,
Moving from the center of the turn I made my way over to the exit. Now like Turn 11 you can get pretty close to the action however there is a fence around this entire area with a window cut out for photographers. When the cars track out however they come right up against the wall and once again you are separated from these high horsepower machines comiing directly at you by just a few inches of concrete barrier. It’s another one of those ass puckering moments the first time you stand there and feel the power of these amazing pieces of art.
Be ready when they track-out and head down to turn 4, you're a lot closer to the action than you think.
After shooting at all of these locations you start to think you are at a dedicated race circuit, the fact that you are on city streets, most with a speed limit below 35mph, escapes you.
It’s not until you see signs like this that you remember you are watching a race where people catch the bus to work. Too bad the bus doesn’t get around town as fast as an IndyCar and it’s too bad the IndyCars won’t stop to pick you up!
Other parts of the track really solidify the fact that you are on city streets, being on the inside of the straight between Turn 7 and 8 you get so see the city of Long Beach as the backdrop and it’s pretty breathtaking.
“Streets closed pizza boy, find another way home.”
It's not too often that you see street signs and signals on a race track.
Closing out the weekend and after the glitz and glamour of the IndyCar race the Pirelli World Challenge is released onto the course. I’ve watched quite a few rounds of PWC on TV and these guys are a bunch of gritty door to door racers. You won’t see the bumping and rubbing you get in PWC in too many other series.
Sitting on the inside of Turn 10 gives you a great view of the battle along with the backdrop of all the fans enjoying the show.
From the high RPMs of the Indycars to the rumble of the TUDOR USCC cars the PWC cars have a deep sound all of their own.
Well that ends my first time experiencing the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, I hope you enjoyed my point of view and thoughts on the race. Hopefully I’ll be back next year and I hope you will be there too. It’s a big party that you shouldn’t miss.
