Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/8603
THE APRIL TODO LIST BY>>TYLER ANDREWS T hirty years ago, Long Beach was a dramatic contrast to its label of "The International City," for its vast harbor which was a shipping and travel terminus for the entire world and the gateway to the west for all sea travelers. Pine Street, Downtown's main thoroughfare, crept east from the ocean into the vast expanses of Long Beach's inner city ghettos under dim streetlights and the occasional neon sign, offering little invitation to the visitor. The Strip, the section of Pine between Ocean Boulevard and 4th Street, was made up of seedy theatres, liquor stores, boarded up businesses, and the heavily barred windows of the tenements. The harbor existed only for the importing and exporting of freight; all travelers made their way immediately north to Los Angeles or south to Orange County, the beach, Disneyland. The "International City" label existed on paper alone, in the annals of its history. The City itself was watching its culture slowly fade with each newly burned out street lamp. Chris Pook was an auto racing fan and a travel agent, and in 1975 he staged a Formula 500 race on the streets of Downtown Long Beach. He was a dreamer who knew how crazy his idea sounded—a major international race in a run down part of town with no history of open wheel racing—but his fanaticism for auto racing and his visionary risk- taking overrode the obvious skepticism. 46,000 people, some race fans but most curiosity seekers wanting a glimpse of this spectacle in the ghetto, showed up to watch Brian Redmon win what would become known as the first Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Six months later, on the strength of his first race's moderate success, Pook took another gamble, hosting an F1 race that was won by Swiss driver Clay Regazzoni. Again, despite all odds, people came. In six months, Pook had orchestrated two races featuring international fields of drivers in a venue with no racing pedigree. His vision had created cash flow for the city and buzz within the racing community, but creditors were calling and Pook's gambles, despite their moderate success, still left him in a hole. He needed another race; he needed Ready, Set, Go! ToyotaÊ GrandÊ PrixÊ ofÊ LongÊ Beach April 16 TH -18 th risk- taking overrode the obvious skepticism. 46,000 people, some race fans but most risk- taking overrode the obvious skepticism. 46,000 people, some race fans but most risk- taking overrode the obvious skepticism. curiosity seekers wanting a glimpse of this 46,000 people, some race fans but most curiosity seekers wanting a glimpse of this 46,000 people, some race fans but most spectacle in the ghetto, showed up to watch Brian Redmon win what would become known as the first Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Six months later, on the strength of known as the first Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Six months later, on the strength of known as the first Toyota Grand Prix of Long his first race's moderate success, Pook took another gamble, hosting an F1 race that was won by Swiss driver Clay Regazzoni. Again, despite all odds, people came. In six months, Pook had orchestrated two races featuring international fields of drivers in a venue with no racing pedigree. His vision had created cash flow for the city and buzz within the high profile television coverage; and he needed a star to help fill the grandstands. Mario Andretti of Nazareth, PA, then a young F1 driver, came to the rescue. In the late 70's, American drivers on the F1 circuit struggled to stay competitive with their European opponents, and, as a result, American sports media avoided hyping the sport. ESPN and 24- hour sporting news networks were a few years away, and F1 racing simply gave the major networks no good reason to broadcast it over football, baseball, basketball, or even golf. Then, in March of 1977, Andretti changed all that. He won the second F1 Long Beach Grand Prix and, in the process, became the first American born driver to win an F1 event on American soil. He made the national news with his historic victory, landed in Sports Illustrated, and gave Americans a good reason to care about open wheel racing. For the next six years, to Chris Pook's infinite delight, F1 thrived in Long Beach. Celebrated international drivers like Jacques Laffite, Emerson Fittipaldi, and Nelson Piquet competed in the event, and carmakers like Renault, Ferrari, Brabham, and Lamborghini helped solidify the international setting that the race captured every spring. The Grand Prix of Long Beach gave the city back its lost title, and the city itself responded. Downtown picked itself out of the mire as functioning businesses replaced boarded up windows, bustling restaurants opened where seedy theatres once stood, and loft style apartments rose out of the rubble of the tenements. Long Beach has one of the richest civic histories of any city in California, but the name Chris Pook seldom gets mentioned alongside the re- envisioning of Downtown in the early 80's. The truth, however, is, that had it not been for his visionary gamble to bring racing to Long Beach, the "International City" may have been a relic of the past. The race has seen many changes since its early days. In 1984, CART series racing replaced F1, in 2005 Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe purchased the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, reassuring race fans that engines would rev for years to come. Then in 2009 the Indy Racing League, taking the place of CART, took over the Grand Prix's main event, and now, 36 years later, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, an event that draws over 175,000 people annually, is firing on all cylinders, and the "International City" thrives like never before. The TGPLB is a massive racing event by any standards, but, if you've never been, it's incredibly easy on the spectator. From the time you lock your car until you find your seat, everything is clearly labeled and there are volunteers at every corner to assist you— they're in redcoats, so you can't miss them. None of the excitement gets lost by cramped quarters, and it's easy to follow the portions of the race you can't see from your seats on the massive scoreboards and monitors. If you have never made it out for the TGPLB, make this the year you stand on the bridge over the front straightaway and feel the rush of 230 MPH cars roaring by just below your feet. There's nothing like it, and Long Beach, a city that defines and has been defined by open wheel racing for over thirty years, creates a world class venue for experiencing it all.