By TIM YUJI YAMAMOTO
SPECIAL TO THE RAFU
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach celebrated its 50th running, racing through the streets of downtown Long Beach last Sunday with an estimated record crowd of 200,000 spectators.
Racing Legends Mario Andretti and Al Unser Jr. shared being grand marshals over the race weekend.
Andretti won the Formula One race at Long Beach in 1977 and helped get the beach town on the world’s racing map back then. He won three more in the CART series, now known as IndyCar.
Unser won the most races at Long Beach in IndyCar with six. Of the six, there were four in a row.
Kyle Kirkwood, driving for Andretti Global in his No. 27 PreFab/Honda, claimed victory at the “200-mph beach party.” He led 46 of 90 laps, taking pole with a speed of 107.034 mph the day before.
All drivers made the start on Shoreline Drive and jockeyed for position while going through Turn 1 without incident. Amazingly, the entire race was run under green and there weren’t any yellow caution laps.
Alex Palou in his No. 10 DHL/Honda was denied victory three races in a row, coming in second after Kirkwood and Christian Lundgaard driving the No. 7 Arrow McLaren/Chevy coming in third, after starting in 12th.
This was Kirkwood’s second win at Long Beach with his first career win in 2023 with a total of three IndyCar wins and three straight wins for Honda power.
He was asked in a post-race interview on his thoughts on winning the race on its 50th anniversary. He replied, “It’s massive, right?”
Kirkwood talked about the win and about Honda. “This is a historic race. I don’t think it set in yet for me, but I know how special it is coming into this. To win the 50th anniversary of this is huge.”
The Long Beach Grand Prix is the “home race” for American Honda and HRC (Honda Racing Corporation), specializing in engine design and production of racing parts, with Acura the main corporate sponsor, all based in Southern California.
Kirkwood’s victory is a huge delivery for them, three in a row this early in the season. He commented, “Honda has done a phenomenal job over the off season to adjust for changes that needed to be done, and we came out swinging this entire season thus far and I think it’s going to continue.
“We had a very honest conversation that it was the first time that I’ve ever sat down with a manufacturer and spoke with them in detail about everything that happened with the power unit and they really listened to us and they’re a huge part of our organization.
“They come in and they bring their engineers and they know everything about us and we know everything about them, so it’s very transparent. It’s really cool to see.
“This is a huge weekend for them to win Grand Prix of Long Beach presented by Acura and to win in Honda-powered cars. It’s so special.
“At the beginning of the week, we actually went to their main facility in Torrance and toured it and got to meet all the employees and associates and spent a lot of time with them.
Kirkwood (front), Colton Herta and Felix Rosenqvest speed around a turn early in the race in Long Beach.
“To do it (win) in front of them where they can see where their efforts go is absolutely massive for the morale of Honda and the longevity of them as well. I’m so very thankful for the product that they’ve given us. It’s because of that memory we’ll come out here and get these wins.”
Jennifer Symington is the assistant vice president of marketing for both American Honda Motor Co. Inc. and Acura, main corporate sponsor of the Grand Prix. She commented, “The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is an institution for race fans and it’s a pillar of Southern California’s legendary car culture.”
Sato Vying for 3rd Indy 500 Win
IndyCar Team of Rahal, Letterman, Lanigan (RLL) will have Japanese driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato return for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 25.
His first IndyCar win was in 2013 at Long Beach and first for a Japanese driver. Sato has earned six NTT IndyCar Series wins, four with RLL, including the team’s second Indy 500 win in 2020.
Sato competed in oval races with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023 and returned to RLL in 2024 for the Indy 500. He set the second-fastest qualifying speed of Honda-powered drivers in 2024, his 15th time to participate in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” and sixth with RLL.
Sato’s primary sponsor again will be Amada America Inc., a leading global machine tool manufacturer and supplier in the sheet metal industry.