Historic Indy Car Challenge at Long Beach

Now a yearly fixture, Indy cars from the 1970s and 1980s screamed around the Long Beach street circuit on 19-21 April,  marking the 49th edition of the Long Beach Grand Prix, originally for Formula 1, and now for modern Indy cars.  Amongst the highlights of the fanfare and razamataz-filled weekend, dubbed by organisers as ‘California’s 200-mph Beach Party,’ was the guest appearance of Mario Andretti, four-times Long Beach winner and the original ‘King of the Beach,’ and six-time winner Al Unser, Jr., serving as pace car driver for the Historic Indy Car challenge support race.  The historic race was led from start to finish by 2022 Silverstone Classic Motor Sport Driver of the Weekend, Tim DeSilva in a Lola T9500 that raced in Long Beach in 1995.  “It’s more about the fun experience getting to drive a car like this in Long Beach, especially a car that raced here in 1995 and did well.  It’s fun to experience that 30 years later,” said the young Californian, recent PHD graduate, collegiate golfer and current semi-professional racing driver.