Magnaflow Recaps Grand Prix of Long Beach

Grand Entrance

It was a perfect day for racing last Sunday at the 47th annual Grand Prix of Long Beach, America’s longest-running street race and MagnaFlow was there. Here’s what they had to say about the day.

As if on cue, the cool overcast morning started to give way to bright blue skies and California sunshine just as the racing began to heat up. Team MagnaFlow was invited to help host the on-site Exotic Car Paddock by their friends over at Mothers, makers of car waxes, polishes, cleaners and more.

Best In Show

The paddock itself more than lived up to its name, with Ferraris, McClarens, Lamborghinis and vehicles of similar pedigree temporarily turning the spot into one of the world’s most impressive parking lots. The scene delighted attendees of all ages, who were able to get up close and personal with these magnificent machines that are rarely seen on most streets.

The main event was, of course, the racing, which began in glorious fashion with the Historic IMSA GTP Challenge Race, a short race/showcase of vintage GTP cars, including specimens from Ford, Jaguar, Mazda, Lola, Nissan and Toyota. One of the Mazda rotary engine powered cars left a particularly big impression as it wailed around the track like some furious banshee, leaving the crowd awestruck every time it flew past with a ferocious sound rooted in the racing of decades past.

Next up was the big race of the weekend: the third event of NTT IndyCar Series. Josef Newgarden ended up clinching his second win of the season despite being chased closely for the latter part of the race by a doggedly determined Romain Grosjean, who worked his way into second place yet didn’t have enough left to give in order to pass Newgarden before the end. The race featured quite a bit of bumping between the cars as well as a few spins and appointments with the wall, with local favorite Colton Herta experiencing such a rendezvous with a barrier at turn 9 when his brakes locked up on the 56th of 85 laps, costing him the position he then had in second place.

You can read the rest of the story on the MagnaFlow website.