The 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
Relive a new historic IndyCar race with The 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, contested in the streets of Long Beach, California.
The 2008 season marks the reunification of the Champ Car on one side and the Indy Racing League on the other after 16 years of an internal dispute which has never ceased to drag down the American car. 2008 is therefore the year of renewal with a merger of two dying championships.
For this Long Beach race, a small peloton is coming to Japan on Sunday, April 20, 2008. Indeed, a few hours earlier, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, the Indy Japan 300 took place. Only the teams that were present in the Indy Racing League the previous season came to Japan, while the teams that were present in Champ Car in 2007 are present in California.
Twenty drivers are at the start of this race, including three French, Franck Perera, third on the grid for Conquest Racing, Franck Montagny, sixth on the grid for Forsythe and finally Nelson Philippe, seventh with the green flag at HVM Racing.
At 92.964 mph, the pole goes to the late Justin Wilson. The Briton then piloted the No. 02 of Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing, a quadruple reigning champion team with Sébastien Bourdais, but on the decline.
Find more historic IndyCar races on the dedicated page of our site.
