadian scored 31 race victories and 25 pole positions in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) Champ Car series and, in 1993, won seven races en route to the Champ Car series championship.

Fernandez, one of the most popular athletes ever to hail from Mexico, made his open-wheel debut here in 1993 and, in 11 appearances, had a career best-finish second place (2003) at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Fernandez’ career resume includes 11 open-wheel race victories in both the Champ Car and IZOD IndyCar ranks, including three victories in 2004.

He has continued that open-wheel racing success into the sports car racing ranks. In 2009, Fernandez teamed with Luis Diaz to win the LMP2 Class in the Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series race at Long Beach, the duo going on to win seven more races and the ALMS LMP2-class championship.

“There couldn’t be two more deserving individuals to be inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame,” said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. “Paul has to rank as one of the true masters of the Long Beach circuit and Adrian was not only successful on the track but also was highly responsible for the significant increase in the number of Hispanic fans who now attend our event.”

The Walk of Fame medallions include renditions of the racers' cars and their major achievements in motorsports.

For more information, visit www.lbmotorsportswof.com.

... notes from The EDJE

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2009 LB Motorsports Walk Of Fame Inductee Gives The 411 On INDY 500

4th Annual Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame inductees Bobby Rahal and Al Unser, Jr. share a word while standing in front of Parnelli Jones just before the medallion unveiling ceremony. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

2009 Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame Inductee Gives The 411 On INDY 500

It was barely over one month ago that Al Unser Jr. was experiencing "the best week ever" here around Shoreline Drive in Long Beach California.

The week (actually, four days) started off with Al receiving the honor, along with co-inductee Bobby Rahal, of having a medallion placed in a walkway on the Westside of the Long Beach Convention Center designated as the Long Beach Motosports Walk Of Fame. Since this was the fourth time this ceremony has been held, the list of previous inductees is not as long as one might think ... but it is full of people of extreme high accomplishment and recognizable to nearly all motorsports enthusiast familiar with the Southern California area and venue.

Thursday April 16, 2009, Al Unser, Jr., and his wife Gina, Bobby Rahal, and his son Graham were there ... along with a crowd of well wishers that included J.C. Agajanian, Jr. (whom I sat next to) Parnelli Jones (past inductee), Brian Redmond (inductee and first driver to ever win at the Long Beach Grand Prix), and about 200 other family, friends, fans, and photographers shared in the unveiling.

The section of the Wyland Mural on the side of the Long Beach Convention Center that was to be re-dedicated after its restoration earlier in the month of April. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

Al Unser, Jr., muralist Robert Wyland, and Mayor of Long Beach Bob Foster get ready to rise up on the scissor-lift to cut the ribbon to re-dedicate the Wyland Mural. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

On Friday, Al, was involved in a re-dedication ribbon cutting ceremony of the large mural of whales and other sea creatures that adorn the landmark Long Beach Convention Center building in the center of the Long Beach Grand Prix venue.

Al Unser, Jr. signs an autograph soon after his win in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race at the Long Beach Grand Prix venue. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

Saturday, Al Unser, Jr. drove a 250 hp Toyota Scion tC to victory in the annual Toyota Pro-Celebrity race. Being that this win gave Al his seventh official win at this track, with the six previous wins at the wheel of a CART/ChampCar, it came as little surprise even though he had to steer his way around several wrecks caused by some of the anxious Celebrities to best the field.

The happiest person, besides Al was Keanu Reeves, who also drove a good and steady race while avoiding all the mayhem in turn one and about the course, to win the Celebrity category of this competition.

Al Unser, Jr. sits at the driver's seat in the ceremonial Toyota convertable pace car as IRL Dallaras line up behind him in order to begin the warm-up laps before the 35th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

Then on Sunday, Al Unser, Jr. was the Grand Marshal of the 35th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach ... did I mention, a race that earned him the nickname "King Of The Beach" due to his six wins here, the most by any driver. He led the field in the Toyota pace car for the first ever Long Beach Grand Prix held under the sanctioning body of the Indy Racing League (IRL) in unification. Last year, the race featured ChampCar drivers and equipment only ... and the points were scored to count for the 2008 IndyCar Series Championship.

The best week ever!

So now Al Unser, Jr. moves on to the Indianapolis and Speedway, Indiana ... where there is a little 2.5 mile motorsports racetrack that has become known as "The World's Greatest Race Course". The venue, itself, has been in existence for 100 years and this year will be the 93rd running of the most famous and grueling 500 mile annual motorsports competition in the world ... the INDY 500!

Al Unser, Jr., as it turns out, has been successful here too, winning this race twice and finishing in the top 10 in a set field of 33 cars, 10 out of 20 competitions.

As an elder statesman, Al Unser, Jr. may just be having the best year ever. At Indianapolis, he is also the IndyCar Series driver coach and he had a few tips for the drivers who will be racing tomorrow in the INDY 500

This excerpted and edited from IndyCar.com -

Race Day analysis
By Dave Lewandowski - Indycar.com - Friday, May 22, 2009

Vitor Meira, the 2008 Indianapolis 500 runner-up, preaches patience - to himself in the mirror - in preparation for Race Day.

"I think here patience pays a lot, not only because it is a very long race but it's a track that doesn't forgive a lot of mistakes," said Meira, who will start 14th in the No. 14 ABC Supply Co. car for A.J. Foyt Racing. "The strategy is you go out, log some laps, make sure that you risk as few times as possible up to 50 laps to go, then you drop the hammer."

That's a strategy endorsed by two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and IndyCar Series driver coach Al Unser Jr. With the field - top to bottom separated by a tick over 3 seconds (the closest margin with four-lap qualifications in place) - patience will pay.

"All the teams have the cars figured out; they're on a level playing field like no other time," Unser said. "You're to a point right now, I was talking to Michael Andretti and they were looking for a half a pound of drag reduction. Any little bit.

"In the old days - in the' 70s, '80s and '90s - you had several different makes of cars and several engine manufacturers. Say I qualified 15th, I could count on five of the cars in front of me not finishing because of mechanical failure. I could count five more running into each other. I could count three that would have problems in the pits. So that really only left one or two guys that I really had to race, and that's how it unfolded in front of me when I ran the 500.

"Today, the front row is going to finish this race unless something strange or a freak deal happens. And the mistakes, if they make any, will be very small. The drivers know this, yet they have to have patience. It's really hard to have patience when everything is going by so quickly. That's when you really have to count on your team - the whole team comes into play. And when mistakes are made, you have to be there to capitalize on them. "

Unser said no matter where in the 33-car field the driver starts, the initial section of the 200-lap race is crucial.

"You need to get through the first couple of laps clean and get going and get your rhythm," he said. "If you're in the front half of the field, you'll do what the leader does all day as far as pitting and all that. If you're in the back half of the field and an early yellow comes out, then you'll get off-sequence with the leaders. The leaders will most likely stay out and that's when you'll come in.

"It's going to be all about track position, because the field is so close from front to back, and what I've been seeing during the Month of May is that it's impossible to pass. You can have a car that's running 222 in the lead and come up on a car that's running 218 and he won't be able to pass. When that happens, it's going to stack up and that's the most important time to have patience. It's going to be too much risk to pass another car. Just stay behind the guy in front of you until he makes a mistake and then it's an easy pass. The driver in front of you loses patience and does something that puts him out of shape then you're able to pass.

"It's a long race but it goes by very quickly these days. You don't really have to take care of anything these days. The engines, cars, tires and gearboxes are known reliability. It comes down to truly a whole team effort. The restarts are going to be very important as far as being able to pass on restarts. You have to be sharp; you do the passing instead of somebody passing you because once you get going you're stuck behind whoever is in front of you. Traffic will dictate a lot of what goes on during the race."
Reference Here>>

Click it: Starting grid | Race Day schedule | Final practice: All systems go

2009 is a hallmark year for North American Open-Wheel Racing now that full unification of team talent and drivers has taken place. To be honest, the last century was not so bad but this INDY 500 marks the beginning of a new era and just may be the start of the best century ever for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

... notes from The EDJE

Dallaras on Shoreline Drive - Long Beach & A House United

Shoreline Drive as pictured by Long Beach CA Webcam - Live action - take a peek at what's going right now in Long Beach CA. The ABC Camera is perched high atop the World Trade Center in downtown Long Beach. Images update every three minutes. Image Credit: ABC

Dallaras on Shoreline Drive - Long Beach & A House United

Last year, at this time, North American Open Wheel Racing (NAOWR) was in a state of confusion and disarray. A merger of the two racing series - IndyCar Series (ICS) and ChampCar World Series (CCWS) had decided to merge just a couple of months from the beginning of the 2008 season and the season, at best, became an exercise of catch-up by the teams and drivers of the CCWS.

The week that the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was held, the only teams and drivers to compete were the Transition Players being blended into the Indy Racing League and the ICS. It was a final party for the old series that had owned the streets of Long Beach ever since 1984 when the American racing body known as Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART)/Champ Car World Series (CCWS) took over from the European Formula 1 series. This became the last official race for ChampCar and the two year old Panoz DP01 - and the only race where these drivers and teams would compete at a ChampCar venue, with ChampCar equipment, and a ChampCar fan base - while earning IndyCar Series championship points.

Will Power - KV Racing Technology, taking a hard right-hand turn to enter Shoreline Drive on his way to win the final CCWS race ... and the first one to pay out IndyCar Series Championship points. Will Power will be driving for one of the "Established" teams in the IRL this year, Penske Racing, substituting for Helio Castorneves who is taking a leave of absense to attend to personal business held over from his appearance in "Dancing With The Stars" (taxes). Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

The other drivers and teams from the ICS were racing Dallaras in Motegi, Japan ... the home track of the IndyCar engine manufacturer, Honda.

This year, Dallaras with Honda engines will be running on Shoreline Drive and the dynamic couldn't be richer for the sport of North American Open Wheel Racing. Racing teams and drivers are all under one banner ... names like Penske, Andretti, Unser, Rahal, Newman/Hass/Lanigan, AJ Foyt, Coyne, Bachelart, Conquest, Ganassi, Kalkovan, Vasser, Dixon, Power, Wilson (to mention a few) will all once again be heard in the racing paddock and streets of Long Beach with one purpose in mind ... to get as many points as possible toward the ICS 2009 championship.

This April 16-19, 2009, the NAOWR cultures will become one after a split of over 13 years when the IRL ran it's first race. This is the year the IRL will be welcomed to the famed streets of Long Beach by a rabid and knowledgeable crowd ... and a house will become united.

Welcome to the 35th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach!

LBGP Logo - Image Credit: Grand Prix Association of Long Beach

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2009 Event Schedule

35th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

(Subject to change without notice)

(PDF Printable Version)

Thursday, April 16

(NOTE: Admission is FREE to Thursday events – no ticket required)

The Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame induction ceremony kicks off a week of motorsports family unification - two cultures become one. This year will feature six-time Long Beach Grand Prix winner and 2009 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Grand Marshal, Al Unser, Jr. and Past CART/CCWS Champion and IRL team owner (Rahal Letterman Racing) Bobby Rahal. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2008)

Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame Induction - 11 a.m.

(Pine Ave. at Convention Center)

Lifestyle Expo opens - 3 p.m.

American Le Mans Series (ALMS) practice - 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.

RaceMania at Shoreline Village - 3 p.m. – 10 p.m.

ALMS practice - 5 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

Lifestyle Expo closes - 6 p.m.

FREE Admission to “Shark Lagoon,”
Aquarium of the Pacific - 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Tecate “Thursday Thunder on Pine” (Pine Ave., incl.
Miss Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Pageant) - 6:30 p.m.

Tuner Thursday at The Pike - 6:30 p.m.

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Friday, April 17

Gates open - 7 a.m.

Lifestyle Expo opens - 8 a.m.

ALMS practice - 9 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.

IndyCar practice - 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Toyota Pro/Celebrity practice - 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Firestone Indy Lights practice - 12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.

IndyCar practice - 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Toyota Pro/Celebrity qualifying - 3:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

ALMS qualifying - 3:55 p.m. – 4:55 p.m.

IndyCar autograph session - 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
(IndyCar Paddock)

Team Drifting - 5:05 p.m. – 5:25 p.m.

SPEED GT Challenge practice - 5:30 p.m. – 5:55 p.m.

Tecate Light “Fiesta Friday” Concert Starring
“El Tri” - 6 p.m.

Lifestyle Expo Closes - 6 p.m.

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Saturday, April 18

Gates open - 7 a.m.

ALMS Warmup - 7:30 a.m. – 7:45 a.m.

Lifestyle Expo opens - 8 a.m.

SPEED GT Challenge practice - 8:05 a.m. – 8:35 a.m.

Firestone Indy Lights Qualifying - 8:45 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

IndyCar practice - 10:25 a.m. – 11:25 a.m.

Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race Logo - Image Credit: Grand Prix Association of Long Beach

Toyota Pro/Celebrity RACE - 11:40 a.m. – 12:40 p.m.

Team Drifting - 12:50 p.m. – 1:10 p.m.

IndyCar qualifying - 2:10 p.m. – 3:40 p.m.

American Le Mans Series Logo - Image Credit: ALMS/IMSA Racing

Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series At Long Beach RACE - 4:15 p.m. – 5:55 p.m.

Lifestyle Expo closes - 6 p.m.

Tecate Light Rock-N-Roar Concert - 6 p.m.
Starring "Puddle of Mudd"

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Sunday, April 19

Gates Open - 7 a.m.

Lifestyle Expo opens - 8 a.m.

SPEED GT Challenge qualifying - 8 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.

IndyCar practice - 8:40 a.m. – 9:10 a.m.

Firestone Indy Lights RACE - 9:40 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.

Falken Tire Competition Drift Ford Mustang - Image Credit: Formula Drift (2008)

Team Drifting - 11:05 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

IndyCar Pre-Race Activities - 12:30 p.m.

35th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach IndyCar Race (85 laps) - 1:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

SPEED GT Challenge RACE - 4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

Lifestyle Expo closes - 5:30 p.m.
Reference Here>>

See you all at the streets of Long Beach!

... notes from The EDJE

Unser Jr., Rahal, Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame – ‘Nuff Said

2008 LONG BEACH MOTORSPORTS WALK OF FAME induction ceremony - Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones and Gary Gabelich were the honorees. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (The EDJE) 2008

Unser Jr., Rahal, Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame – ‘Nuff Said

The previous honorees to have a custom medallion honoring their motorsports achievements ... laid in a concrete strip running North to South along Pine Avenue, in front of the West facing Long Beach Convention Center ... all had a connection to the event of the Long Beach Grand Prix, lived and worked out of Southern California, and/or had broad motorsports careers of great achievement and success.

Phil Hill (left) and Jackie Stewart at the 1991 United States Grand Prix. Image Credit: Stuart Seeger

The first inductees of Phil Hill, the first American Formula 1 champion in 1961 and was raised in Santa Monica, California, where he lived until his death August 28, 2008, and Dan Gurney who also made most of his fame in Formula 1 (86 Grand Prix starts ranks third, and his total of four GP wins is second only to Mario Andretti) and team owner from Riverside, came in 2006.

The Andy Granatelli STP Special Gas-Turbine car driven by Parnelli Jones in 1967, on display at the Indianapolis 500 Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. Image Credit: The359 (2007)

2007 Walk of Fame Inductees saw Brian Redman the first winner of the LBGP in 1975 with the one-time Formula 500 series event (a feeder series to Formula 1), Chris Pook the innovator of the modern day temporary circuit and creator of the 34, going on 35 year LBGP event, and Newman/Haas Racing Team owners - Paul Newman and Carl Haas who as team owners delivered a car and driver combination that won the LBGP a record six times (three wins with Mario Andretti / three wins with Sebastian Bourdais).

Walk of Fame Inductees for 2008 included Mario Andretti, a four time winner of the LBGP and the only driver to have repeat wins while driving in different open wheel sanctioning series (1977 with Formula 1 and beginning in 1984 in the inaugural CART/ChampCar World Series race).

The Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame medallions include renditions of the racers' cars and their major achievements in motorsports. 2008 inductee Mario Andretti's medallion above. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (The EDJE) 2008

Life long resident of Torrance, California, racing legend Parnelli Jones won races in many types of vehicles: sports cars, IndyCars, sprint cars, midget cars, off-road vehicles, and stock cars. With the sanctioning take over of the race by IndyCar in the merger, Parnelli was a key inductee in that he is most remembered for being the first driver to qualify over 150 mph at the Indianapolis 500, winning the pole position at a speed of 150.370 mph in 1962, his 1963 Indianapolis 500 win, and almost winning the 1967 Indy 500 in an Andy Granatelli STP sponsored turbine car. The third inductee for 2008 was Gary Gabelich who was honored posthumously (August 29, 1940 – January 26, 1984) by the City of Long Beach. Gary, a resident of Bixby Knolls, set the land speed record with his rocket-powered vehicle "Blue Flame" on October 23, 1970, achieving an average speed of 622.287 mph (1,001.474 km/h).

Al Unser, Jr. and Bobby Rahal represent drivers (and car owners) from a more current era. These guys could almost hop in a Dallara IndyCar right now and be competitive on the track through the 11 turns and two speed sections that make Long Beach the challenge that has set the standard for temporary street circuits. After all, this would be the first time the Dallara will be racing in the streets of Long Beach, but these inductees have owned the track a time or two during the heyday of their driving careers.

1991 Long Beach Grand Prix podium left to right with Eddie Cheever 3rd, Al Unser, Jr. 1st, and Bobby Rahal 2nd. Image Credit: indycar.com

This excerpted and edited from Motorsport.com –

RACING LEGENDS BOBBY RAHAL AND AL UNSER JR. TO BE HONORED AT LONG BEACH MOTORSPORTS WALK OF FAME
Motorsport.com - 2009-03-16

"I'm delighted that we will add two more racing legends to the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame," said Mayor Bob Foster, who will be presenting the medallions to the honorees.
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"This year's inductees represent not only great drivers, but individuals that have contributed much to the success of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach over the years," said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. "That's why 'Little Al' is known as the 'King of the Beach' and Bobby has achieved great success at Long Beach not only on the track but also as an owner."

Al Unser Jr. followed in the footsteps of his father and an uncle (Bobby) to become repeat champion at Indianapolis, winning the '500' in 1992 and 1994. Champion of the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) series in 1990 and 1994, Unser won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach an incredible six times: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994 and 1995 and, overall, took the checkered flag in 31 events between 1984 and 1995. Unser won the 24 Hours of Daytona at age 24, is a two-time IROC champion and the youngest IROC champion ever. In 1994 he dominated the CART open-wheel racing season winning eight of 16 races and was named ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. Unser will be competing in this year's Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, Saturday, April 18, having won the world-famous event in 1985.

Bobby Rahal is one of a select group of individuals who have won the Indianapolis 500 as a driver (1986) and an owner (2004). Between 1982 and 1992, Rahal won 24 races and captured the CART season title in 1986, 1987 and 1992. He won on ovals, road courses and competed in Formula One and NASCAR events. Rahal won championships driving sports cars, winning several SCCA titles and shared the winning car in the 24 Hours of Daytona (1981) and the 12 Hours of Sebring (1987). He made 15 starts at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, finishing second four times. In 1996 he formed Rahal Letterman Racing, with David Letterman as a minority owner.
Reference Here>>

The 4th annual induction ceremony for the Long Beach Motorsports Walk Of Fame, and the first one held with the full field of IndyCar Series teams and drivers ready to take it to the streets of Long Beach, is April 16 during Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Week.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. at the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame, located on the Eastside of South Pine Avenue right in front of the Long Beach Convention Center.

… notes From The EDJE